NOAA Fisheries has opened up the final round of funding for coastal habitat restoration and community resilience projects under the U.S. Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL), announcing USD 100 million (EUR 95 million) in available funding.
“Projects selected through this funding opportunity will have a transformative impact for coastal communities and Tribes across the country,” NOAA Fisheries said in a release. “They will help sustain our nation’s fisheries, make significant strides in the recovery of threatened and endangered species, and help protect coastal communities and ecosystems from the impacts of climate change. They will support efforts such as reconnecting rivers to their historic floodplains, outplanting corals to rebuild reefs, building living shorelines that protect coasts from erosion and sea level rise, and more.”
This is the third and final round of the federal Transformational Habitat Restoration and Coastal Resilience funding opportunity. In July, the administration of U.S. President Joe Biden announced USD 220 million (EUR 203 million) in spending on 32 coastal resilience and habitat restoration projects. The first round of funding – announced in 2023 – provided USD 285 million (EUR 263 million) across 38 projects.
“We’re happy that NOAA continues to support nature and communities through these grants,” The Nature Conservancy North American Policy and Government Relations Managing Director Kameran Onley said after the Biden administration announced the second round of awards. “NOAA received requests for projects that totaled 10 times the available funding – a clear statement of how important it has been to make this support more accessible to more communities.”
Much of the awarded funding has gone to salmon recovery efforts along the U.S. West Coast.
In this third round of funding, NOAA Fisheries is accepting proposals requesting between USD 750,000 and USD 10 million (EUR 715,354 and EUR 9.5 million), with typical awards ranging from USD 4 million to USD 6 million (EUR 3.8 million to EUR 5.7 million).
Up to 15 percent of this third round of funding has been set aside for “U.S. federally recognized tribes, Alaska Native corporations, and organizations that represent Tribes through formal legal agreements.”
Applications are due 16 April 2025.
