Overview

Working and partnering with communities is a key part of doing climate action research that makes a difference. Communities are often the first to feel the effects of climate change, and they have important knowledge, ideas, and priorities that can help shape better solutions. To support this kind of work, the California Strategic Growth Council gave funding to the University of California to add to the California Climate Action Seed and Matching Grants, resulting in 10 projects each receiving a $20,000 Community-Engaged S/Hero Supplement. These projects focused on finding the best ways to involve communities in research about climate risks and offered support and advice to other research teams.

An advisory group, made up of supplement awardees, created the Community Engagement in Climate Action Research (CEinCAR) Workshop Series and gathered helpful tools for researchers. This webpage shares those tools to help people who are building relationships with communities, doing work together, and sharing what they learn through community-based climate research.

The entire workshop series is available on the Community Engagement in Climate Action Research Workshop Series webpage.

Resource Topic List

Building Engagement and Partnership

Conducting Community-based Research

Disseminating Community-based Research Results

General Resources for Supporting Community-based Research

Additional Resources

Building Engagement and Partnership

Building strong relationships is essential for successful community research. This section provides valuable resources, including workshop recordings and printed materials, on Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs) and tips for building trust, to help guide researchers and communities in working together effectively.

Community Perspectives

Protecting farmworkers from health impacts of climate change

Workshop Recording

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Ways to Build Trust in Partnership

Photograph showing a group of researchers wearing wide-brimmed hats, orange safety vests, and work gear engaged in a discussion outdoors during fieldwork.

Workshop Recording

Memoranda of Understanding

Photograph of a person holding a small trash bin filled with organic food waste, including banana peels, vegetable scraps, and fruit pieces. The image highlights food waste management and composting.

Workshop Recording

MOU Guidance

Conducting Community-based Research

These resources are here to help build and support strong, respectful relationships between academic and community members, and to support conducting impactful research. They include tips, examples, and tools for working together on funding, data, and long-term collaboration — especially in areas like climate action and Indigenous leadership. Paying attention to how relationships and research are going is key to building trust and lasting impact.

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Indigenous Data Sovereignty

Aerial photograph of a coastal landscape featuring a winding river flowing through dense brown vegetation toward a calm blue ocean under a clear sky. The scene includes a forested hill on the right side with a few scattered buildings.

Data Protocols

Research Methods

Workshop Recording

Research Metrics

3D model of a city, with buildings represented by white plastic cubes, parks in green fabric, roads in black lines

Workshop Recording

Research Strategies

Photograph showing a group of people gathered around a large metal container with smoke rising from an agricultural wood burning activity.

Workshop Recording

Disseminating Community-based Research Results

These resources share creative and community-centered ways to get research findings out into the world. From photo novelas to digital stories, they show how research can be shared in ways that are engaging, accessible, and meaningful to the people it’s about. Choosing the right way to share results helps ensure the research makes a real difference and reaches those who need it most.

Dissemination Strategies

Photograph of a sandy beach with tall grass in foreground and calm ocean waves under a partly cloudy sky during sunset. Warm sunlight illuminates sand dune.

Workshop Recording

Digital Story-Telling

About a dozen black cows stand in a green grassy field in the right foreground. Four people and a dog walk along an unpaved drive leading to a metal gate in the left foreground. A highway cuts across the center of the image. Big oak trees line the far side of the highway; a line of green hills can be seen at the horizon, backed by blue sky.

Example Digital Story

Photo Novelas

Climate Action research grants assist Tribal nations with resource management

Example Photo Novela

General Resources for Supporting Community-based Research

These resources offer a strong foundation for anyone involved in community-based research — whether you’re just getting started or looking to deepen your approach. They include guides, toolkits, training programs, and examples from universities and organizations across California and beyond. Taking time to learn from these resources can help ensure your research is grounded in equity, shared learning, and real-world impact.