Technical Assistance

Technical assistance definition: targeted, customized support to help and empower individuals and organizations to build their knowledge, ability, or capacity to achieve specific goals and outcomes.

Technical Assistance during the Application Period

During the application period, NOAA technical assistance can include

• Instruction on the eligibility of specific activities, as well as on navigating the application process;
• Direction on accessing and interpreting climate data, models, and tools, including geospatial and socioeconomic information;
• Guidance on mechanisms for geospatial data and services acquisitions associated with funded proposals;
• Connection to subject matter experts and resources within and outside of NOAA;
• Introductions and suggestions for regional contacts as potential partners; and
• Discussions of technical assistance opportunities to support a funded proposal.

Visit the Climate Resilience Regional Challenge homepage for resources that are helpful when writing the letter of intent and developing a proposal. Visit the Digital Coast and the U.S. Climate Resilience Toolkit for data, tools, and other resources supporting climate resilience planning and actions.

Technical Assistance for Funded Proposals

NOAA will work with successful applicants to explore what technical assistance may be most valuable.

• Direct support related to a specific need. Examples: expert consultation on adaptation planning; assistance accessing and applying climate, geospatial, and socioeconomic data and tools; acquiring geospatial data or services; and help understanding and using results from data analyses or modeling.
• Connecting to subject matter experts and resources within and outside of NOAA, as well as introducing regional contacts as potential partners.
• Workforce development in the form of training and train-the-trainer opportunities on relevant topics and skills, such as facilitation, strategic planning, adaptation planning, risk communication, nature-based solutions, and coastal inundation mapping.
• Support to convene partners in ways that ensure community engagement in the planning, design, and implementation of adaptation efforts.
• Sharing lessons learned and approaches taken by collaboratives and projects to expand the impact of investments among and beyond the resilience challenge awards.

This is not a comprehensive list. Contact NOAA at resiliencechallenge@noaa.gov to learn more and to discuss the possibilities. In the letter of intent, applicants are encouraged to identify known technical assistance needs for project implementation, but it is not required.