MOREHEAD CITY – North Carolina is accepting applications for approximately $2.5 million in grants to help eligible coastal communities design and build projects addressing flooding, storm surge and other coastal hazards.
The Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Coastal Management opened the funding round Sept. 1 for Phases 3 and 4 of the N.C. Resilient Coastal Communities Program. Applications are due Nov. 10 at 5 p.m.
County and municipal governments and federally or state-recognized tribes in North Carolina’s 20 Coastal Area Management Act counties may apply. Applicants must have completed the program’s first two phases, or an equivalent resilience-planning process, and must propose a project previously identified as a community priority.
Phase 3 grants cover engineering, design and permitting for priority resilience projects. The state may also consider proposals to develop ordinances or policies. Phase 4 supports construction and implementation intended to reduce risks to critical assets, people and property.
Eligible work can include wetland or stream restoration, flood mitigation, living shorelines and stormwater management. The program overview says communities receiving Phase 3 or Phase 4 awards manage their own procurement and hire engineering firms for design, permitting and implementation.
Over the past five years, the program has helped 60 communities complete resilience strategies and awarded 91 grants totaling $16.3 million, according to DEQ. The program receives state and federal funding.
The division will hold an applicant webinar Oct. 13 from 2 to 3:30 p.m. to explain grant requirements and the application process.