Coastal Resilience Grant (CRG) Program Guidelines

A. Purpose

The CRG funding opportunity supports projects that:

Build capacity,
Advance planning, and
Develop designs to increase coastal resilience, including community and/or habitat resilience, in one or more of New Hampshire’s Coastal Zone communities.
Coastal Zone communities include:

Dover,
Durham,
Exeter,
Greenland,
Hampton,
Hampton Falls,
Madbury,
New Castle,
Newfields,
Newington,
Newmarket,
North Hampton,
Portsmouth,
Rollinsford,
Rye,
Seabrook, and
Stratham.
B. Eligible Applicants and Project Categories

Eligible Applicants:

Coastal municipalities,
Quasi-governmental organizations,
Non-governmental organizations,
Academic institutions, and
State agencies.
Preference given to lead applicant organizations with no prior CRG awards.

Preferred Project Approaches:

Minimize negative impacts to environmental resources.
Focus on coalition-building, cultural heritage preservation, environmental justice, inclusive access, and protecting/restoring natural coastal resources.
Collaboratively-develop goals, purpose, work plan, products, and outcomes.
Achieve fair distribution of benefits and burdens, prioritizing those with the highest need.
Eligible Project Categories:

Building Capacity Projects: Increase community resilience through network building, knowledge enhancement, and resource access.
Planning Projects: Develop strategic plans, assessments, or regulations to guide resilience efforts.
Design Projects: Develop designs for site-specific resources/assets to increase resilience.
C. Funding, Match Commitment, and Project Timeframe

Funding:

Total anticipated federal grant funding: ~$100,000.
Request between $9,000 and $30,000 in federal grant funds per project.
Federal funds cannot cover final engineering designs, permitting, construction costs, or equipment purchases exceeding $5,000.
Match Commitment:

Non-federal match commitment: 4:1 federal grant funds to non-federal match (cash or in-kind services).
Justification for reduced or no match commitment may be provided.
Project Timeframe:

Duration: 12 to 18 months.
Expected project start: November 2024 to January 2025.
Expected project end: December 2025 to June 2026.
For more details and to access the application, visit the NHDES Coastal Program website.