Climate Program Office

The Climate Program Office (CPO) manages competitive research programs in which NOAA funds high-priority climate science, assessments, decision support research, outreach, education, and capacity-building activities designed to advance our understanding of Earth’s climate system, and to foster the application of this knowledge in risk management and adaptation efforts. CPO-supported research is conducted in regions across the United States, at national and international scales, and globally.

Vision and Mission

Why we exist: We advance scientific understanding, monitoring, and prediction of climate and its impacts to enable effective decisions.

What we hope to achieve: People, businesses and the environment thriving in the face of climate impacts.

Our Philosophy

CPO provides strategic vision, leadership, and grant funds that produce relevant and timely climate science information, tools, data products, and expertise. CPO programs support partnerships that build end-to-end pipelines of information flowing from scientists to decision-makers in every sector and region of the nation. Our investments in ocean, land, and atmosphere monitoring systems enable scientists to quantify where and how Earth’s climate system changes over time. These observations are essential inputs into weather and climate models’ predictions at all timescales, making for a safe nation in the face of environmental challenges

CPO’s Unique Value

CPO’s position at the intersection of NOAA’s science and service missions, the climate research community, and the broader climate enterprise enables it to lead a research agenda and forge partnerships that enhance society’s ability to make effective decisions.

CPO's 2024-2028 Strategic Plan

The 2024-2028 Strategic Plan highlights CPO’s priorities including its mission and mandates by Congress to advance scientific understanding of climate variability and change, and to deliver actionable information to society for climate resilience, adaptation and mitigation.