Project Background

Beginning in late 2024, the Northwest Climate Resilience Collaborative’s Tribal Coastal Resilience Project, a partnership of the Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians, University of Washington Climate Impacts Group, Washington Sea Grant, and Western Washington University, partnered with a team of legal and policy experts from the Harvard Environmental and Energy Law Program (EELP), the University of Washington Native American Law Center, and the Environmental Policy Innovation Center to better understand available policy frameworks and existing programs that could help streamline funding processes and unlock new sources of funding to advance Tribal adaptation. This research effort produced a suite of policy tools offering a range of approaches and resources for strengthening Tribal funding and capacity for adaptation and resilience efforts.

These tools incorporate feedback from Tribal leaders, community members and staff who participated in both virtual and in-person workshops convened by the Tribal Coastal Resilience Project. We extend our sincere thanks to all participants, whose contributions ensured the relevance and utility of these new resources.

Policy Tools

Responding to Disasters in Indian County

This guide is designed to help Tribal leadership and staff decide if and how to seek federal disaster assistance after a disaster. It includes an introduction to the disaster declaration process, the three types of declarations available to Tribal Nations, and the administrative and financial obligations associated with each. This guide was prepared by the Harvard Environmental & Energy Law Program (EELP), and incorporates feedback from Tribal leaders and staff who participated in virtual and in-person workshops convened by the Northwest Climate Resilience Collaborative. The Salata Institute for Climate and Sustainability at Harvard University provided generous support for this project.

View Tool

Flexible Funding Authorities to Support Tribal Climate Adaptation

This policy tool included a policy research effort intended to support Tribes, partner agencies, and organizations in addressing some of the climate adaptation barriers and needs experienced by Northwest Tribes. Among others, these barriers include barriers to sufficient staff capacity such as short-term grant funding for positions, which can drive high staff turnover while absorbing Tribal staff time in grant writing and reporting, as well as chronic housing shortages that limit staff recruitment and retention. This policy tool, which consists of three memos, was developed to identify existing and potential flexible funding authorities for Tribes to better access and utilize Federal funds.

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Tribal Climate Adaptation Funding Source Database

This tool provides Northwest Tribes and Tribal affiliates a comprehensive list of grant programs and funding opportunities that can support Tribal adaptation and resilience activities. Users can sort across funding opportunities offered by state (WA and OR) and federal governments, as well as, provide comments on the table, creating a platform to collect anonymous feedback directly from Tribal practitioners.

View Funding Table

Webinar

On February 10, 2026, experts from the University of Washington Native American Law Center, Harvard Environmental and Energy Law Program, the Environmental Policy Innovation Center, and the University of Washington Climate Impacts Group shared several potential policy tools that Northwest Coastal Tribes can use to bolster and streamline funding for climate adaptation and resilience efforts.

Acknowledgements

Responding to Disasters in Indian County

This document was prepared by the Harvard Environmental & Energy Law Program in partnership with the Northwest Climate Resilience Collaborative’s Tribal Coastal Resilience Project with staff from the Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians, University of Washington Climate Impacts Group, Washington Sea Grant, and Western Washington University. We thank the Tribal leaders and staff who participated in virtual and in-person workshops and provided invaluable feedback. We also extend our gratitude to the Salata Institute for Climate and Sustainability at Harvard University for their generous support.

Flexible Funding Authorities to Support Tribal Climate Adaptation

This document was prepared by students and the Director of the University of Washington Law School’s Native American Law Center and staff from the Environmental Policy Innovation Center. This project was further supported by partners at the Northwest Climate Resilience Collaborative’s Tribal Coastal Resilience Project with staff from the Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians, University of Washington Climate Impacts Group, Washington Sea Grant, and Western Washington University. We extend our gratitude to Jonathan Ng (UW Law ’25), Erin Rasmussen (UW Law ’25), and Jessica Yin (UW Law ’25) for their invaluable contributions to this research effort. We thank the Tribal leaders and staff who participated in virtual and in-person workshops and provided invaluable feedback.

Tribal Climate Adaptation Funding Source Database 

This resource was prepared by the Harvard Environmental & Energy Law Program in partnership with the Northwest Climate Resilience Collaborative’s Tribal Coastal Resilience Project with staff from the Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians, University of Washington Climate Impacts Group, Washington Sea Grant, and Western Washington University. We thank the Tribal leaders and staff who participated in virtual and in-person workshops and provided invaluable feedback.

Suggested Citations

Perls, H., and K. Kennedy. 2025. Responding to disasters in Indian Country. Harvard Environmental & Energy Law Program, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA.

Mills, M., S. Anderson, and L. Young. 2025. Flexible funding authorities to support tribal climate adaptation. Native American Law Center, University of Washington, Seattle, WA.