NEP Coastal Watersheds Grant Program

NEP Coastal Watersheds Grant Program is sponsored by Restore America's Estuaries (RAE) in close coordination with and financial support from EPA. This program funds projects within specific geographic areas that align with Congressionally-set priorities, including addressing loss of key habitats, harmful algae blooms, marine mammal mortalities, invasive species, flooding and coastal erosion, impacts of nutrients and warme…

Coastal Watershed Grants ~ Restore America's Estuaries Now more than ever, our nation’s most environmentally, economically, and culturally important waters need your help. A host of threats loom over the future of our coasts and the communities that rely on them. Sea-level rise, flooding, erosion and other impacts from a changing climate are impacting an increasing number of areas with increasing frequency.

Restore America’s Estuaries works to counter these and other threats with a host of partners nationwide. Your donation will help us engage local communities to bring about on-the-ground results, advance science and policy to conserve endangered areas across the country, and ensure the benefits of coastal restoration are shared by all communities.

If you prefer to donate by check, you may download our Donation Form and mail a check to: Restore America’s Estuaries 2300 Clarendon Blvd, Suite 603 Federal Employees: Our Combined Federal Campaign number is 12070. For a list of state nonprofit disclosures, please click here . If you have any questions, please call 703-524-0248 or email Lance Speidell.

NEP Coastal Watersheds Grant Program Coastal Watersheds Grants Home Coastal Watershed Funded Projects Restore America’s Estuaries, in close coordination with and financial support from EPA, administers the NEP Coastal Watersheds Grant Program.

This grant program funds projects within the geographic areas shown here and supports the following Congressionally-set priorities: Loss of key habitats resulting in significant impacts on fisheries and water quality such as seagrass, mangroves, tidal and freshwater wetlands, forested wetlands, kelp beds, shellfish beds, and coral reefs; Recurring harmful algae blooms; Unusual or unexplained marine mammal mortalities; Proliferation or invasion of species that limit recreational uses, threaten wastewater systems, or cause other ecosystem damage; 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.

Established in 1987 through the Clean Water Act, the National Estuary Program (NEP) is a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) place-based program dedicated to protecting and restoring the water quality and ecological integrity of 28 estuaries across the country. EPA’s NEP is a non-regulatory program that improves the waters, habitats, and living resources within these estuaries.

In overseeing and managing the national program, EPA provides annual funding, national guidance, and technical assistance to the local NEPs. Project Selection and Subaward Process: RAE will conduct an annual solicitation with approximately $1 million awarded each year. Each subaward will range between $75,000 and $250,000, resulting in roughly three to ten total subawards per funding year depending on Congressional appropriations.

The annual project selection and award process will include the following: Release and distribution of Request for Proposals (RFP) document; Informational webinar for potential applicants; Letter of Intent (LOI) submitted by potential applicants; Full proposals invited after evaluation of LOIs by Review Panel; Applicants notified and subawards announced.

Note that all projects must occur completely within the specified geographic areas . For more information, please contact Suzanne Simon , Program Director. RAE Summit Registration is Open NOW Register today for the 2026 Coastal & Estuarine Summit!

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