Coastal Conservancy Grants

Coastal Conservancy · State of California

At a glance

Coastal Conservancy Grants is an open California state grant opportunity from the Coastal Conservancy (State of California). Applications are accepted on an ongoing basis. Applicant types listed as eligible include nonprofit, public agency and tribal government. It is listed on the California Grants Portal. Cost sharing is not required.

Summary assembled from the official notice's fields. The official notice governs.

Key facts

Opened: Jul 9, 2020
Close date: Ongoing
Award floor: Not specified
Award ceiling: Not specified
Est. total funding: Not specified
Expected awards: Not specified
Matching funds: Not required
Funding instrument: Grant

Program details (as published on the California Grants Portal)

Type: Grant
Funding source: State — California's Climate Bond (Proposition 4), Propositions 1, 12, 40, 68, 84, Habitat Conservation Fund, General Fund, and others.
Matching funds: Not Required
Funding method: Reimbursement(s) — Most funding is disbursed in arrears and requires a complete request for disbursement form. There are some exceptions to this.
Estimated number of awards: Dependant on number of submissions received, application process, etc.
Estimated award amounts: Dependant on number of submissions received, application process, etc.
Award period: Typically 3-4 years.
Expected award announcement: Ongoing
Letter of intent: Not required
Geography: Our jurisdiction runs the length of the California coast and includes the San Francisco Bay Area, the Santa Ana River corridor, and coastal watersheds.
How to submit: By email: grants@scc.ca.gov
Latest change note: Consolidates most SCC grants into one grant program

Who can apply

Applicant categories as listed on the California Grants Portal. GrantsJunction maps them to detailed applicant types for search and matching.

Nonprofit
Public Agency
Tribal Government

Additional information on eligibility (from the listing)

The State Coastal Conservancy can make grants to government agencies (federal, state, local, and special districts), federally-recognized tribes, and 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations with purposes consistent with Division 21 of the Public Resources Code.

Can your organization apply?

A quick check against the listed applicant types — other requirements in the notice still apply.

Based on the published notice. Review the official notice for complete eligibility requirements.

What it funds

Purpose and description as published on the California Grants Portal.

Purpose

Each year, the Coastal Conservancy issues millions of dollars in grants for projects that restore and protect the California coast, expand public access to it, and enhance its resilience to climate change. We fund a wide variety of projects along the California coast, San Francisco Bay, and in coastal watersheds.

Description

The Coastal Conservancy funds a wide variety of projects along the California coast, San Francisco Bay, and in coastal watersheds to increase availability of beaches, parks and trails for the public, protect and restore natural lands and wildlife habitat, preserve working lands, and increase community resilience to the impacts of climate change. The Conservancy will fund most stages of a project including: pre-project feasibility studies, property acquisition, project planning including community involvement, design, environmental review, permitting, construction, and project-related monitoring. We do not fund operation and maintenance activities. Most Conservancy grants are awarded through this rolling pre-application solicitation. This includes Climate Ready, Wildfire Resilience, and all regional grant programs. Explore the Coast, Coastal Stories, and some other grant programs are NOT awarded through this rolling process.

Program page on the agency site ↗

How to apply

0 of 8 done · progress saved in this browser

Read the program guidelinesThe agency's solicitation or guidelines set eligibility details, scoring criteria and required documents. Open ↗
Confirm eligibility and fitCheck your organization type and location (see Geography above).
Find out how to submitBy email: grants@scc.ca.gov
Request letters of support and partner commitmentsPartners need time to write and sign letters; ask early.
Finish a full draft of the application and budgetFollow the guidelines' format exactly; state programs often require specific forms and attachments.
Ask the program contact any questions earlyTaylor Samuelson · grants@scc.ca.gov Open ↗
Internal review and sign-offLeave time for leadership or board approval and a final proofread.
Submit while funds remainSubmit a few days early and keep your submission confirmation.

Past applications & awards

Historical data · not a prediction

Reported by the agency for this listing

Fiscal year 2025–26124 applications · 124 awards
Fiscal year 2024–25139 applications · 139 awards
Fiscal year 2023–24122 applications · 122 awards
Fiscal year 2022–2388 applications · 88 awards
Fiscal year 2021–2258 applications · 0 awards
Fiscal year 2020–21144 applications · 144 awards

Counts as published on the California Grants Portal. Award counts can read zero until decisions are announced.

Awards published: 349
Total awarded: $855,966,948
Median award: $928,925 calculated
Smallest – largest: $22,000 – $36,270,551

Recipients by type: Nonprofit (186), Public Agency (134), Tribal Government (13), Other Legal Entity (9), Business (7)

Areas served: Humboldt County (42), Sonoma County (39), Mendocino County (37), Monterey County (34), Alameda County (32), Marin County (29), San Diego County (27), Contra Costa County (23), San Francisco County (23), Santa Clara County (23), Santa Cruz County (22), Napa County (20)

Largest awards to organizations

TNCOrmond Beach Restoration and Public Access Project: Permitting and Implementation$36,270,551 · FY 2023–24
East Bay Regional Park District, Yovino-Young, Inc.Point Molate Acquisition and Development$36,007,500 · FY 2024–25
The Nature ConservancyOrmond Beach Restoration and Public Access Project: Permitting and Implementation$35,337,092 · FY 2024–25
The Nature ConservancyLos Cerritos Wetlands Southern Area Restoration$31,852,000 · FY 2023–24
Southwest Wetlands Interpretive AssociationTijuana Estuary Tidal Restoration Program II - Phase 1 Implementation$30,000,000 · FY 2023–24
California Wildlife Foundation, City of San Jose, Ducks Unlimited, Inc., H.T. Harvey and Associates, San Francisco Bay Bird Observatory, Santa Clara Valley Water DistrictSouth San Francisco Bay Shoreline Project$27,548,937 · FY 2024–25
Monterey Peninsula Regional Park DistrictRancho Canada Floodplain Restoration Implementation$21,886,700 · FY 2024–25
U.S. Army Corps of EngineersBel Marin Keys Restoration Cost-Share$20,000,000 · FY 2022–23
California Trout, Inc, Yurok TribePrairie Creek Floodplain Restoration Project - Phase 4$16,877,510 · FY 2024–25
City of San Buenaventura (Ventura)Surfers Point Managed Retreat Project$16,200,000 · FY 2022–23

Source: California Grants Portal grant award data. Awards to individuals are counted but not named. Past awards show who was funded; they do not predict future decisions.

Program contact (as published)

Taylor Samuelson
grants@scc.ca.gov
1-510-286-1015

Quick answers

Who is eligible to apply for “Coastal Conservancy Grants”?

The official listing names these applicant types as eligible: Nonprofit, Public Agency and Tribal Government. It adds: “The State Coastal Conservancy can make grants to government agencies (federal, state, local, and special districts), federally-recognized tribes, and 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations with purposes consistent with Division 21 of the Public Resources Code.” Additional restrictions may apply; review the full guidelines.

How do I apply for “Coastal Conservancy Grants”?

Applications go directly to Coastal Conservancy, not through GrantsJunction. Submission: by email to grants@scc.ca.gov. Read the program guidelines on the agency's site first; state programs set their own forms and registration requirements.

Other open California state opportunities, matched on agency, categories and wording.

OpenState of California