Climate Change Impacts for Culture Resources in the Intermountain Region, Phase II, Part 1: Vulnerability Assessment | P17AS00513

Opportunity Information: Apply for P17AS00513

This grant opportunity, titled "Climate Change Impacts for Culture Resources in the Intermountain Region, Phase II, Part 1: Vulnerability Assessment" (Funding Opportunity Number P17AS00513), is a discretionary National Park Service cooperative agreement focused on understanding and planning for climate-driven risks to cultural resources across the NPS Intermountain Region (IMR). It is essentially the next step after an earlier Phase I effort completed in 2014, which gathered and organized existing climate change models and data relevant to cultural resources in the region. Phase II, Part 1 is designed to turn that foundation into an updated, NPS-aligned vulnerability assessment that park managers can actually use for decision-making and protection planning.

The project has two main objectives. First, it updates the Phase I compilation by reviewing and incorporating more recent National Park Service work on climate change and cultural resources, including efforts developed at both national and regional scales. This means the awardee is expected to revisit the earlier dataset and synthesis, check what has changed since 2014, and integrate newer information, methods, and guidance that the NPS has produced in the intervening years. Second, it requires completion of a climate change vulnerability assessment specifically for cultural resources located in national parks within the Intermountain Region, using current data and the norms and standards established by the NPS. In practice, this implies a structured assessment process consistent with NPS frameworks, aimed at identifying which cultural resources are most at risk, what climate stressors are driving that risk, and where managers may need to prioritize monitoring, adaptation actions, or protective measures.

A defining feature of the opportunity is its emphasis on interdisciplinary work. The scope is regional, not limited to one park, and it is intended to be carried out by a team that includes both natural resource and cultural resource expertise. That blend matters because climate vulnerability assessments typically require combining climate science (exposure to stressors like temperature change, altered precipitation patterns, drought, wildfire, flooding, erosion, or extreme events) with cultural resource management knowledge (sensitivity of archeological sites, historic structures, cultural landscapes, museum collections, traditional use areas, and related assets, along with their current condition and management context). The end goal is not just analysis for its own sake, but a usable product that helps site managers plan for protection of vulnerable cultural resources in coordination with the NPS Climate Change Response Program, aligning local and regional actions with broader NPS climate adaptation strategies.

From an administrative standpoint, the program is run by the Department of the Interior, National Park Service, and is categorized under Natural Resources funding activity, with CFDA number 15.945. The funding instrument is a cooperative agreement, which generally indicates substantial federal involvement or collaboration during the project rather than a hands-off grant. The opportunity anticipated a single award, with an award ceiling of $163,000. Eligibility was limited to public and state-controlled institutions of higher education, signaling that the NPS was primarily seeking a university-based partner capable of applied research, synthesis, and technical assessment work. The opportunity was created on July 19, 2017, with an original closing date of July 28, 2017, reflecting a short application window and a targeted, scoped project intended to produce actionable outputs on a defined schedule.

Overall, this opportunity is about translating existing and newly available climate and resource data into an NPS-standard vulnerability assessment for cultural resources across the Intermountain Region. The deliverables are meant to be disseminated in a way that supports practical planning, helping park managers anticipate climate threats, identify the most vulnerable resources, and integrate those findings into protection and adaptation efforts alongside the NPS Climate Change Response Program.

• The Department of the Interior, National Park Service in the natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Climate Change Impacts for Culture Resources in the Intermountain Region, Phase II, Part 1: Vulnerability Assessment" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.945.
• This funding opportunity was created on Jul 19, 2017.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Jul 28, 2017. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $163,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Public and State controlled institutions of higher education.

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