NFWF’s NCRF helps coastal and Great Lakes communities plan, study the feasibility of, design, permit, engage stakeholders about, and implement large-scale resilience projects to reduce regional threats due to flooding, sea level rise, storm surge, subsidence, and erosion.

	Does not require a cost share or matching funds
	Allows in-kind services to contribute toward nonfederal cost share requirements
	Focuses on environmental restoration

Application cycle: Pre-proposal application cycle: April 10, 2024; application by invitation and due July 2, 2024.

Summary: The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation’s National Coastal Resilience Fund is a good fit for coastal communities and areas with critical infrastructure vulnerable to flooding, including hospitals and emergency routes. Funds are awarded to projects that restore and strengthen green infrastructure systems to protect coastal communities from the impacts of storms, floods, and other natural hazards and enable them to recover quickly, while also enhancing habitats for important fish and wildlife populations. Funds are also available for community capacity building and planning, which coastal communities in the early phases of identifying their resilience needs can use for community outreach and determining which adaptation projects should be considered and prioritized.

Eligible applicants: Local and municipal governments, state and territorial government agencies, Tribal governments and organizations, non-profit 501(c) organizations, educational institutions, or commercial (for-profit) organizations. Projects must be located within the coastal areas of U.S. coastal states, including the Great Lakes states, and U.S. territories and tribal lands.

Eligible activities: Engaging stakeholders and building the capacity to plan and execute future resilience projects; planning, design, or implementation of projects that reduce regional threats due to changes in sea and Great Lakes levels; storm surge, ocean surge, and tsunamis; or increased flooding due to storms, subsidence, and erosion.

Funding: Generally, no federal statutory maximums exist for eligible activities. On average, funding is available in the amounts of:

• $100,000 to $1 million for community capacity building and planning.
• $100,000 to $1 million for project preliminary design and site assessment.
• $100,000 to $1 million for project final design and permitting.
• $1 million to $10 million for project restoration and monitoring.
• Up to $15 million in additional funding may be contributed by the U.S Department of Defense for coastal resilience projects that benefit military installations; projects must be in the surrounding area of a DOD installation or military base, but cannot be directly on or within military lands.

Cost share: A non-federal match is not required, but is strongly encouraged to show broad support for the project. Match ratio will still be considered as a review criterion during evaluation of proposals. 

Application process: Learn more in the NCRF Request for Proposals; this page also includes email addresses if you have questions about the application or project ideas.