Removing the Hunters Pond Dam in Scituate, MA fixed a safety hazard and reopened habitat to migratory fish for the first time more than 200 years. NOAA is announcing the Fiscal Year 2018 NOAA Coastal Resilience Grants Program. This year’s coastal resilience funding will award up to a total of $15 million to projects that benefit coastal ecosystems and communities. Building on the success of previous NOAA Coastal Resilience Grant competitions, NOAA continues its comprehensive program to strengthen the nation’s coastal communities’ resilience to adverse events such as extreme weather or long-term changing environmental conditions.
Resilience is defined as the ability of an ecosystem or community to absorb, recover from, and more successfully adapt to adverse events, such as extreme weather or long-term changing environmental conditions. Improving coastal resiliency makes our nation safer and our economy more secure, and NOAA is dedicated to providing tools and resources that communities can use to become more resilient.
This year’s Federal Funding Opportunity continues the comprehensive approach of previous Coastal Resilience grants. We are seeking new projects that build resilience through habitat restoration. In addition to new funding for restoration projects, NOAA will select from 2017’s high-scoring proposals and award funding to projects that focus on strengthening coastal communities.
All grant awards are dependent on the availability of federal funding, provided in enacted Appropriations Acts. This FFO is being released prior to final appropriations because of the length of time needed to create and review applications. Depending on appropriations, NOAA intends to award $9 million under the 2018 competition.
Pre-proposals are required by March 7, 2018, to be considered for the 2018 competition. Applicants will then have a minimum of 40 days to submit their full proposals, once they are notified that they are eligible. For more helpful information for potential applicants, and a link to the official Federal Funding Opportunity, visit the Coastal Resilience Grant Program page.
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