Shoreline Erosion Control Program and Public Beach Restoration Program

Shoreline Erosion Control Program and Public Beach Restoration Program is sponsored by California State Parks' Division of Boating and Waterways (DBW). DBW is accepting letters of intent from public agencies interested in grant funding for projects that address the impacts of coastal erosion on California's ocean and bay shorelines.

Alert Something is happening and people are freaking out. DBW has posted a recorded webinar online to explain our two-step grant application process. The video is available here .

DBW administers two coastal protection programs: The Shoreline Erosion Control Program and the Public Beach Restoration Program. Public agencies are eligible to apply for local assistance grants through these programs. For both programs, there are two steps to this grant application process, the letter of intent and the full application.

The letter of intent deadline for Fiscal Year 2027/2028 funding is 5:00 pm Monday, December 15, 2025 . Letters of intent must be emailed to Casey Caldwell at casey. caldwell@parks.

ca. gov by this time. At this step, the applicant submits a short description of the project as instructed in the linked PDF document below.

The letter of intent allows DBW to help agencies determine whether it’s worthwhile to submit a full application for these programs, and it provides DBW valuable information about statewide needs for programmatic planning. Instructions for completing letter of intent If DBW determines the letter of intent describes a project that may be a candidate for grant funding, your agency will be invited to submit a full application.

Additional instructions for accessing OLGA will be provided with the invitation. There is no dedicated State funding source for DBW’s coastal erosion control grant programs. Projects must be approved individually through the annual State budget process.

State funding constraints are likely to result in either no funding being available for projects in fiscal year 2027/28 or funding only being available for a small number of projects. Therefore, DBW will only invite agencies whose letters propose projects with the highest likelihood of providing significant and cost-effective State benefits to advance to DBW’s full application process.

The full application deadline for Fiscal Year 2027/2028 is 5:00 pm Monday, February 2, 2026 via DBW’s Online Grant Application (OLGA) system. The deadline is enforced automatically in the application system and will not be extended. The Shoreline Erosion Control Program can assist in the planning and construction of all types of beach erosion control and shoreline stabilization measures, including hard structures like seawalls.

This program can fund up to 50 percent of nonfederal project costs. This Program is authorized in statute by Harbors and Navigation Code sections 65-67. 4.

The Public Beach Restoration Program can assist in the planning and construction of engineered placement of sand on the beach or in the nearshore environment. This program can fund up to 85 percent of nonfederal project costs at nonstate beaches. This Program is authorized in statute by Harbors and Navigation Code sections 69.

5-69. 9. Next Steps After an Application Is Submitted Each individual project must be approved for funding through the State budget process.

Once DBW begins reviewing the full applications, they will become part of the State's confidential budget-making process, and DBW will be unable to provide status updates. However, notifications will be sent to applicants to acknowledge receipt of complete applications, and applicants will be contacted during the review process if additional or updated information about a project is needed.

When the Governor’s budget is released in January 2027, it may include a list of projects that are proposed to the Legislature for grant funding in fiscal year 2027/2028. DBW expects the State budget to be finalized in June 2027. DBW typically prepares grant agreements for approved projects several months thereafter.

For more information, please contact Casey Caldwell at casey. caldwell@parks. ca.

gov or (916) 902-8824. Frequently Asked Questions Can DBW fund studies through these programs? Yes.

Both programs can provide a grant for a study if the study is necessary for either a specific project or for regional sediment management planning. Is there a maximum or minimum grant amount available per project? No. In recent years, the smallest grants for study projects have been in the $40,000-$50,000 range.

The largest annual grants for beach restoration projects have been in the $5 million-$11. 5 million range. What is the total amount of funding available from these programs each year?

There is no preset amount of funding. Grants are authorized project by project through the State budget process. State budget priorities – and available financial resources – can change from year to year, so DBW cannot forecast the total amount per year available.

How many projects are funded per year? There is no preset number of projects that can or will be funded. The number varies based on need, merits of proposed projects, and funding availability.

Will these grant programs be offered in future years? The availability of grants from these programs in future years depends on availability of funds in future state budgets. There is no dedicated revenue source for these programs, and the extent of funding authorized for them is not known until each year’s final state budget is enacted.

What kind of in-kind services can be used for match? Approved in-kind services will generally include straight personnel time and actual costs of materials paid for by the local agency that are directly attributable to the project. DBW must pre-approve all in-kind services in writing.

Is there a list of recent grant recipients and amounts? A list of recent grant recipients and amounts is posted on our main page. Shoreline Erosion Control and Public Beach Restoration