The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation has issued the 2023 Request for Proposals for the National Coastal Resilience Fund (NCRF), which provides grant funding to restore and strengthen “natural coastal infrastructure”—like salt marshes, coral reefs, and beach dunes—that provide a first line of defense for coastal communities and ecosystems from increasing impacts due to rising sea levels and more intense storms.
The National Coastal Resilience Fund invests in projects that benefit coastal communities by reducing threats from coastal hazards (such as rising sea- and lake levels, more intense storms, increasing flooding and erosion, and melting permafrost) to property and key assets, such as hospitals and evacuation routes; and benefit fish and wildlife by enhancing the ecological integrity and functionality of coastal ecosystems.
NFWF also prioritizes projects that address the disproportionate risks faced by communities on the frontlines of climate change and projects that are community-led or incorporate direct community engagement. Award decisions will be made based on regional circumstances and needs, but all proposals must address the following priorities:
Nature-Based Solutions: Projects must focus on identifying or implementing natural, nature-based, or hybrid solutions, such as restoring coastal marshes, reconnecting floodplains, rebuilding dunes or other natural buffers, or installing living shorelines.
Community Resilience Benefit: Projects must show clear benefits in terms of reducing current and projected threats to communities from natural coastal hazards, including, but not limited to: sea-level rise, lake-level change, coastal erosion, increased frequency and intensity of storms, and impacts from other chronic or episodic factors (e.g., nuisance flooding during high tides, permafrost melt).
Fish and Wildlife Benefit: Projects must help to improve habitats for fish and wildlife species. Proposals should be as specific as possible in identifying the anticipated benefits to habitats and species resulting from the proposed project.
Priority will be given to projects demonstrating community impact and engagement, innovation, transferability, and sustainability.
Eligible applicants include nonprofit 501(c) organizations, state and territorial government agencies, local governments, municipal governments, Tribal governments and organizations, educational institutions, or commercial (for-profit) organizations. Tribal governments include all Native American tribal governments (both federally recognized tribes and those tribes that are not federally recognized).
Pre-proposals are due April 12, 2023. Upon review, selected applicants will be invited to submit full proposals, due June 28, 2023.
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