About the Strategic Plan

The Climate Impacts Group (CIG) has helped the Northwest region of the United States understand and build resilience to climate change since 1995. To respond to the increasing and evolving demands for climate services, CIG created a five-year strategic plan for 2024-2029. The updated vision, purpose, strategic priorities and action areas were co-created through extensive collaboration, input and feedback among all CIG staff and informed with detailed input and feedback from many of our external partners, including academic personnel; federal, state and local government agency staff; Tribal members and representatives; and community members and representatives. At the center of our strategic plan is a renewed commitment to equity which centers the priorities of frontline and marginalized communities, who historically have not benefited from climate services.

Vision and Purpose

Vision

A just and resilient world where people and nature thrive in a changing climate.

Purpose

We work in partnership to support equitable climate adaptation in the Northwest and beyond.

Our Strategic Priorities and 2029 Goals

	Strategic Priority 1: Strengthen and advance action-oriented research. By 2029 CIG will directly and indirectly accelerate the implementation of climate adaptation strategies and push the boundaries of the climate adaptation field by delivering action-oriented research. We will be seen as a leader in climate adaptation research and as a valued and trusted partner.
	Strategic Priority 2: Support adaptation decision-making. By 2029 CIG will increase the number and diversity of organizations, communities and governments we collaborate with on adaptation decision-making, while continuing to be a trusted partner for federal, Tribal, state and local government decision makers.
	Strategic Priority 3: Build partner capacity. By 2029 CIG will serve as a valued resource for equitable climate adaptation capacity building. We will expand capacity building opportunities for academic scientists and practitioners, while increasing our focus on building capacity among marginalized communities.
	Strategic Priority 4: Provide effective communications and outreach. By 2029 CIG’s communications program will proactively identify timely and relevant opportunities to expand our impact and uphold the CIG brand by leveraging and extending project and program outputs.
	Strategic Priority 5: Establish a secure, sustainable and diversified funding structure. By 2029 CIG has stable, flexible and diversified funding from long-term, non-restricted funding sources as well as multi-year, project-specific funding sources.

Acknowledgements

We would like to extend a special thank you to Drs. Brian and Mary Nattrass at Sustainability Partners, who guided our team through the strategic planning process. Thank you to all our external partners who provided detailed feedback on early drafts of our vision, mission and purpose, as well as insights into our strengths and opportunities for growth. Thank you to EarthLab and College of the Environment staff who helped shape the final strategic plan. We are grateful for your support and contributions.

Contact

With questions or concerns about this strategic plan, please reach out to the Climate Impacts Group at cig@uw.edu. 

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