In 2023, the North Central Climate Adaptation Science Center (NC CASC) launched a Rapid Climate Assessment Program (RCAP) to quickly respond to emerging and evolving science needs of key partners, stakeholders, and rights holders. The RCAP undertakes exploratory and synthetic research to support the NC CASC mission to deliver science to help fish, wildlife, water, land, and people adapt to a changing climate across the North Central region, which serves land and natural resource managers in Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Kansas, and Nebraska. The Rapid Climate Assessments (RCAs) aim to create syntheses of science information, perform succinct analyses, or develop tools and datasets that can inform specific science and data needs and can be used as a foundation for further research and stakeholder engagement. The RCAs are designed to be three-month, summer efforts led by NC CASC scientists and graduate or undergraduate students in close collaboration with research teams, including members of consortium partner institutes and/or USGS partners. The portfolio of 2023 and 2024 summer projects spans ecosystems (mountains, grasslands, sagebrush) and sciences (climate, ecological and social), and to date has resulted in several tangible outcomes including factsheets, manuscripts, and webtools. The RCAP has since become an integral part of the NC CASC’s portfolio of climate adaptation science activities.