NOAA Opens $44.6M for Coastal Zone Management, Habitat Protection, and Restoration Competition
Letters of Intent (LOIs) must be received by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on August 15, 2024.
Announcement Type: Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) - this program is accepting applications
Opportunity:
Overview and Eligible Uses: The Purpose of this NOFO is to provide grants on a competitive basis to eligible Coastal Zone Management Programs (CZM Programs) for coastal habitat restoration, planning, engineering, design, and coastal land conservation projects supporting the goals and intent of the Coastal Zone Management Act (CZMA), the Coastal and Estuarine Land Conservation Program (CELCP), and the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (Bipartisan Infrastructure Law).
Grants are available for all project activities. NOAA anticipates awarding approximately $45 million, with habitat restoration projects receiving $2-$6 million, planning and design projects $200,000-$500,000, and land conservation projects $1-$4 million.
The primary goal of the Coastal Zone Management Habitat Protection and Restoration Competition is to reduce the impacts of climate change through enhancing coastal resilience. Eligible projects include habitat restoration, habitat restoration planning, engineering, and design, land conservation, or a combination of these categories. Projects should be designed to be completed within three years from the award start date.
Amount: Total Program Funding: $44,600,000. Award Ceiling: $6,000,000. Award Floor: $200,000. Expected Number of Awards: 25.
Award Type: Discretionary
Eligible Applicants:
Coastal state or territorial CZM Programs approved by NOAA under the Coastal Zone Management Act (16 U.S.C. § 1455).
Grants may be made directly to an eligible CZM Program partner with the lead agency’s concurrence
Lead CZM Program agency submits a Letter of Intent, identifying the CZM Program partner as the final grant recipient.
CZM Program partners submit the final application through grants.gov if invited.
Eligible partners include: Regional authorities, Non-governmental organizations (NGOs), Institutions of higher education, State, territorial, tribal, and county/local governments
NGOs may lead habitat restoration and related planning, engineering, and design projects but not land conservation projects.
NGOs cannot hold title to lands acquired with these funds or be subawardees for land acquisition.
NGOs can assist in land acquisition in other roles, such as identifying properties, negotiating acquisitions, preparing due diligence, conducting restoration, and managing properties.
Projects must be on publicly-owned land or land with a public lease/easement, with a support letter from the public entity holding the title or interest.
Key Dates: Letters of Intent (LOIs) must be received by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on August 15, 2024. Full proposals (by invitation only) must be received by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on January 9, 2025.
Key Links:
For a full list of currently available grant programs under the Infrastructure Law and other helpful tools, take a look at our Helpful Resources page.
This tracker will continue to send updates when new funding opportunities are announced.