2023 Coastal Watersheds Grant

National Estuary Program Coastal Watersheds Grant LOI status notification emails were sent the afternoon Friday, June 23, 2023. If you were expecting an email and have not received it, please check your junk/spam folder. If you still cannot find the email, please reach out to Suzanne Simon (ssimon@estuaries.org) for assistance.

Download the RFP

RAE hosted virtual information sessions for potential applicants – you can watch a recording of this webinar below:


Priorities for this Request for Proposals

In order to address the critical issues facing our nation’s estuaries, each RFP round in the CWG Program will identify a unique combination of priorities. For this RFP, projects must address one or more of the following priorities:

  • Recurring harmful algae blooms;
  • Flooding and coastal erosion that may be related to sea level rise, changing precipitation, or salt marsh, seagrass, or wetland degradation or loss;
  • Impacts of nutrients and warmer water temperatures on aquatic life and coastal ecosystems, including low dissolved oxygen conditions in estuarine waters; and
  • Contaminants of emerging concern found in coastal and estuarine waters such as pharmaceuticals, personal care products, and microplastics.

Geographic Boundaries

Projects must occur in their entirety within the geographic areas shown below and on this interactive map (http://arcg.is/1u19zq). Efforts adjacent to, upstream of, or as a tributary to waterbodies in the polygons will not be funded. Projects occurring outside of these areas will not be considered, nor will the geographic boundaries change. Note that the eligibility boundaries do not necessarily align with NEP boundaries. Supporting activities, such as laboratory analysis, may occur outside of the geographic eligibility polygons but that all fieldwork and anticipated ecosystem improvements must occur within them.

Questions?

Applicants are encouraged to set up one-on-one discussions with the Program Director, Suzanne Simon, via email [ssimon@estuaries.org] or via Calendly. This scheduling app is user friendly and allows prospective applicants to find time to get feedback on aspects of their project and application. To prepare for these discussions, we recommend potential applicants review the RFP completely and come with project ideas or key questions to make effective use of the time.