Caring For Our Coast 2022 Grants Now Available

Restore America’s Estuaries (RAE) is pleased to announce the call for applications as part of the 2022 CITGO Gulf Region Grants Program. This year’s program title is Caring for our Coasts: Engaging Diverse Communities to Restore Coastal Areas Throughout the Gulf of Mexico Region.  

The program offers a maximum of $4,000 per organization. These funds can be used towards hosting new events, or increasing the impact of already- planned events, aimed at engaging Gulf-region communities in the protection of their local natural resources. Funds should be used to support event activities; for example, to purchase trash bags and gloves for a shoreline cleanup or to purchase plants and tools for a restoration event.  

RAE strives to improve access to grant funding and to promote inclusivity in project implementation.

Eligible applicants include registered non-profits (501(c)(3)) and local community organizations in the Gulf of Mexico region. Project proposals will be evaluated based on:

• The potential for this funding to increase event capacity and/or impact
• Expected impact of the event on local communities and ecosystems
• Demonstration of community engagement and outreach. 
• special consideration will be given to high-ranking proposals from diverse groups that have traditionally been under-engaged with coastal conservation efforts or are new to grant funding  

In 2021, this program awarded more than $17,000 to eight organizations. More than 1,100 volunteers donated 3,400 hours of time at 57 different events. They restored or preserved 1,236 acres, planted 11,770 native trees and plants, and collected 27,000 lbs of trash along 389 miles of shoreline in the Gulf Region. 

While our ongoing Inclusive Coasts Initiative (ICI) works to ensure coastal conservation grant makers and project implementers are equipped with knowledge and tools to help them address and overcome barriers related to DEIJ issues in their work, RAE has taken steps to address barriers in our own grants. Three changes we have made to the Caring for our Coast Grant include:

• Increased the maximum amount of funding available to grantees from $3,000 to $4,000
• We’ve made it easier to apply and report by shortening the length of applications and changing how we define deliverables
• We offer continued support through an opening webinar, open communication with the grantee throughout, and all awardees will get continued support through the ICI workshops at no charge

For more information, please visit our website: estuaries.org/get-involved/grants/. All materials should be submitted via email to Briana Yancy.  

Please submit your application by 11:59 p.m. Eastern on January 28, 2022. Late applications will not be considered.