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CZM Jobs and Grants

Find information on employment opportunities and available grants from the Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management (CZM).

Jobs

NEW - Coastal Resilience Specialist - CZM is seeking a Coastal Resilience Specialist to support the Commonwealth's ResilientCoasts initiative, an effort to develop a statewide framework for coastal resilience. The Coastal Resilience Specialist will provide administrative, programmatic, and technical support for CZM efforts to develop and implement strategies that protect coastal resources, properties, and public facilities from erosion, flooding, and sea level rise. This position serves under the direction of the Chief Coastal Resilience Officer on a multi-disciplinary team to assist with implementation of the ResilientCoasts Initiative, including planning, management, data development, and outreach. For details see the job posting.

Also, see the links below for other state and coastal-related opportunities.

Grants

New Grants Management System - All CZM grant programs will now be part of the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA) new Grants Management System (GMS), which is designed to streamline the grants process. To access the GMS, grant applicants must create a username and password and have their profile validated, which could take several days to complete. CZM recommends that potential applicants create an account and familiarize yourself with the system as soon as possible. See EEA’s Grants Management System web page for details.

Open Requests for Responses (RFRs)

NEW: Coastal Habitat and Water Quality (CHWQ) Grants - CZM is seeking proposals for the Coastal Habitat and Water Quality Grants to fund projects that assess and treat stormwater impacts and support comprehensive habitat restoration planning in Massachusetts. Municipalities within the Massachusetts coastal watershed are eligible to apply, along with Federally Recognized Tribes, certified 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations, regional planning agencies, and stormwater collaboratives in partnership with eligible municipalities. Eligible project activities include:

  1. Efforts to assess, identify, and characterize nonpoint source (NPS) pollution impacts from stormwater runoff to coastal waterbodies.
  2. Design and construction of stormwater structural Best Management Practices (BMPs) (priority is given to practices that address contaminants of concern in coastal waterbodies).
  3. Capacity-building activities—including trainings for municipal staff, bylaw development, and case studies—that support future implementation of green stormwater infrastructure (methods that replicate natural processes to trap and filter stormwater prior to reaching local waterbodies).
  4. Development of habitat restoration plans, including data collection and synthesis, natural resource assessments, and restoration prioritization work.
  5. Advancement of priority land acquisition planning activities for the purposes of restoration, buffer protection, and/or future marsh migration.
  6. Pre-implementation data collection and engineering for infrastructure-focused habitat restoration activities.

See COMMBUYS and the Grants Management System for details, proposal instructions, and to download the RFR and attachments. All applications to CHWQ Grants must be submitted through the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA) new Grants Management System. Applications are due by 5:00 p.m., June 26.

  • The Question and Answer period for CHWQ is open until 5:00 p.m. on May 29. Please submit questions to kathleen.mason@mass.gov. Answers to all questions will be posted on the COMMBUYS website.
  • Pre-RFR Webinar Video and Presentation - On March 18, CZM hosted an informational webinar on the Coastal Habitat and Water Quality Grants to review the goals and requirements of the grant, logistics, and timeline. Links to recordings of the webinar and the presentation slides are available below.

For additional information, please see the Coastal Habitat and Water Quality Grants page.

NEW: Coastal Resilience Grant Program - CZM is seeking proposals for innovative and transferable local and regional projects to address coastal flooding, erosion, and sea level rise impacts through the Coastal Resilience Grant Program. For Fiscal Year (FY) 2026, CZM will provide funding and technical assistance to coastal communities, certified 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations (including qualifying tribal entities), and federally recognized tribes. Eligible project types include evaluating vulnerabilities and risks, public outreach, retrofitting and relocating vulnerable public facilities and infrastructure, shoreline restoration, and proactive planning projects. Applicants may request up to $2 million in funding per project. Projects must be completed by June 30, 2026—or by June 30, 2027 (FY 2027) for projects selected for an extended contract, depending on the proposal and Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA) funding decisions. See the RFR on the new Grants Management System or COMMBUYS for eligibility requirements, project categories, and evaluation criteria. Proposals are due by 4:00 p.m. on June 18.

  • The Question and Answer period for the Coastal Resilience Grants is open until 4:00 p.m. on May 21. Please submit questions to coastal.resilience@mass.gov. Answers to all questions will be posted on the COMMBUYS website.
  • Coastal Resilience Grant Program Webinar - CZM hosted an informational webinar on the Coastal Resilience Grant Program on February 27, which covered the goals and requirements for the grants, eligibility and evaluation criteria, and successful projects from previous grant rounds. For details, see these links to the recording of the webinar and the PowerPoint presentation:

NEW: Buzzards Bay Stormwater Testing - The Buzzards Bay National Estuary Program (NEP) is seeking a laboratory to test up to 500 stormwater samples per year primarily for bacteriological indicators. Eligible contractors must be certified in Massachusetts for bacteriological water testing, able to process and analyze up to 15 samples per day, and be within 35 miles driving distance from the Buzzards Bay NEP office in Mattapoisett. The initial contract duration is 12 months, which can be renewed for up to two additional 12-month periods. Up to $16,000 will be available per year for testing. For more information, including application details, see the COMMBUYS website. Proposals are due by June 4.

Upcoming RFRs

There currently are no upcoming RFRs for CZM grant programs.

Other Grant Opportunities - See the Community Grant Finder (a central location to learn about state grant opportunities for cities and towns) and COMMBUYS (the Commonwealth's electronic procurement system) for other state opportunities.

CZM Grant Programs

  • Coastal Resilience Grant Program - These CZM-administered grants to municipalities and nonprofit organizations advance innovative local and regional efforts to address coastal flooding, erosion, and sea level rise impacts through communication and public outreach initiatives, vulnerability assessments, planning activities, engineering projects, and natural storm damage protection.
  • Coastal Habitat and Water Quality (CHWQ) Grants - These grants provide financial resources for projects that assess and treat stormwater impacts and support comprehensive habitat restoration planning activities.
  • Coastal Pollutant Remediation (CPR) Program - These grants, also administered by CZM, provide financial resources to municipalities located in the Massachusetts Coastal Watershed to assess and remediate stormwater pollution from paved surfaces and to design and construct commercial boat waste pumpout facilities.
  • Coastal Estuarine Land Conservation Program (CELCP) - This grant program was initiated by the U.S. Congress in 2002, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) manages an annual competitive process to select projects for congressionally appropriated funding. Since 2013, however, funding has only been available for CELCP projects through the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, for which Massachusetts is not eligible. For more information, see the NOAA Coastal and Estuarine Land Conservation Program website.
  • CZM Grant Viewer - This interactive map covers grants awarded from 2014 to present through CZM’s Coastal Resilience, Coastal Habitat and Water Quality, and Coastal Pollutant Remediation grant programs. 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.
  • Grant Programs of the National Estuary Programs (NEPs)
    • Buzzards Bay Grants - These grants, administered by the Buzzards Bay National Estuary Program (BBNEP), provide funding to implement recommendations in the Buzzards Bay Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan to protect and restore water quality and living resources in Buzzards Bay and its surrounding watershed.
    • MassBays Healthy Estuaries Grant Program - These grants, administered by the MassBays National Estuary Partnership (MassBays), provide small grants to nonprofit organizations, academic institutions, and municipalities for projects that advance the goals of the MassBays Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan.

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