Coastal Habitat and Water Quality Grants

Find information on this grant opportunity from the Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management (CZM).

The Coastal Habitat and Water Quality (CHWQ) Grants provide financial resources for projects that assess and treat stormwater pollution and support comprehensive habitat restoration planning. 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, but are not limited to:

• Efforts to assess, identify, and characterize nonpoint source (NPS) pollution impacts from stormwater runoff to coastal waterbodies.
• Design and construction of stormwater structural Best Management Practices (BMPs) (priority is given to practices that address contaminants of concern in coastal waterbodies).
• 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).
• Development of habitat restoration plans, including data collection and synthesis, natural resource assessments, and restoration prioritization work.
• Advancement of priority land acquisition planning activities for the purposes of restoration, buffer protection, and/or future marsh migration. 
• Pre-implementation data collection and engineering for infrastructure-focused habitat restoration activities.

Applications should also describe past or planned public outreach, supporting meaningful participation and engagement in the development or implementation of project activities to increase participatory decision-making in the categories above to be competitive.

NEW: The Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 Request for Responses (RFR) is now closed.

Grants Management System - All CZM grant programs are now part of the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA) 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. See EEA’s Grants Management System web page for details.

2024 Grants Awarded - On August 27, 2024, the EEA announced $628,702 in funding through the Coastal Habitat and Water Quality Grants for projects that assess and treat stormwater impacts and support comprehensive habitat restoration planning in Massachusetts. The 2024 CHWQ grant recipients are the Ipswich River Watershed Association, Needham, Rehoboth, Saugus River Watershed Council, and Wildlands Trust. See the CZM Press Release.

Guidance Documents

Applicants are strongly encouraged to review these resources to inform a proposal to the Coastal Habitat and Water Quality Grants as applicable.

• Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management Grant Viewer - The Grant Viewer provides examples of projects funded by CZM from 2014 to present. Projects listed include those from the Coastal Pollutant Remediation Grant (CPR) (formerly available), the Coastal Habitat and Water Quality Grants (CHWQ) (includes activities previously funded through CPR), and the Coastal Resilience Grant Program (CR).
• Climate Change Impacts to Coastal Stormwater BMPs - Stormwater BMPs in coastal areas are subject to flooding, storm damage, and salt and wind exposure—impacts that are exacerbated by sea level rise, higher groundwater levels, and increased frequency and intensity of storm and precipitation events due to climate change. In 2015, CZM and the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection contracted Horsley Witten Group, Inc. (with support from the Woods Hole Group) to assess potential impacts to coastal BMPs due to climate change, evaluate existing coastal BMPs, and develop a set of recommendations for coastal communities. The Assessment of Climate Change Impacts on Stormwater BMPs and Recommended BMP Design Considerations in Coastal Communities report provides results of this project and is intended to help municipalities address the unique challenges of siting, designing, and constructing BMPs on the coast.
• Operation, Maintenance, and Performance Evaluation - In 2005, CZM contracted with the Horsley Witten Group, Inc. to conduct field inspections of stormwater BMPs. Horsley Witten evaluated the maintenance history and condition of each installed BMP and made an overall assessment of its functionality. Coastal Pollutant Remediation Program Stormwater BMP Operation, Maintenance, and Performance Evaluation (PDF, 390 KB) is a summary report that details the findings of these inspections and includes a set of recommendations for improving maintenance, construction, and design of stormwater BMPs. Applicants for CHWQ Grants for stormwater remediation projects must review and incorporate these recommendations as applicable.
• Environmental Justice - Environmental justice (EJ) is based on the principle that all people have a right to live in and enjoy a clean and healthful environment, be protected from pollution, and be included in decision-making. Applicants should describe how the proposed project actives will benefit environmental justice communities, including siting, design, and implementation of BMPs, development of restoration plans, inclusion of stakeholders, formation of partnerships, and education and outreach for meaningful engagement. Click here for more information on Environmental Justice, including maps of EJ populations.

What projects have been funded?

• FY 2025 Project Summaries (PDF, 136 KB)
• FY 2024 Project Summaries (PDF, 156 KB)
• FY 2023 Project Summaries (PDF, 150 KB)

Who can help me apply for a CHWQ Grant?

CZM can help potential applicants develop project ideas up until the RFR for the grant year is released. After the RFR is released, questions specific to the RFR can be submitted to CZM in writing until the close of the question-and-answer period, which will be approximately two weeks.

Please contact the following CZM staff and Regional Coordinators with any questions:

Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management

Adrienne Pappal
Coastal Habitat and Water Quality Manager
[e-mail]
Phone: [phone]

Kathleen Mason
Coastal Habitat and Water Quality Specialist
[e-mail]
Phone: [phone]

Lexie Neffinger
Coastal Habitat and Water Quality Specialist
[e-mail]
Phone: [phone]

Kathryn Glenn
North Shore Regional Coordinator
[e-mail]
Phone: [phone]

Joanna Yelen
Boston Harbor Regional Coordinator
[e-mail]
Phone: [phone]

Jason Burtner
South Shore Regional Coordinator
[e-mail]
Phone: [phone]

Stephen McKenna
Cape Cod & Islands Regional Coordinator
[e-mail]
Phone: [phone]

Sam Haines
South Coastal Regional Coordinator
[e-mail]
Phone: [phone]

In addition to providing assistance with developing project ideas, the Massachusetts Bays and Buzzards Bay National Estuary Programs can also help applicants with grant applications.

Massachusetts Bays and Buzzards Bay National Estuary Program Contacts

Upper North Shore
Hanna Mogensen
Merrimack Valley Planning Commission
[e-mail]
Phone: [phone] x16
Fax: [phone]

Lower North Shore
Barbara Warren
Salem Sound Coastwatch
[e-mail]
Phone: [phone]
Fax: [phone]

Metro Boston
Diana Chin
Northeastern University Marine Science Center
[e-mail]
Phone: [phone]
Fax: [phone]

South Shore
Alex Mansfield
North and South Rivers Watershed Association
[e-mail]
Phone: [phone] x103

Cape Cod
April Wobst
Association to Preserve Cape Cod
[e-mail]
Phone: [phone]

Buzzards Bay
Joe Costa
Buzzards Bay National Estuary Program
[e-mail]
Office: [phone]
Mobile: [phone]

Contact Information

For more information about the CHWQ Grant Program, contact:

• Adrienne Pappal at [e-mail] or [phone]
• Kathleen Mason at [e-mail] or (617)-890-9493
• Lexie Neffinger at [e-mail] or [phone]