1. Identify which type of PROTECT grant fits your community’s needs

There are four categories of PROTECT discretionary grants, and each carries a  different purpose. For full descriptions of these grants, refer to pages 8-9 of the Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO). 

• Planning Grants provide funding for resilience planning, evacuation planning or preparation, and technical capacity support to allow applicants to assess vulnerabilities in surface transportation. The minimum award amount is $100,000. There is no maximum award cap. 
• Resilience Improvement Grants fund interventions to upgrade existing transportation infrastructure to withstand the impacts of changing environmental conditions resulting from climate change. The minimum award amount is $500,000. There is no maximum award cap.
• Community Resilience and Evacuation Route Grants are used to strengthen and protect evacuation routes necessitated by climate-related emergency events. The minimum award amount is $500,000. There is no maximum award cap.

At-Risk Coastal Infrastructure Grants support projects that enhance the resilience of transportation infrastructure on the coastline or Great Lakes regions. The minimum award amount is $500,000. There is no maximum award cap.

2. Emphasize nature-based solutions

The PROTECT NOFO will prioritize applications that leverage nature-based solutions as a key way to promote environmental resilience. Nature-based solutions include, but are not limited to, the restoration, conservation or construction of marshes, wetlands, vegetation, breakwaters, reefs, dunes, parks, urban forests, and shade trees. They reduce the risk of erosion, flood risks, heat impacts, and wave damage, while also creating natural habitats and providing recreational activities.

3. Align with the Administration’s Justice40 goals

Justice40 is an administration-wide initiative specifying that at least 40% of  the benefits of climate-related investments flow to underserved communities  disproportionately impacted  by climate change. Three of the four grants in the PROTECT application (all besides the planning grant) require that the applicant discuss how the project is advancing Justice40 goals and how meaningful outreach is targeted towards disadvantaged communities. Additionally, these applications must include an equity assessment and discuss how the project will reduce  disparities. For more details on equity assessments, refer to this toolkit from  the Local and Regional Government Alliance on Race and Equity.

4. Partnerships are key

All four grants under PROTECT require applicants to include a detailed plan for public engagement, partnerships and collaboration. For example, applicants must discuss how they will encourage diverse input from community-based organizations, and collaborate with other agencies and relevant sectors (like emergency management, environmental planning, housing, as well as state, local, and/or federal stakeholders).

5. Inform your application with data

The PROTECT grant application is very technical—this is especially true for the resilience and coastal infrastructure grants, which require that the applicant complete a cost-benefit analysis to ensure that projects are cost-effective. Potential grantees are also required to outline how they are going to build and maintain technical capacity. Additionally, the planning grants require applicants to identify the climate data sets that will be used to inform the planning process. For information on climate data, see Climate Mapping for Resilience and Adaptation, as well as this resource from C40 on City Climate Data Management.