NOAA's Transformational Habitat Restoration and Coastal Resilience Grants Under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act | NOAA NMFS HCPO 2023 2008081

Opportunity Information: Apply for NOAA NMFS HCPO 2023 2008081

NOAA's Transformational Habitat Restoration and Coastal Resilience Grants (Funding Opportunity Number: NOAA NMFS HCPO 2023 2008081; CFDA 11.463) is a discretionary funding opportunity from the U.S. Department of Commerce that uses cooperative agreements to support large, high-impact habitat restoration efforts. The central goal is to fund "transformational" projects that restore marine, estuarine, coastal, or Great Lakes ecosystems while also strengthening both community and ecosystem resilience to climate-related hazards. In practical terms, NOAA is looking for restoration work that does more than small-scale repair; the emphasis is on projects expected to produce significant, measurable ecological benefits and long-term resilience outcomes.

The program is funded and authorized under two major federal laws: the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, commonly called the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (Public Law 117-58, enacted November 15, 2021), and the Inflation Reduction Act (Public Law 117-169). Those authorities reflect the program's dual focus on infrastructure-scale environmental improvements and climate resilience. The solicitation prioritizes restoration actions that can clearly demonstrate meaningful impacts such as rebuilding productive and sustainable fisheries, supporting the recovery and conservation of threatened and endangered species, and promoting climate-resilient ecosystems. It also explicitly highlights equity and community benefit considerations, with special attention to projects that serve tribal, indigenous, and underserved communities. Economic vitality is part of the evaluation frame as well, including outcomes like local job creation and broader community economic benefits tied to healthier coastal and aquatic systems.

Eligible applicants are broad and include state, county, and city or township governments; special district governments; independent school districts; public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities; federally recognized tribal governments and other tribal organizations; public and private institutions of higher education; nonprofits (both 501(c)(3) and non-501(c)(3)); and for-profit entities, including small businesses and other for-profit organizations. U.S. territories are also eligible. Federal agencies and federal employees cannot apply as recipients and cannot receive funds through this solicitation, but they are allowed to participate as project partners or collaborators. In addition, foreign entities cannot serve as the prime applicant, but they may participate as partners (for example, as contractors, subrecipients, or informal collaborators) so long as the primary recipient is based in the United States.

Geography and project location matter for eligibility. Applicants must propose work in coastal, marine, or estuarine areas (as defined in the announcement) that benefits species or fisheries aligned with the program priorities referenced in Section I.B of the solicitation. For Great Lakes proposals, projects must be located within one of the eight U.S. Great Lakes states: New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, or Minnesota. Projects in U.S. commonwealths and territories are eligible, and for this solicitation that specifically includes American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico. However, the Freely Associated States are not eligible to submit applications under this opportunity.

From a funding standpoint, awards are made as cooperative agreements, which generally means NOAA expects to have substantial involvement during the project period compared to a standard grant (for example, coordination on technical approaches, reporting, or project oversight consistent with federal cooperative agreement practices). The listed award ceiling is up to $25,000,000 per award, signaling that NOAA is prepared to fund large-scale projects consistent with the "transformational" label. The original closing date shown for this opportunity was November 17, 2023, and the opportunity record indicates it was created on August 15, 2023.

• The Department of Commerce in the environment, iij, natural resources, other sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "NOAA's Transformational Habitat Restoration and Coastal Resilience Grants Under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 11.463.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2023-08-15.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2023-11-17. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $25,000,000.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: State governments, County governments, City or township governments, Special district governments, Independent school districts, Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities, Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments), Nonprofits having a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Nonprofits that do not have a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Private institutions of higher education, For-profit organizations other than small businesses, Small businesses, Others.

Apply for NOAA NMFS HCPO 2023 2008081

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