Rapid Response Grants
Rapid Response Grants are twelve-month awards that provide up to $10,000 to University of Washington faculty, staff, and research scientists eligible to serve as Principal Investigators. The grants fund urgent data collection that addresses emerging climate change or environmental justice questions.
2026 Awarded Projects & Recipients
- Exploring Prescribed Fire Perceptions in Washington State | Francisca Santana, Assistant Professor, School of Environmental and Forest Sciences
Prescribed fire is an important tool used to help reduce catastrophic wildfire risk, support forest health, and honor community and Tribal land stewardship practices. But scaling it up requires public understanding and support. To explore where that support stands today, this project will conduct the first statewide survey of Washington residents’ perceptions of prescribed fire, developed in partnership with the Washington Prescribed Fire Council (WPFC). Findings will help practitioners shape outreach and engagement efforts and lay the groundwork for future research.
- Addressing Community Concerns About Contamination in Wildfire-Impacted Lahaina | Melanie Malone, Associate Professor, School of Interdisciplinary Arts & Sciences
Wildfires leave behind more than ash — they can also leave lasting questions about what remains in the soil, water, and air that municipal cleanup efforts didn’t reach. This project analyzes environmental samples collected from areas of Lahaina, Maui contaminated by the 2023 wildfire that official authorities did not examine, despite requests from residents and nonprofits. By identifying sites with contamination above health guidelines, the work will directly support cleanup efforts, further investigation, and the public health concerns of a community still in recovery.
- Connecting the Dots: Community, Climate, and Energy Resilience on the West Coast | Katie Arkema, Affiliate Associate Professor, School of Marine and Environmental Affairs
Power outages along the U.S. West Coast are growing longer and more frequent, driven by aging infrastructure, extreme weather, and rising demand. The communities hit hardest are often those already navigating compounding health risks, food insecurity, and the loss of cultural resources. This project collects and synthesizes outage data, social vulnerability metrics, and storm records to reveal county-level disparities that standard utility reporting tends to obscure. The goal is actionable insights for resilience planning that centers the people most at risk.
- Emerging Patterns in Permit-Exempt Groundwater Wells and Washington’s Streamflow Restoration Act | Philip Womble, Assistant Professor, Evans School of Public Policy & Governance
In 2018, Washington State passed the Streamflow Restoration Act to address a years-long conflict: rural homebuilding relying on permit-exempt groundwater wells was reducing water available for fish and other water users. The law allowed new wells while requiring offsets and investing $300 million in river restoration. Now, as key legislative reporting deadlines approach in 2027, this project is building the first statewide geospatial dataset linking wells and offsets with practitioner interviews — creating a clear picture of how the law is actually working on the ground.
EarthLab Contact:
