Funding Opportunities
A curated list of funding opportunities in a variety academic disciplines working on climate change.
Penn Opportunities
Special Pilot Grant Competition for Early-Stage Investigators- The Center of Excellence in Environmental Toxicology
The Center for Excellence in Environmental Toxicology is pleased to announce a Special Pilot Grant Competition for Early-Stage Investigators to support innovative Environmental Health Sciences research while fostering the career development of early-stage faculty investigators at Penn. This opportunity is open to early-stage standing and research faculty across all Penn schools.
Deadline: Friday, September 18, 2026
Penn Climate Innovation Seed Grants
Penn Climate is excited to announce an open call for proposals for the Climate Solutions Hub Innovation Seed Grants, which will fund up to two $400,000, multidisciplinary, research-focused projects to create climate solutions by leveraging Penn’s existing strengths. These seed grants will engender creativity and collaboration across Penn and support initiatives that are poised to launch into longer-term, sustainable efforts. (Applications are closed for 2026.)
PPA Renewable Energy Research Grant
Supporting proposals for research and workforce development projects, funded by the Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) between the University of Pennsylvania and energy company AES. (Applications are closed for 2026.)
External Grants and Prizes
Penn Climate shares the following opportunities as a service to our community. We are not involved in the review or selection of proposals, and cannot offer specific information about any of these grants.
Ending Wasted Food in a Generation
Opportunity to deploy and scale climate technologies.
Average grant size: $300,000 USD
Deadline: September 1, 5:00 p.m. ET
Strategic Initiatives and Grants Jackson Foundation
Strategic Initiatives often involve forums, roundtables, conferences, or other convenings. Developed as partnerships between the Foundation and regional, national, and international organizations, these grants often bring experts together to focus on a policy issue. The Foundation also makes occasional larger general operating fund grants to organizations with close alignment to our goals.
Amount: $10,000
Deadline: LOI September 1
Climate change, biodiversity & forest products - Velux Stiftung
The program aims to advance sustainable forest management that addresses the interconnected challenges of climate change, biodiversity loss, and growing societal demands on forest resources.
Deadline: 21 September 2026 at 23:59 CEST, with a final decision on proposals in March 2027
Frontiers Planet Prize – 5th Edition
Penn Climate invites researchers to submit their most innovative and impactful work for consideration of the Frontiers Planet Prize 5th Edition—one of the world’s leading awards for breakthrough research on planetary boundaries. As a registered National Nomination Body for the Frontiers Research Foundation, Penn may nominate three outstanding research publications to the National Academy of Sciences. Selected nominees will represent Penn at the national competition.
Deadline: September 30, 2026
Solar Radiation Management – Simons Foundation
The Simons Foundation’s Mathematics and Physical Sciences (MPS) division invites applications for our Solar Radiation Management program (SRM).
Deadline for Letter of Intent Submission: October 6, 2026, at 12:00 p.m. (Noon) Eastern Time.
Health and Extreme Weather Solutions-Focused Research Hubs (U54 - Clinical Trial Optional) - NIEHS
The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) intends to publish a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) to solicit applications that propose translational research hubs with multiple highly integrated components focused on research, capacity building, and community/public health translation for regionally relevant topics related to the health impacts of extreme weather and cumulative exposures, including but not limited to wildfire smoke, extreme heat, flooding, hurricanes, drought, and other climate-related hazards affecting populations at heightened risk across the lifespan.
Anticipated release date for the official Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO): November 27, 2026
Health and Extreme Weather Research Coordination and Data Center (U2C - Clinical Trial Not Allowed) - NIEHS
The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) intends to publish a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) to solicit applications for research coordination and data support for the Health and Extreme Weather (HEW) initiative. This solicitation will include two closely aligned components: research coordination and data support.
Anticipated release date for the official Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO): November 27, 2026
NSF-DFG Lead Agency Opportunity on Collaborative Research on Climate Change (NSF-DFG GEO)
US-German collaborations are invited to submit joint proposals in the areas covered by NSF/GEO participating programmes (see NSF Dear Colleague Letter NSF 23-113) and the DFG’s review boards (Fachkollegien) 313, 314, 315, 316, 317-01, and 318 of the DFG’s subject classification. The proposals must focus on research on climate change and provide a clear rationale for the need for a US-German collaboration, including the unique expertise and synergy that the collaborating groups will bring to the project.
Deadline: Continuous enrolling
Penn Climate is pleased to share these funding opportunitites from groups within Penn and a curated list of government and foundation grants that may be of interest to the Penn community working in climate and the environment.
If your organization has any grant or funding opportunities that you would like to have posted on this page, please send details including eligibility requirements and deadlines with “Funding Opportunity to Share” in the subject line.