Civic Innovation Challenge: A research and action competition driven by community priorities
NSF 22-565
NSF  https://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2022/nsf22565/nsf22565.htm

The Civic Innovation Challenge (CIVIC) is a research and action competition that accelerates the transition to practice of foundational research and emerging technologies into communities through civic-engaged research. By addressing priorities at the local scale that are relevant across the US, CIVIC is laying the foundation for a broader and more fluid exchange of research and technology capabilities and civic priorities through joint partnerships involving civic stakeholders and the research community. CIVIC funds projects that pilot state-of-the-art solutions over 12 months, following a six-month planning phase, and have the potential for lasting impact in the partnering community as well as the potential to be scaled and implemented in other communities.
CIVIC is organized as a two-stage competition with two tracks centered around the following topic areas:

• Track A. Living in a changing climate: pre-disaster action around adaptation, resilience, and mitigation - Projects must focus on aspects essential for the proper functioning of a community and its economy such as, for example, public utilities, transportation and mobility, food and agriculture, public health, ecosystem services, residential and commercial buildings, financial services, education and workforce development, and community planning and services.
• Track B. Bridging the gap between essential resources and services & community needs - Gaps and inequities in resource and service allocations result from long-standing, systemic issues around accessibility, economic disparity, poorly designed interfaces, or the result of disruptions caused by a shock or disaster. Examples of focus areas include food, housing, workforce training and development, public transportation, recreational facilities and access to the natural world, health care, and education and social services, financial services, and digital inclusion.

The CIVIC research and action competition is jointly supported by NSF’s Directorate for Computer and Information Science and Engineering (CISE), Directorate for Engineering (ENG),Directorate for Geosciences (GEO), and Directorate for Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences (SBE), the Department of Energy (DOE) Vehicle Technologies Program, and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science & Technology Directorate.