Skip to main content

Coastal Resilience Grant Program

Find information on these Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management (CZM) grants to advance local and regional efforts to address coastal flooding, erosion, and sea level rise.

Massachusetts coastal communities face significant risks from coastal storms, flooding, erosion, and sea level rise—challenges that are exacerbated by climate change. To help address these issues, CZM administers the Coastal Resilience Grant Program to provide financial and technical support for local and regional efforts to increase community understanding of coastal storm and climate impacts, evaluate vulnerabilities, conduct adaptation planning, redesign and retrofit vulnerable public facilities and infrastructure, and restore shorelines to enhance natural resources and provide storm damage protection. Managed through CZM’s StormSmart Coasts program, grants are available for a range of coastal resilience approaches—from planning, public outreach, feasibility assessment, and analysis of shoreline vulnerability to design, permitting, construction, and monitoring. The Fiscal Year (FY) 2027 ECO One Stop Request for Responses (RFR), which will include Coastal Resilience Grants, is anticipated to open in early 2026.

Skip table of contents
You skipped the table of contents section.

Updates

NEW: ECO One Stop grant application updates

The Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA) has launched the new Environment & Climate One Stop (ECO One Stop) to simplify the grant application process for climate resilience and environmental projects in Massachusetts. By consolidating multiple applications into one streamlined process, ECO One Stop allows applicants to apply to multiple grants through a single application. For FY 2027, CZM’s Coastal Resilience and Coastal Habitat and Water Quality grant programs will be part of ECO One Stop.

EEA will be hosting two informational webinars on the ECO One Stop application process, as well as a webinar on how to submit applications through the Grants Management System (GMS). Please visit the ECO One Stop website to learn more and register for the upcoming webinars.

If you have any questions about ECO One Stop for Coastal Resilience Grants, please email patricia.bowie@mass.gov.

Who is eligible and what types of projects are funded?

The Coastal Resilience Grant Program is open to the 78 municipalities located within the Massachusetts coastal zone, certified 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations, and Massachusetts Tribal Governments.

Eligible Coastal Resilience Grant projects must advance one or more of the following climate adaptation actions:

  1. Vulnerability and Risk Assessments - Projects that evaluate vulnerable community facilities and infrastructure or conduct regional vulnerability assessments that align with ResilientCoasts using best available techniques, data, and climate projections (e.g., sea level rise and precipitation). Vulnerability assessments should build on Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness (MVP) and other assessments and set the stage for implementation of actions. Assessments that include natural resources and socioeconomic impacts are encouraged. ECO One Stop Project Type: “Other”
  2. Public Outreach - Projects that develop local and regional support for the implementation of proactive resilience actions. Projects may increase community or regional understanding of coastal storm and sea level rise impacts, raise public awareness of proactive shoreline management approaches, and build effective partnerships to develop and maintain support for the implementation of proactive actions. Projects that develop effective outreach and communication strategies, tools, resources, and transferable products that are accessible to all residents are encouraged. ECO One Stop Project Type: “Social Resilience, Education, Capacity-Building, and Outreach”
  3. Proactive Planning - Projects to develop, amend, and implement community and regional resilience plans, local ordinances, bylaws, standards, zoning, and other planning tools to reduce exposure of existing and future development and infrastructure to coastal storm damages and climate impacts. Projects that facilitate relocation of vulnerable development and infrastructure and reduce future development in coastal high-hazard areas are highly encouraged. Projects that involve robust public outreach with community members, businesses, and other stakeholders, and result in formal local adoption are most competitive. ECO One Stop Project Types: “Regulatory Updates,” “Land Use Planning,” or “Relocation or Retrofit of Critical Infrastructure”
  4. Retrofit and Relocation - Engineering and construction projects that adapt vulnerable community facilities and infrastructure to reduce long-term coastal flooding and erosion impacts due to higher tides, greater storm surges, and more intense precipitation. Eligible facilities and infrastructure include, but are not limited to, seawalls, port and harbor infrastructure, wastewater treatment plants, pump stations, and critical roadways/evacuation routes and associated infrastructure (e.g., culverts). Projects that proactively relocate vulnerable community facilities and infrastructure outside of hazardous areas, restore coastal resources, and provide other public benefits at the site are strongly encouraged. ECO One Stop Project Types: “Relocation or Retrofit of Critical Infrastructure,” “Seawall Upgrade,” “Seawall Removal,” or “Culvert or Small Bridge Upgrades, Replacement, or Removal”
  5. Shoreline Restoration - Projects that evaluate suitability, design, permit, construct, and/or monitor non-structural approaches that restore or enhance natural systems to provide erosion and flood protection services provided by public beaches, dunes, coastal banks, salt marshes, shellfish, and other habitat types. Projects must be on publicly accessibly property and specifically address current erosion and flooding impacts of public facilities and infrastructure and be able to adapt as sea level rises (e.g., build up or shift landward). ECO One Stop Project Type: “Wetland Restoration or Enhancement” 

What projects have been funded?

What resources are available to help identify issues and develop resilience strategies?

CZM encourages applicants to review the following information when developing a proposal for this grant program:

  • CZM Grant Viewer - This interactive map provides information on Coastal Resilience Grant projects. Pop-up boxes provide details on each grant award and information can be sorted by grant program, category (such as construction type, design & permitting, habitat restoration, and more), and year that mapped data are available.
  • EEA Climate Grant Viewer - This viewer shows MVP Planning and Action grants as well as other grant programs offered through EEA that work to build local resilience. To find climate vulnerability assessments, select the MVP Grant Program section of the viewer, choose the Planning Grants tab, and then click on a community to open a pop-up box with a link to “More info.”
  • MassGIS Environmental Justice Viewer - This interactive map identifies Environmental Justice populations (i.e., low income, minority, and English isolation) throughout Massachusetts.
  • CZM Coast Guide Online - This online map includes public access sites that are owned by government agencies and non-profit organizations along the coast.
  • Massachusetts Climate Change Clearinghouse - This website provides access to climate change adaptation resources and a map viewer, which includes sea level rise projections and Massachusetts Coast Flood Risk Model (MC-FRM) layers. Applicants should review sea level rise projections and MC-FRM layers and specify which scenarios are being utilized. This website also hosts the Climate Resilience Design Standards Tool, which provides guidance on incorporating site-specific climate data in the assessment and design of projects.
  • 2023 ResilientMass Plan - This 2023 plan is an innovative State Hazard Mitigation and Climate Adaptation Plan and identifies strategies and specific, measurable actions state agencies can take to address risks to the human health and safety, communities, critical assets and infrastructure, natural resources, governance, and economy of the Commonwealth. This plan aims to ensure the Commonwealth is prepared to withstand, rapidly recover from, adapt to, and mitigate natural hazard events. The 2023 ResilientMass plan is the 5 year update to the 2018 State Hazard Mitigation and Climate Adaptation Plan (SHMCAP) and integrates data, information, and findings of the 2022 Massachusetts Climate Change Assessment.
  • ResilientCoasts - This website includes information on the ResilientCoasts Initiative including public meetings and materials to date. Presentation slides include the goals of the initiative.
  • Massachusetts Climate Change Adaptation Report - This 2011 report provides a broad overview of climate change impacts and includes a coastal chapter with a range of potential strategies to address sea level rise and coastal storms.
  • Massachusetts Sea Level Rise and Coastal Flooding Viewer - This interactive viewer displays community facilities and infrastructure along the Massachusetts coast that are vulnerable to coastal flooding from sea level rise and storm surge.
  • StormSmart Properties fact sheets - These fact sheets provide information on a range of measures that can effectively reduce erosion and storm damage while minimizing impacts to shoreline systems. The techniques currently covered are:
  • StormSmart Coasts - This website includes additional information on assessing the vulnerability of coastal properties to erosion and flooding, tools for local officials to improve coastal floodplain management, options for coastal property owners to effectively reduce erosion and storm damage while minimizing impacts to shoreline systems, information on landscaping options for controlling erosion and storm damage, interactive maps of erosion along the Massachusetts coast, and more.

What is the proposal deadline (and other important dates)?

The FY 2027 ECO One Stop Expression of Interest (EOI) period is now closed. EOI forms were due October 28, 2025. Applicants may still submit a formal application when the RFR is released even if an EOI was not submitted. The ECO One Stop RFR is expected to be released in early 2026.

What is the anticipated level of funding?

CZM anticipates applicants will be able to request up to $2,000,000 in funding per project. Ten percent of the grant request will be required for all applicants. Exceptions to the match requirement may apply to Tribal governments and designated rural and small towns. Match may be cash or in-kind contributions or a combination of the two provided by the applicant and direct project partners.

What do proposals typically include?

Specific proposal requirements will be provided in the ECO One Stop RFR. Previous proposal requirements have included the following:

  • A brief description of community’s current vulnerability and approach to management of erosion and flooding hazards including any climate adaptation efforts.
  • A description of the issue(s) or problem(s) and the need for assistance.
  • A detailed description of the proposed project that identifies the project type, as well as the selected sea level rise scenario(s), if applicable, and how the project will benefit the public and public interests.
  • A description of the transferability of the proposed project (i.e., how the project approach, techniques, and products can be used by other coastal communities facing similar issues).
  • A detailed timeline with anticipated completion dates for the project.
  • A detailed budget and explanation of how the funding and technical assistance provided by CZM and other project partners will ensure success of the project. Applicants must provide 10% of the grant request with in-kind services and/or cash. Exceptions to the match requirement may apply to Tribal governments and designated rural and small towns.
  • The name of a qualified individual who will serve as the local project manager and point of contact, along with resumes for the local project manager and other staff who will work on the project.
  • Support letters from all relevant local boards, departments, commissions, and other partners that include their commitment to participate in the project as necessary.

How do I apply?

Proposals seeking Coastal Resilience Grant funding will need to complete an ECO One Stop application through EEA’s Grant Management System (GMS). The application will be available once the ECO One Stop RFR is released (anticipated in early 2026). To access the GMS for the first time, grant applicants must create a username and password and have their profile validated, which could take several days to complete. See EEA’s Grants Management System web page for details.

Contact Information

For more information or general programmatic questions, please contact the grant program staff. CZM can help potential applicants develop project ideas up until the RFR for the grant year is released. Please contact the grant program staff and the CZM Regional Coordinator for your community for project technical assistance (email is the preferred contact method):

Grant Program Staff

Patricia Bowie
Coastal Resiliency Specialist
patricia.bowie@mass.gov
Phone: (617) 890-9147

CZM Regional Coordinators

Kathryn Glenn
North Shore Regional Coordinator
kathryn.glenn@mass.gov
Phone: (617) 947-9169

Joanna Yelen
Boston Harbor Regional Coordinator
joanna.m.yelen@mass.gov
Phone: (617) 845-7962

Jason Burtner
South Shore Regional Coordinator
jason.burtner@mass.gov
Phone: (617) 694-1767

Stephen McKenna
Cape Cod & Islands Regional Coordinator
stephen.mckenna@mass.gov
Phone: (617) 872-1680

Sam Haines
South Coastal Regional Coordinator
samuel.haines@mass.gov
Phone: (617) 694-8235

Related

Help Us Improve Mass.gov  with your feedback

Please do not include personal or contact information.
Feedback