USA - National Coastal Resilience Fund 2023 Request for Proposals is Now Live

The NCRF will make $140 million available this year to support work in communities to plan, design and build nature-based solutions with the goals of both reducing risks to coastal communities from flooding and erosion and enhancing habitats for fish and wildlife. This NOAA infographic shows all the great ways we can work with nature to build more resilient communities and the types of restoration activities supported by the NCRF. Join our pre-proposal webinar on March 2 and pre-proposals are due April 12

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Pre-Proposal Webinar (Registration here): Thursday, March 2, 2023 at 3:00 – 4:30 PM ET

Pre-Proposal Due Date: Wednesday, April 12, 2023 by 11:59 PM ET

Full Proposal Invitations: Mid to End of May 2023

Full Proposal by Invite Only Due Date: Wednesday, June 28, 2023 by 11:59 PM ET

OVERVIEW

The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) is pleased to announce the 2023 National Coastal Resilience Fund (NCRF) Request for Proposals (RFP). NFWF will make investments in planning, design, and implementation of natural and nature-based solutions. The goal is to enhance protections for coastal communities from the impacts of storms, floods, and other natural coastal hazards and to improve habitats for fish and wildlife.

NFWF will award approximately $140 million in grants to create and restore natural systems to increase protection for communities from current and future coastal hazards and improve habitats for fish and wildlife species. The availability of federal funds estimated in this solicitation is contingent upon the federal appropriations process; funding decisions will be made based on level of funding and timing of when it is received by NFWF.

Natural habitats such as coastal marshes and wetlands, coastal forests, rivers, lakes, and streams, dune and beach systems, and oyster and coral reefs – maintained at a significant size for the habitat type and natural hazard being addressed – can provide communities with enhanced protection and buffering from the growing impacts of natural coastal hazards, including rising sea- and lake- levels, changing flood patterns, increased frequency and intensity of storms, and other environmental stressors. NFWF’s regional coastal resilience assessments identify areas, called Resilience Hubs¹, where natural resource restoration efforts will have the greatest impact for human community resilience and fish and wildlife. Projects need not be located in an area identified by NFWF as a Resilience Hub to be eligible, but applicants may find this tool useful to assess projects based on the dual benefits to habitats and human communities. Applicants may explore Resilience Hubs on the Coastal Resilience and Evaluation Siting Tool (CREST).

This program is primarily funded by, and coordinated with, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Limited funding is available in partnership with the U.S. Department of Defense to support projects advancing nature-based solutions in the vicinity of but not within the boundaries of DOD installations and ranges that enhance military resilience to coastal hazards (for more information see the Funding Availability and Match section). Additional funding is provided by other partners, including, Occidental, Shell USA, Inc., and TransRe. NFWF will also seek to leverage public or private funds that align with the goals of the NCRF projects to extend the impact of this program.

GEOGRAPHIC FOCUS

The NCRF is a national program focused on enhancement of resilience for coastal communities. 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. For the purpose of this funding opportunity, the eligible project area is defined as all coastal Hydrologic Unit Code (HUC) 8 watersheds that drain to the sea and any adjacent HUC 8 watersheds that are particularly low-lying or tidally influenced (“coastal areas”);²  a map of the NCRF geographic footprint can be found here.

PROGRAM PRIORITIES

All projects under this program must demonstrate dual benefits to both coastal communities and habitats. The NCRF supports projects that will result in the creation and/or restoration of natural systems to increase the resilience of communities from coastal hazards and improve habitats for fish and wildlife species.

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,³ such as restoring coastal marshes, reconnecting floodplains, rebuilding dunes or other natural buffers, or installing living shorelines (hereinafter “nature-based solutions”).
• 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) (hereinafter collectively “coastal hazards”).
• 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 that will result from the project proposed.

Further priority will be given to projects that demonstrate:

• Community Impact and Engagement: Projects that provide risk reduction or job creation benefits to underserved or tribal (both federally recognized tribes and those tribes that are not federally recognized) communities and directly engage⁴ community members in project design and implementation will be prioritized for funding. Projects that are informed by Indigenous Traditional Knowledge (ITK), promote tribal co-stewardship, and/or that protect or enhance habitat for subsistence species or contribute to tribal food security are also encouraged. Projects should engage community-level partners (e.g., community-based or tribal organizations, community leaders, municipalities, NGOs, local installation representatives) to help design, implement, and maintain projects; secure maximum benefits for communities; and ensure sustainability and long-term maintenance post-grant award. Projects that are community-led, incorporate outreach to communities, foster community engagement, and pursue collaborative management leading to measurable conservation benefits are encouraged.
• Innovation, Transferability and Sustainability: NFWF encourages projects that seek to re-shape our thinking on what constitutes coastal community resilience to climate impacts as experienced across different geographies, including approaches that use innovative and sustainable approaches for addressing coastal hazards; in consideration of future climate risks, and that are transferable, scalable and catalytic. Projects will be prioritized if they include specific plans for adaptively managing and/or transferring and scaling the resilience approaches developed through the project to ensure broader impact and integration into other government plans, programs, or policies in the community or region.

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