Updated September 6, 2026
Climate and Environmental Research Grants from Foundations
Foundation and nonprofit grants funding climate, environmental, ocean, and ecosystem research. A live list for researchers looking beyond federal agencies.
Federal support for climate and environmental science is under more pressure than any other field. The administration's budget request proposed eliminating NOAA's climate research funding outright, renewable energy research offices took deep cuts, and geoscience programs have been squeezed across agencies. For many climate, ocean, and atmospheric researchers, the question in 2026 is not which federal program to target but where to find funding that does not depend on the federal budget at all.
Featured grants
Updated automatically from Atom's grant databaseEnergy and Environment Program
The Sloan Foundation's Energy and Environment Program funds interdisciplinary research to advance the U.S. transition to low-carbon energy systems through collaborative, evidence-based scholarship.
Climate Program
The Erol Foundation’s Climate Program funds efforts that use science and community action to rapidly and equitably reduce greenhouse gas emissions and drive systemic climate solutions.
Climate Impacts Awards: Unlocking urgent climate action by making the health effects of climate change visible
Funds transdisciplinary research to reveal the health and economic impacts of climate change, aiming to inform urgent, evidence-based climate policy and action for vulnerable communities.
The answer, increasingly, is private philanthropy. Environmental and climate science has one of the strongest foundation ecosystems of any field, spanning large general-purpose funders, dedicated climate philanthropies, and conservation organizations that fund applied research. Several foundations have expanded their grantmaking in direct response to federal retrenchment, and private funders are often more open to policy-relevant, applied, and interdisciplinary work than traditional federal review panels.
This collection focuses specifically on foundation and nonprofit funding for climate, environmental, ocean, ecosystem, and energy transition research. It updates as funders open new cycles. Foundation deadlines do not follow the predictable federal calendar, so checking a live list beats keeping a spreadsheet that goes stale.
Environment National & International
Supports research and projects advancing climate resilience, clean energy, public health, and biodiversity across multiple U.S. states or internationally.
Climate Solutions
The MacArthur Foundation's Climate Solutions grant funds research and innovative strategies to address climate change through policy, finance, and community-driven science.
Our Work/Environment Reporting Grants
The Pulitzer Center's Our Work/Environment Reporting Grants fund global journalism on how climate change is transforming labor, jobs, and workplace practices.
WHOI Sea Grant Biennial Request for Proposals
WHOI Sea Grant funds collaborative research advancing science and solutions for Massachusetts’ marine and coastal challenges, with priority on climate, restoration, fisheries, and resilience.
Ocean and Fisheries Reporting Grant
Supports journalists globally in producing in-depth reporting on ocean and fisheries issues to promote awareness, transparency, and solutions for sustainable marine ecosystems.