NFWF’s NCRF supports coastal and Great Lakes communities in planning, designing, and building large-scale resilience projects to address flooding, sea level rise, storm surge, subsidence, and erosion.

	Supports nature-based solutions		Has a regional or watershed focus
	Does not require matching funds		Encourages public-private partnerships

Application cycle: The National Coastal Resilience Fund is currently accepting applications. The pre-proposal due date was March 31, 2026 by 11:59 PM, and full proposals, by invite only, are due June 24, 2026. Awards will be announced between late November – early December 2026. 

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 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.

• Filter — Public Private Partnerships: NFWF encourages applicants to bring together broader partnerships in support of projects, including private entities. The program itself is a partnership between National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Environmental Protection Agency, Department of Defense, Shell, and other private entities. 

Eligible activities: Applicants can apply for one of the following categories that best reflects their project’s purpose and activities. NFWF prioritizes proposals that advance previously funded NCRF projects to the next category, as part of its efforts to build a strong pipeline of coastal resilience projects from early planning through implementation.

• Community capacity building and planning: Hiring and training staff, engaging the community, and collecting environmental or economic data to plan projects that prioritize flood risk reduction strategies.
• Site assessment and preliminary design: Evaluate potential project sites and alternatives, engage stakeholders, collect baseline data, assess risk reduction benefits, conduct cost-benefit analyses, consult permitting agencies, and develop preliminary designs.
• Final design and permitting: Advance projects from concept to final engineering plans, including detailed cost estimates, expanded stakeholder engagement, and permitting coordination to prepare for implementation. May also include limited site assessment and baseline monitoring.
• Restoration implementation: Construct restoration or nature-based projects with measurable flood risk reduction and conservation outcomes. All projects must include at least one year of post-construction monitoring.

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, site assessment and preliminary design, and final design and permitting projects.
• $1 million to $10 million for project restoration and monitoring.
• The Department of Defense may contribute additional funding for coastal resilience projects in areas surrounding and benefitting military installations.

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. 

• Filter – In-kind Contributions: Match can be any combination of in cash and/or in-kind goods and services, and there is no priority given to higher cash percentages. 

Application process: Learn more about eligibility requirements and application steps here.