Climate Resilience and Insurance Industry Collaboration Grant

The Department of Energy and Environment (DOEE) of the District of Columbia has released the Climate Resilience and Insurance Industry Collaboration Grant, designed to foster innovative public-private partnerships that address the economic and systemic risks climate change poses to insurance markets. Administered through the Urban Sustainability Administration’s Green Building and Climate Branch (GBCB), this grant aims to advance the District’s environmental and economic resilience by facilitating collaboration among government, industry, academia, and community stakeholders. The funding opportunity reflects the District’s strategic commitment to sustainability and economic security amid increasing climate volatility. This grant opportunity is funded through the Sustainable Energy Trust Fund and makes $25,000 available to eligible applicants. The program’s primary objective is to support activities that strengthen the local insurance market’s ability to absorb and adapt to climate-related disruptions. Climate risks—such as flooding, extreme heat, and storms—can destabilize insurance coverage by raising premiums, limiting access, and ultimately threatening long-term affordability for residents and businesses. The District seeks to proactively address these risks by engaging insurance providers, public agencies, and residents to co-develop strategic recommendations and tools to mitigate these economic threats. The eligible activities supported under this grant include convening stakeholder meetings, conducting interviews and focus groups, developing educational outreach, and surveying relevant parties across sectors. Applicants are expected to host at least one stakeholder engagement event, collect and synthesize stakeholder feedback, and produce a final report with actionable recommendations. Possible approaches include introducing financial incentives, risk-scoring systems, and novel insurance instruments like parametric products or resilience-focused loan funds. Additionally, shared data models may be developed to enable collaborative planning and targeted interventions that reduce the rising costs of insurance caused by climate stressors. The grant encourages proposals that feature creative community engagement strategies. Applicants must identify specific audiences within the District—such as property owners, renters, and local businesses—and design targeted outreach and participation plans. The project is expected to culminate in the creation of event materials, a stakeholder engagement summary, and a final roadmap report that outlines long-term collaborative strategies to enhance insurance resilience and affordability in the District. Grants will be awarded on a competitive basis, with evaluation criteria including stakeholder engagement plans, the likelihood of producing actionable outcomes, budget efficiency, and demonstrated understanding of the intersection of climate risk and insurance. DOEE anticipates notifying applicants of their status within six to twelve weeks of the application deadline. The project period begins upon award and runs through September 30, 2026. The award is disbursed as a reimbursement for allowable project expenses, though advances may be considered on a case-by-case basis. Eligible applicants include nonprofit organizations (501(c)(3) and 501(c)(4)), faith-based organizations, government agencies, educational institutions, and private enterprises. Proposals must be submitted through the DOEE Grants Management System by 11:59 PM on March 9, 2026. All application components—including narrative, work plan, budget, and required documentation—must be completed in full to be considered. For questions or to request the RFA, applicants may email [email protected]. Technical support is available via the DOEE Grants Portal.

Develop a specific and creative engagement plan; address insurance affordability in a quantifiable way; justify each budget line item.