Portsmouth, NH – The New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services (NHDES) Coastal Program announces the availability of targeted funds for municipal projects that plan for resilience to coastal hazards and build sustained capacity to implement resilience plans. Each year, coastal municipalities in New Hampshire (NH) experience flooding and coastal storm damages to property, infrastructure, natural and cultural resources, along with associated economic disruptions. The past few years brought damaging nor’easters and more frequent reports of nuisance high tide flooding. These hazards are projected to intensify and expand with the effects of climate change.
All coastal NH municipalities have completed general vulnerability assessments and some have begun integrating climate change in local plans and ordinances; however, municipalities lack sustained local capacity to institutionalize climate change adaptation throughout municipal operations and implement the resilience priorities identified in their plans. To help municipalities prepare for coastal hazards, the NHDES Coastal Program is announcing the 2019 NH Coastal Resilience Municipal Planning Grant opportunity. These funds are intended to support planning to increase resilience to coastal hazards as well as build local capacity to implement resilience plans.
Projects must take place within one or more of the 17 Coastal Zone municipalities. Eligible applicants include Coastal Zone municipalities and consultants approved by a Coastal Zone municipality as demonstrated by a letter of support from the municipal governing body.
A total funding amount of approximately $100,000 is available. Applicants must request a minimum of $10,000 and no more than $30,000 in grant funds per project. A two-to-one federal to non-federal match through cash or in-kind services is required (i.e., if $10,000 in grant funds are requested the applicant must provide at least $5,000 in non-federal cash or in-kind match). The funds are made available to the NHDES Coastal Program through the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Office for Coastal Management, under the Coastal Zone Management Act.
Proposals must be submitted electronically by emailing kirsten.howard@des.nh.gov by 4:00 pm EDT on Friday, July 26, 2019.
The highest scoring applicants will be asked to refine scopes of services and budgets for contracting.
For more information on eligibility, project types, and submittal requirements, view the full request for proposals in PDF or as a Word Document.
For further assistance, please contact NHDES Coastal Program Resilience Coordinator Kirsten Howard at (603) 559-0020 or kirsten.howard@des.nh.gov.