About / National Coastal Resilience Fund

National Coastal Resilience Fund

Funding / National Coastal Resilience Fund

National Coastal Resilience Fund

Fellowship / National Coastal Resilience Fund

National Coastal Resilience Fund

National Coastal Resilience Fund

Restored coastal ecosystems provide valuable habitat for fish and wildlife. These same wetlands, dunes, and coral reefs also offer flood protection for coastal communities by lessening wave energy and absorbing excess waters.

This approach is at the heart of this competitive grants program, a partnership between NOAA, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, and other governmental and private sector partners. Funded projects cover the spectrum of nature-based infrastructure efforts, and include project planning, design, and implementation. Background information about the program can be found on the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation's website.

2023

On November 29, 2023, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and NOAA announced $144 million to fund 109 projects under the 2023 National Coastal Resilience Fund. These projects were funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and base funds, with contributions from other partners.

The projects will restore, increase, and strengthen natural infrastructure—the landscapes that help absorb the impacts of storms and floods—to ultimately protect coastal communities from storm and flooding impacts and enhance fish and wildlife habitat. The 109 grants will generate more than $97 million in matching contributions for a total conservation impact of $242 million. Project descriptions and additional information can be found here.

When combined with the 27 grants funded under the Inflation Reduction Act that were announced in October, these new grants will push the fund’s total grant awards to approximately $189 million in 2023.

2022
  • 96 projects funded.
  • $144 million in funding from this program and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
  • Total investment, including non-federal match from grantees: $241 million.
  • Program partners: NOAA, National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, U.S. Department of Defense, Shell USA, TransRe, Oxy, and Bezos Earth Fund.
  • Read the project descriptions from the first and second slates for more information.

2022 Emergency Coastal Resilience Fund

  • 16 projects funded.
  • $25.2 million in funding from this program.
  • Total investment, including $4.9 million in additional funding: $30.1 million.
  • Program partners: NOAA, National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, and Bezos Earth Fund.
  • Read the project descriptions for more information.
2021
  • 49 projects funded.
  • $39.5 million in funding from this program.
  • Total investment, including non-federal match from grantees: $97.8 million.
  • Program partners: NOAA, National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Gulf of Mexico Division, U.S. Department of Defense, AT&T, Shell, TransRe, and Occidental.
  • Read the project descriptions for more information.
Three workers setting and hammering boards into the sand in Puerto Rico. A sand dune covered in vegetation is in the background.
Installation of sand-trapping devices to restore coastal dunes in Isabela, Puerto Rico. Photo credit: Dr. Robert Mayer, University of Puerto Rico Aguadilla
2020
  • 46 projects funded.
  • $37 million in funding from this program.
  • Total investment, including non-federal match from grantees: $92 million.
  • Program partners: NOAA, National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Gulf of Mexico Division, U.S. Department of Defense, AT&T, Shell, TransRe.
  • Read the project descriptions for more information.

2020 Emergency Coastal Resilience Fund

Special competition for areas that received presidential disaster declarations due to Hurricanes Florence and Michael, Typhoon Yutu, and the coastal California wildfires in 2018.

  • 27 projects funded.
  • $48.5 million in funding from this program.
  • Total investment, including non-federal match from grantees: $116 million.
  • Read the project descriptions for more information.
2019
  • 44 projects funded.
  • $29.3 million in funding from this program.
  • Total investment, including non-federal match from grantees: $89 million.
  • Program partners: NOAA, National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, Shell, TransRe.
  • Read the project descriptions for more information.
2018
  • 35 projects funded.
  • $28.9 million in funding for projects through the program.
  • Total investment, including non-federal match from grantees: $67 million.
  • Program partners: NOAA, National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, Shell, TransRe.
  • Read the project descriptions for more information.

NOTE: For information about a previous program, the NOAA Coastal Resilience Grants Program, please visit this webpage.