The Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry’s Maine Coastal Program announced that it is seeking applications for a new round of coastal grants for fiscal year 2017. The grants are for municipal and regional projects in Maine’s Coastal Zone.
The two types of available grants covered by this announcement are Coastal Communities grants and Shore and Harbor Management grants. Funding for these technical-assistance grants comes from Maine Coastal Program’s annual grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration as well as the Submerged Lands program within the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry.
The Coastal Communities grants have a maximum award of $100,000, while the Shore and Harbor Management grants have a maximum award of $30,000. Those eligible to apply include communities and groups of towns in Maine’s Coastal Zone; coastal Regional Planning Commissions; and coastal Councils of Government.
Coastal Communities grants:
Eligible projects must be designed to improve water quality, increase resiliency/adaptation to erosion and flooding, conserve coastal habitat, promote sustainable development, and enhance the coastal-dependent economy while preserving natural coastal resources. This program is designed to address the following goals of the Maine Coastal Program: ensuring sustainable, vibrant coastal communities; addressing the effects of land-use activity on water quality; restoring coastal habitats; preparing for coastal storms, erosion and flooding, and coastal hazards.
Shore and Harbor Management grants:
These grants promote sound waterfront-planning and harbor-management, balanced development of shore and harbor areas, advance planning for waterfront infrastructure improvements, and access to the shore. Funds may be used for development of plans for waterfront, harbor, and mooring areas; development of regulatory and non-regulatory approaches to waterfront conservation and improvement; development of planning studies for public and working access; development of plans and designs for harbor improvements; and development of management plans for municipal waterfront facilities.
Grant applications are due Thursday, May 12.
The Maine Coastal Program FY17 grant-program statement can be found at 1.usa.gov/1q6qGRo. More information about the Maine Coastal Program can be found at maine.gov/dacf/mcp/index.htm.
