The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Coastal Management (DCM) invites communities to apply through the end of May for Phases 3 and 4 of the N.C. Resilient Coastal Communities Program (RCCP). Phase 3 of the RCCP funds the engineering and design of a prioritized resilience project, and Phase 4 funds the implementation of a shovel-ready resilience project.
The RCCP supports communities in developing and implementing locally driven Resilience Strategies and projects or activities that reduce the impacts of coastal hazards like flooding and storms. This initiative provides funding to local governments to help overcome barriers to coastal resilience and adaptation planning, boost local government capacity and support a proactive, sustainable and equitable approach to coastal resilience planning and project implementation.
The program is being implemented over four phases:
- Community Engagement and Risk & Vulnerability Assessment
- Planning, Project Selection and Prioritization
- Project Engineering and Design
- Implementation
DCM requests applications from any county or municipal government or federally or state-recognized tribes within the 20 CAMA counties. All eligible applicants must have completed Phases 1 and 2 of the RCCP or equivalent, and the proposed project must have been identified as a priority project for the community. DCM estimates approximately $6 million will be available for Phases 3 and 4 of the RCCP. Individual award amounts for Phase 3 will range from $25,000 to $500,000, and individual award amounts for Phase 4 will range from $50,000 to $750,000.
Grant funds for Phase 3 may be used to advance projects from conceptual designs into final designs and engineering plans. Proposals can include preliminary design, site assessment and baseline monitoring provided that the project can result in a 90-100% design for the project. Proposals for the development of ordinances or policies to further resiliency in the community may also be submitted for consideration.
Grant funds for Phase 4 may be used for the construction or implementation of a project that improves the resilience of communities’ critical assets, people and property to identified coastal hazards (e.g., flooding, sea-level rise, storm surge, etc.). DCM will prioritize projects that include natural or nature-based components; examples include wetland and stream restoration, flood mitigation, living shoreline stabilization and stormwater management.
Applications for both Phase 3 and 4 funding are due Friday, May 31, 2024. There is no cash or in-kind match requirement for applicants. DCM is hosting an applicant webinar on Friday, April 19, 2024, from 10 to 11:30 a.m. You can register for the webinar here.
The RCCP receives funding from a combination of state and federal sources. For more information about the Resilient Coastal Communities Program, visit the DCM website.