Call for Applications: Climate Resilience Metrics for Water Supply Planning

Deadline: 05-Oct-2026

The Water Research Foundation (WRF) is seeking research proposals to advance actionable climate resilience metrics that water utilities can use for planning, operational decision-making, and long-term water supply management under changing climate conditions. The project will evaluate existing performance metrics, determine how climate change affects their usefulness, and develop practical guidance for integrating resilience metrics into utility planning. Applicants can request up to $250,000 in WRF funding, with an anticipated project duration of 18 months from the contract start date. Both U.S. and non-U.S. organizations are eligible to apply, including universities, research institutions, government agencies, consultants, and for-profit entities. What Is the Climate Resilience Metrics Research Project? The Water Research Foundation is supporting research to help water utilities make more informed decisions as climate conditions become increasingly uncertain. Traditional water supply planning often relies on performance indicators and metrics designed around historical climate and operating conditions. Climate change can alter the assumptions behind these metrics, potentially affecting their reliability and usefulness. This research project will examine how existing water utility performance metrics can be adapted to supportclimate-resilient planning and decision-making. Why Does Climate Resilience Measurement Matter? Water utilities face increasing challenges from changing climate conditions, including: Greater uncertainty in future water demand and supply. Increasing pressure on water infrastructure. Changing operational conditions. Reliable climate resilience metrics can help utilities understand whether their plans and systems can continue performing effectively under different future conditions. The project therefore focuses on making climate resilience measurement practical, actionable, and relevant to utility decisions. What Are the Main Objectives? The research will focus on several interconnected objectives. Catalog Existing Performance Metrics Researchers will identify and document existing metrics used by water utilities for: Water supply planning. System performance. Reliability. Resilience. Risk assessment. Operational decision-making. Assess Metrics Under Changing Climate Conditions Existing metrics will be evaluated to determine whether they remain appropriate when climate conditions change.

The research should consider:

Metric sensitivity to climate variables. Changes in underlying assumptions. Applicability under future climate scenarios. Limitations of historical performance measures. Potential need for modified or alternative metrics. Determine the Appropriate Level of Analysis The project will examine how much climate resilience analysis is appropriate for different situations.

This may depend on:

The sensitivity of a metric. The type of planning decision. Utility characteristics. Local climate risks. System complexity. Available data. Planning timescales. The goal is to avoid both insufficient climate analysis and unnecessarily complex analysis. Develop Practical Guidance The research should produce guidance that water utilities can use to incorporate climate resilience metrics into: Water supply planning. Capital planning. Operational planning. Risk management. Infrastructure decision-making. Long-term resilience strategies. What Is an Actionable Climate Resilience Metric? An actionable climate resilience metric is a measurable indicator that helps a water utility understand how effectively its system, plan, or strategy can perform under changing climate conditions. Rather than simply describing climate risk, an actionable metric should help utilities answer practical questions such as: When should a utility change its operating strategy? How much resilience is appropriate for a particular decision? How Will the Research Support Water Utilities? The project is expected to bridge the gap between climate science, resilience assessment, and practical utility planning. The resulting research could help utilities: Identify useful resilience indicators. Understand limitations of existing metrics. Select appropriate metrics for specific decisions. Account for climate uncertainty. Improve water supply planning. Integrate resilience into operational processes. Make more informed infrastructure investments. Who Is Eligible to Apply? The opportunity is open to both U.S.-based and non-U.S.-based entities.

Eligible applicants may include:

Educational institutions. Universities. Research organizations. Governmental agencies. Consultants. For-profit organizations. Other qualified research entities. Applicants should have the technical expertise and organizational capacity necessary to conduct the proposed research. Who Is Not Eligible to Participate? Researchers who are late on ongoing WRF-sponsored studies without an approved no-cost extension are not eligible to be named as participants in proposals. Applicants should therefore confirm their compliance with WRF’s requirements concerning existing sponsored research before submitting a proposal. Funding Available

Applicants may request up to:

$250,000 in WRF funding The requested amount should be appropriate for the proposed research scope, methodology, personnel, timeline, and deliverables. Applicants should follow WRF’s applicable budget and cost requirements when preparing their proposal. Project Duration

The anticipated period of performance is:

18 months from the contract start date. Applicants should develop a realistic research schedule that allows sufficient time for: Clearly explain the challenge facing water utilities and why existing metrics may not adequately support decision-making under changing climate conditions.

Step 2: Review Existing Metrics

Identify relevant performance and resilience metrics currently used in water supply planning and assess their strengths and limitations.

Step 3: Asse