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Coastal Grants

Otter Rock seals and kelpThe Oregon Coastal Management Program (OCMP) offers grant programs specific to Oregon's coastal zone. These grant programs may be provided through a variety of federal sources and offer funding for a range of projects from habitat acquisition and restoration for coastal resiliency to technical assistance to local communities and tribes for land use planning support.

DLCD provides additional grant opportunities to empower local and tribal governments to improve planning, begin implementing recent housing bills, and plan for streets and land to lead to more livable, sustainable, and economically vital communities. For a list of these grants please visit DLCD's Community Grants page.

Please see the list of OCMP current funding opportunities below. As additional funding opportunities open this site will be updated with new information.

Coastal Zone Management Habitat Protection & Restoration Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Funding Program

The Oregon Coastal Management Program (OCMP) at Oregon Department of Land Conservation and Development (DLCD) is pleased to announce a new National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) funding opportunity designed to build a Climate Ready Nation under the 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (also known as the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA)) and available only through coastal management programs. The objective of this initiative is to increase resilience through landscape-scale habitat restoration and conservation in coastal ecosystems nationwide and promote coastal resilience in underserved coastal communities as well as those most vulnerable to climate impacts.

These funds will be awarded through a competitive process to support coastal habitat restoration and conservation. The restoration and conservation of ecologically significant ecosystems such as wetlands, headlands, and natural shoreline will help reduce the impacts of coastal hazards, including flooding and climate change, to property, infrastructure and cultural resources, and at the same time provide economic and social benefits to coastal communities.

Funding for this initiative is expected to be at least $207 million over 5 years for Coastal Zone Management Programs.

2023 Funding Cycle Opened on June 13, 2023. Letters of Intent due to DLCD on July 13, 2023. Watch for updates to this page and send your contact information to claire.fiegener@dlcd.oregon.gov to receive solicitation notifications.

Project Types Funded

There are three categories of "shovel-ready" projects that are eligible. Projects should be designed, when possible, to meet multiple objectives within the project category.

For habitat restoration projects, priority will be given to projects that:

  • reflect coastal habitat restoration priority areas identified in state/territories, tribal or regional plans;
  • restore important habitats and connected ecosystem functions/species;
  • restore hydrologic connections between habitats that improve ecosystem function;
  • enhance or restore important ecosystem services that support coastal communities, vulnerable populations or cultural resources (i.e., coastal flood protection, extreme weather resilience, water quality and quantity, food safety and security, chronic coastal erosion, etc);
  • include a long-term plan for monitoring specific criteria relevant to achieve project objectives; and/or
  • provide for engineering and design needs, if not already completed.
  • Habitat restoration planning, engineering, and design projects will be evaluated using the same criteria as noted for habitat restoration projects
  • Habitat restoration planning activities do not have to support the implementation of a specific infrastructure project, but applicants should demonstrate how these efforts will support or catalyze subsequent on-the-ground restoration

Priority will be given to projects that:

  • show significant ecological value
  • establish a demonstrated need for protection
  • can be effectively managed and protected
  • protect properties under an imminent threat of conversion to a use that will degrade or diminish their natural, undeveloped, or recreational state
  • serve to mitigate the adverse impacts caused by coastal population growth in the coastal environment
  • reflect that the land conservation project goals are identified in CELCP and/or other regional or statewide conservation plans
  • have a high level of project readiness

Project Priorities

  • Restoration and Conservation goals and outcomes
  • Promotes Climate Resilience
  • Advances Equity and Inclusion principles

Eligibility

Restoration and restoration planning, engineering and design projects must be located on publicly-owned land or land where a public entity holds a lease or easement that provides for adequate public control of the property. All acquisition projects must have final ownership of fee-lands or conservation easements held by a non-Federal public entity (includes Federally recognized Indian tribes and tribal organizations).

OCMP's partners eligible to apply for this funding include:

  • Non-federal public entities (includes state agencies, local governments, other local or regional entities, or Federally recognized Indian tribes and tribal organizations)
  • Non-governmental organizations may serve as the applicant for habitat restoration or habitat restoration engineering, design and planning projects. However, all restoration projects must be located on publicly-owned land or land where a public entity controls the land. NGO's are not eligible to hold title to lands acquired with these funds and therefore may not apply for the Land Conservation funds.

Project Location

Projects must be located within the OCMP Coastal Zone (to see a map of the coastal zone visit https://www.oregon.gov/lcd/OCMP/Pages/Coastal-Zone.aspx)

Project Funding

Each project can request a maximum of $6 million for project costs. Match is not required, but cost sharing is an important element considered in the evaluation criteria.

Project Implementation Timeline

Projects of any type must generally be completed in less than 3 years of the start date of the award (can include an additional year for restoration monitoring).

General Grant Application Process

As the lead agency of the OCMP, DLCD acts as the main applicant to NOAA for these applications. NOAA invites all coastal state management programs to submit up to a total of 3 Letters of Intent for each funding cycle. From the submitted LOI's, NOAA invites certain projects to submit a full application.

DLCD and OCMP will have interested partners participate in a mandatory 'Pre-Application Consultation Meeting' and submit LOI's to DLCD. DLCD will then choose the 3 top ranked projects to submit to NOAA for consideration. Detailed information is included in the Grant Guidelines & Application Resources section below.

The second 2023 CZM Habitat Protection and Restoration BIL funding cycle opened on June 13, 2023. Please submit your LOI and other required documents in a single PDF document by 5pm on July 13, 2023, by email to claire.fiegener@dlcd.oregon.gov. Here is the full 2023 Application Process & Timeline and a 2023 LOI Checklist & Instruction Guide.

Watch for updates to this page and send your contact information to claire.fiegener@dlcd.oregon.gov to receive solicitation notifications.

Pre-Application Consultation Meeting with DLCD Requirement

Interested applicants of the 2023 CZM Habitat Protection and Restoration BIL funding cycle are required to consult with the OCMP at DLCD prior to submitting a Letter of Intent. We would like to meet with you to review basic information about your proposed project, and ensure you are proposing an eligible project that will meet NOAA’s funding requirements. This is also an opportunity for potential applicants to ask OCMP staff questions about the funding program and proposal development.

For more information see the 2023 Pre-Application Consultation Meeting Fact Sheet, and to schedule a Pre-Application Consultation Meeting please contact: Claire Fiegener, Coastal Habitat Projects Coordinator at claire.fiegener@dlcd.oregon.gov or 971-301-3512.

2023 Pre-Application Consultation Meetings will be scheduled starting in May 2023 and can be scheduled until Letters of Intent are due to DLCD. Contact Claire Fiegener at claire.fiegener@dlcd.oregon.gov or 971-301-3512 to schedule.

Grant Guidelines & Application Resources

Below is a selection of resources, forms, and templates regarding this funding opportunity.

Financial assistance for this program provided by the Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972, as amended, administered by the Office for Coastal Management, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Contacts

Lisa Phipps
Oregon Coastal Management Program Manager
lisa.phipps@dlcd.oregon.gov
Phone: 503-812-5448

Claire Fiegener
Coastal Habitat Projects Coordinator
claire.fiegener@dlcd.oregon.gov
Phone: 971-301-3512