Southwest Climate Adaptation Science Center

What Southwest Climate Adaptation Science Center does

The Southwest Climate Adaptation Science Center (SW CASC) is a federal-university partnership between the U.S. Geological Survey and a consortium of seven academic institutions, hosted at the University of Arizona's Arizona Institute for Resilience in Tucson, Arizona. It operates as a regional climate adaptation science coordination and research center serving California, Nevada, Utah, and Arizona, with focused engagement of 159 federally recognized tribal nations across the Southwest. The center's core technology centers on climate adaptation science research methodologies including co-production of science frameworks, watershed modeling and flood attenuation analysis, post-fire forest recovery assessment, and tree-ring fire-climate reconstruction, applied to social-ecological systems across the region.

SW CASC delivers its outputs through a portfolio of programs rather than commercial products. These include the Come Rain or Shine podcast (with New Mexico State University and USDA Southwest Climate Hub), the Natural Resources Workforce Development (NRWD) Fellowship, the Tribal Climate Resilience Webinar Series, the Southwest Fire and Climate Adaptation Partnership (SWFireCAP), the biennial Southwest Adaptation Forum, the Traditional Burning Initiative, and the Student Earth Grant Internship. The center also publishes scientific reports, decision-support tools, and information sheets, all provided free of charge to stakeholders.

The center is funded primarily through federal appropriations channeled via USGS as part of the national CASC network, and does not generate revenue through fees or product sales. Its customer base consists of natural resource managers, tribal communities and nations, ranchers and land managers, and policy and decision-makers. Governance is split between the federal (USGS Regional Administrator) and university (Host Institution Director) sides, with consortium coordination across seven partner universities and tribal engagement managed through the American Indian Higher Education Consortium (AIHEC).

Name

Southwest Climate Adaptation Science Center

Legal name

Southwest Climate Adaptation Science Center

Website

https://swcasc.arizona.edu

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Southwest Climate Adaptation Science Center is a USGS-funded federal-university partnership hosted at the University of Arizona that conducts climate adaptation science, engages tribal nations, and supports natural resource managers across Arizona, California, Nevada, and Utah.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Climate Adaptation Research Services

NAICS

Administration of Conservation Programs (92412), Environmental Consulting Services (541620), Environment, Conservation and Wildlife Organizations (813312)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731), Forestry (800)

akta.pro primary industry

Environmental, Climate & Sustainability Standards & Reporting Cooperation (BPADANAI)

akta.pro secondary industry

Forest Certification, Compliance & Chain-of-Custody Support (AFAMAAAH)

Keywords

• Climate adaptation science
• Natural resource management
• Tribal climate resilience
• Environmental research coordination
• Federal science partnerships

Headquarters

HQ city

Tucson

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Federal Appropriation: Primary funding from the U.S. Geological Survey as part of the national CASC network, supporting climate adaptation science research and coordination across the Southwest region.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

SW CASC is a federally-funded research and science coordination center that produces climate adaptation science, decision-support tools, scientific publications, and resources for natural resource managers, tribal communities, and policymakers across the U.S. Southwest (California, Arizona, Nevada, Utah). It delivers its work through fellowship programs (NRWD), webinar series, podcasts, biennial forums, and partnership initiatives (SWFireCAP, Traditional Burning).

Product overview

The Southwest Climate Adaptation Science Center (SW CASC) is a collaborative federal-university partnership between the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and a consortium of academic institutions, hosted at the University of Arizona. It operates as a research and science coordination center rather than a traditional product company. The center offers a portfolio of programs including the Come Rain or Shine Podcast for science communication, the Natural Resources Workforce Development (NRWD) Fellowship for graduate student training, the Tribal Climate Resilience Webinar Series for tribal professionals, the Southwest Fire and Climate Adaptation Partnership (SWFireCAP), the biennial Southwest Adaptation Forum, and the Traditional Burning Initiative. Additional offerings include the Student Earth Grant Internship, SW CASC Publications and Reports, and the Science Themes 2025-2030 research framework. These programs work together to advance climate adaptation science, build scientific capacity, engage tribal communities, and disseminate actionable science to natural resource managers across the Southwest region.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Come Rain or Shine Podcast: A podcast collaboration between SW CASC and New Mexico State University highlighting climate science, weather, climate adaptation, and innovative practices
• Natural Resources Workforce Development (NRWD) Fellowship

Products and services

• Come Rain or Shine Podcast A podcast collaboration between SW CASC and New Mexico State University that highlights stories about recent advances in climate science, weather, climate adaptation, and innovative practices to support resilient landscapes and communities.
• Natural Resources Workforce Development (NRWD) Fellowship A fellowship program that builds interdisciplinary teams to develop use-inspired actionable science to inform natural resource management decisions, focused on climate adaptation in the Southwest.
• Tribal Climate Resilience Webinar Series Monthly webinar series for Tribal environmental and natural resources professionals covering climate change introduction, climate adaptation, vulnerability assessments, and climate adaptation planning.
• Southwest Fire and Climate Adaptation Partnership (SWFireCAP) A partnership initiative focused on fire and climate adaptation in the Southwest region, coordinated by SW CASC.
• Southwest Adaptation Forum A biennial forum bringing together scientists, managers, and decision-makers to discuss climate adaptation in the Southwest.
• Traditional Burning Initiative An initiative focused on traditional burning practices for climate adaptation and ecosystem management.
• Student Earth Grant Internship
• SW CASC Publications and Reports Scientific publications, reports, and assessments produced by SW CASC researchers covering climate science, adaptation strategies, and ecosystem management.
• Science Themes 2025-2030 Research priorities framework for 2025-2030 guiding the center's climate adaptation science work.

Quantifiable outcome

• Annual Southwest Adaptation Forum convening climate science practitioners across the region
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• U.S. Geological Survey (USGS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFederal agency partner providing primary funding and scientific leadership. USGS establishes and funds the network of regional Climate Adaptation Science Centers. The Southwest CASC is one of eight regional centers in this national network.
• University of Arizona (Arizona Institute for Resilience)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHost institution for SW CASC. Provides administrative infrastructure, research facilities, and access to faculty across disciplines. Located within the Arizona Institute for Resilience (AIR).
• American Indian Higher Education Consortium (AIHEC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to support tribal engagement through Tribal Technical Assistance Providers. Connects SW CASC with tribal colleges and 159 federally recognized tribal nations across the Southwest region.
• Consortium of Seven Academic InstitutionscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative research consortium including: Northern Arizona University, UC San Diego Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UC Davis, UCLA, University of Nevada Las Vegas, Utah State University, and University of Arizona.
• New Mexico State UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborates on the 'Come Rain or Shine' podcast, highlighting climate science advances, weather, climate adaptation, and innovative practices for resilient landscapes and communities.
• Yukon River Inter-Tribal Watershed CouncilminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated to develop project-specific knowledge co-production protocols for Indigenous Knowledge research.
• USDA Southwest Climate HubminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-hosts the 'Come Rain or Shine' podcast and collaborates on climate adaptation science for agriculture and natural resources.
• South Central Climate Adaptation Science CenterminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional CASC partner collaborating on tribal engagement efforts, including the New Mexico Tribal Drought Workshop and joint initiatives.
• USDA Agricultural Research ServiceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on precipitation change research in the Southwest, co-hosted webinars with SW CASC researchers.
• Diné CollegeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTribal college partnership for climate resilience engagement, focusing on food sovereignty, dryland farming, and STEM programs.
• San Carlos Apache CollegeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTribal college partnership for establishing research connections and climate resilience support.
• Tohono O'odham Community CollegeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTribal college partnership for climate change strategic planning, solar initiatives, and food sovereignty.
• UC DavisminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch collaboration on climate justice and Indigenous community climate adaptation leadership in California.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR): Premier federally funded climate and atmospheric science research center, sponsored by NSF. Comparable as a broader climate science institution with overlapping research domains, though focused on atmospheric modeling rather than regional adaptation delivery.
• NOAA Climate Program Office: Federal climate research funder and coordinating body within NOAA. Comparable as a broader incumbent agency that funds and conducts climate science at a national scale, overlapping with SW CASC's climate adaptation research domain.

Direct peers

• Northwest Climate Adaptation Science Center: One of eight regional CASCs in the USGS national network, hosted at Oregon State University and serving the Pacific Northwest. Directly comparable as a sister federal-university climate adaptation research center with similar structure, funding model, and stakeholder engagement approach.
• Pacific Islands Climate Adaptation Science Center: Sister regional CASC hosted at the University of Hawaii. Directly comparable as a peer member of the USGS national CASC network, focused on climate adaptation science with strong stakeholder engagement.
• Northeast Climate Adaptation Science Center: Sister regional CASC hosted at UMass Amherst. Directly comparable as a peer member of the USGS national CASC network, with shared structure and similar science-to-stakeholder delivery model.
• USDA Southwest Climate Hub: USDA-established regional climate hub serving the same Southwest geography and co-hosting the Come Rain or Shine podcast with SW CASC. Directly comparable as a regional climate-adaptation delivery organization with shared mission, partners, and stakeholder base.
• Alaska Climate Adaptation Science Center: Sister regional CASC hosted at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. Directly comparable as a peer member of the USGS national CASC network, with analogous mission and federal-university structure.
• South Central Climate Adaptation Science Center: Sister regional CASC serving the South Central US, hosted at the University of Oklahoma. Directly comparable as an existing partner of SW CASC on tribal engagement initiatives (e.g., New Mexico Tribal Drought Workshop), operating with the same federal-university model.
• Midwest Climate Adaptation Science Center: Sister regional CASC hosted at the University of Minnesota. Directly comparable as a peer member of the USGS national CASC network, addressing analogous climate adaptation priorities for the Midwest.
• Southeast Climate Adaptation Science Center: Sister regional CASC hosted at NC State University. Directly comparable as a peer member of the USGS national CASC network, addressing climate impacts across the Southeast US with the same federal-academic partnership model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/southwest-climate-adaptation-science-center

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Southwest Climate Adaptation Science Center