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Visit funder's website →WHALE TAIL® Competitive Grants Program is sponsored by California Coastal Commission, in partnership with the California Ocean Protection Council (funded by California Climate Investments). This program funds projects that connect people to the California Coast and its watersheds through education, stewardship, and outdoor experiences. Approximately half of the funds are dedicated through a tribal set-aside.
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California Coastal Commission The California Coastal Commission's WHALE TAIL ® Grants fund projects that connect people to the California Coast and its watersheds through education, stewardship, and outdoor experiences.
Grant projects can engage people of all ages and can take place The California Coastal Commission's WHALE TAIL ® Grants fund projects that connect people to the California Coast and its watersheds through education, stewardship, and outdoor experiences. Grant projects can engage people of all ages and can take place Announcing the 2026 WHALE TAIL ® Grant recipients!
We are thankful to partner with the California Ocean Protection Council , who is providing $2,000,000 in funds from California Climate Investments Approximately half of the funds support a general pool of grants, and approximately half of the funds are dedicated through a tribal set-aside for projects led by, in partnership with, and/or directly engaging California Native American tribes and tribal communities.
The application period for the 2025-2026 grant cycle is closed. The information below describes the previous grant round. --> We anticipate that the next grant round will open no earlier than early 2027.
Please join our mailing list to receive information on future grant rounds. Application as PDF file or When writing your proposal, you may find it easier to work from this blank version of the application form , that has instructions and question details removed. If so, be sure to refer to the full application for the question details!
2025/2026 Grant Recipients A walk-through of the grant application and guidelines took place on November 6, 2025. Watch a video of the presentation and review the slides and presentation script . We will hold a Zoom meeting on 11/06/2025, 3:30pm-5pm, with a detailed walk-through of the grant application and guidelines, including time for general questions about the grant and application process.
Register here . If you miss it, the presentation will be posted here. Read about some of the projects funded over the 25 years of this program.
Frequently Asked Questions Grants & Education Program Analyst Jessica. Lie@coastal. ca.
gov California Indian Museum & Cultural Center Read about some of the projects funded over the 27 years of WHALE TAIL® Grants Healing Waters Wildnerness Adventures Learn more about our efforts to advance accessibility for this program in our 2024-25 Annual Report Blue Lake Union Elementary School Current grantees can find guidance on invoicing & more here Support Coastal Connections This program is supported by sales of the WHALE TAIL® Coastal Protection License Plate and donations to the Protect Our Coast and Oceans Fund listed on the California state tax form.
License Plate is an official specialty license plate issued by the California Department of Motor Vehicles. Proceeds from sales of the plate benefit the California Coastal Commission's Adopt-A-Beach® Program, California Coastal Cleanup Day, and a wide variety of environmental projects throughout the state.
The Protect Our Coast and Oceans Fund is a "tax check-off" fund listed on the California state tax form, offering taxpayers the option to provide voluntary donations of any amount. You can also donate by check at any time. Proceeds from contributions to this fund specifically benefit the WHALE TAIL® Grants Program.
Map of WHALE TAIL® Grantees Since the WHALE TAIL® Grants Program began in 1998, it has awarded $27. 9 million to 1,133 projects. The Coastal Commission offers free workshops presented by Justice Outside to our WHALE TAIL® Grant recipients, to engage in learning and practice toward greater equity and cultural relevancy in their programming and organization.
here for guidance on invoicing and other requirements. Environmental education reports and research, free downloads: Environmental Education Research Bulletins . Dr. Nicole Ardoin at Stanford University, ChangeScale, and the North American Association for Environmental Education.
2011-2017 Creating Effective Outdoor Science Activities . The Lawrence Hall of Science BEETLES (Better Environmental Education Teaching, Learning, and Expertise Sharing), 2017. Guidelines for Excellence in Environmental Education Series .
North American Association for Environmental Education. Practitioner Guide to Assessing Connection to Nature . Salazar, G.
, Kunkle, K. & Monroe, M. C, North American Association for Environmental Education, 2020.
Examining Equitable and Inclusive Work Environments in Environmental Education . Perspectives from the Field and Implications for Organizations, from The Lawrence Hall of Science and Youth Outside (now Justice Outside), 2019. Other grants to be aware of: California Tahoe Conservancy - Currently open!
Pre-application due July 31, 2026 Explore the Coast Grants , State Coastal Conservancy Youth Community Access Grants , California Natural Resources Agency Arts in California Parks Grants , California State Parks, the California Arts Council, and Parks California Sanctuary Community Fund , National Marine Sanctuary Foundation Parks California and California State Parks Career Pathways Grants Program , Parks California and California State Parks Environmental Justice Action Grants Program , California Environmental Protection Agency Bay Watershed Education and Training (B-WET) Grants , National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Environmental Education Grants , U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Trust-Based Funding for Environmental Initiatives , NOAA Ocean Exploration and the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation Find more grants from the State of California: Funding for the 2025-2026 WHALE TAIL® Competitive Grants Program comes from California Climate Investments through a partnership with the California Ocean Protection Council .
According to the current listing, eligibility includes: Projects can engage people of all ages and can take place anywhere in California. Confirm the full requirements in the official notice before applying.
The current listing shows approximately $2,000,000 total for this grant cycle. Verify award ceilings, matching requirements, and allowable costs in the official notice.
Applications for WHALE TAIL® Competitive Grants Program are due January 1, 2027. Build your timeline backwards from this date to cover registrations, approvals, and final submission checks.
WHALE TAIL® Competitive Grants Program is funded by California Coastal Commission, in partnership with the California Ocean Protection Council (funded by California Climate Investments). Verify program details on the funder's official page before applying.
This opportunity targets applicants in California. If your organization operates elsewhere, check the official notice for location requirements.
Start from the official opportunity page linked in this listing — it carries the sponsor's submission instructions.
Schmidt Marine Technology Partners funds the development and deployment of ocean technology — sustainable fisheries, ocean observation, habitat restoration, and pollution — with grants typically $100,000 to $400,000. The initial proposal window closes July 31, 2026. Here's what makes this funder different and how to write for it.
Read articleOVC's Tribal Victim Services Set-Aside is a non-competitive formula program — every federally recognized Tribe that applies receives an award, sized by a population certification submitted months earlier. With the FY2026 Grants.gov deadline on August 6, 2026, here is how the formula works, what the money funds (including support for families of missing and murdered Indigenous persons), and why the March certification was the decisive step.
Read articleThe California Civic Media Program is a $20 million public-private fund — $10 million from the state, $10 million matched by Google — that pays local newsrooms on a per-journalist formula: $20,000 for each of the first five FTE reporters, $10,000 for reporters six through twenty, capped at $250,000 per organization. Applications open July 6 and close August 21, 2026. Here is exactly how the formula works, which newsrooms qualify (and which are excluded), and how to position a small newsroom to win.
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