Emergency Coastal Resilience Fund 2021 Request for Proposals

Applicant Webinar [View recording]:  Tuesday, December 7, 2021 at 3:00–4:00 PM ET

Full Proposal Due Date:  Thursday, February 3, 2022 by 11:59 PM ET

OVERVIEW

The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF), in coordination with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), is announcing the 2021 Emergency Coastal Resilience Fund (ECRF) to support projects that increase the resilience of coastal communities impacted by hurricanes and wildfires in 2020 or 2021. Funding for this program was appropriated under the Extending Government Funding and Delivering Emergency Assistance Act, 2022 (PL 117-43).

NFWF will award approximately $24 million in grants to create and restore natural systems to help protect coastal communities from the impacts of coastal storms, floods, sea-level rise, inundation, coastal erosion, wildfires and associated landslides/debris flows, and enable communities to recover more quickly from these events, all while improving habitats for fish and wildlife species.

GEOGRAPHIC FOCUS

Coastal areas impacted by 2020 or 2021 hurricanes and wildfires:

The Emergency Coastal Resilience Fund priority geographies are highlighted in the maps below (See Figures 1-5). Eligible projects must be located within the outlined National Coastal Resilience Fund (NCRF) Coastal Areas and be within counties that received a federal Major Disaster Declaration with a Public Assistance designation as a result of hurricanes or wildfires in 2020 or 2021¹. These eligible geographies are shaded green on the maps below. The Coastal Area boundary is the same boundary used for NFWF’s NCRF and is defined as coastal Hydrologic Unit Code (HUC) 8 watersheds that drain to the sea, plus any adjacent HUC 8 watersheds that are particularly low-lying or tidally influenced².   Projects in counties that received disaster declarations for multiple events may be prioritized.

Note about maps: Major Disaster Declaration Counties are based on information available from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)³. Eligible counties included received a Public Assistance designation. Maps updates 12/18/21 based on additional information from FEMA. If there are questions about whether your project is within an eligible area, please contact Suzanne Sessine (Suzanne.Sessine@nfwf.org).

PROGRAM PRIORITIES

The ECRF will focus on increasing recovery from storms and wildfires and building resilience of coastal communities within the above-described geographies. This program will prioritize nature-based restoration projects that provide dual benefits – both benefits for human community resilience and benefits for fish and wildlife. The program hopes to build upon existing state, federal, regional, and local resilience and/or wildlife plans, and/or disaster mitigation plans. 

Natural habitat such as coastal marshes and wetlands, forests, rivers, lakes, streams, dune and beach systems, and oyster and coral reefs – maintained at a significant size for the habitat type and natural hazard being addressed – can provide communities with enhanced protection and buffering from the growing impacts of sea-level rise, changing flood patterns, increased frequency and intensity of storms, wildfires, and other environmental stressors.

At a minimum, all proposals must clearly describe how projects will support achieving the dual goals of the ECRF:

• Relative benefit to coastal communities from reducing the impact of future storms and other natural hazards (e.g., coastal storm surge, sea-level rise, wave velocity, flooding, debris flow/landslides as result of wildfires, stormwater run-off) to properties, community infrastructure (such as schools and municipal buildings), assets of economic importance, and health and safety assets (such as hospitals, evacuation routes, utilities and fire and rescue response); and
• Anticipated enhancement of the ecological integrity and functionality of ecosystems to enhance fish and wildlife and their habitats.

All proposals should provide a clear timeline for proposed project activities and major milestones.

NFWF has a regional coastal resilience assessment tool that helps identify areas where natural resource restoration efforts will have the greatest impact for human community resilience, as well as for fish and wildlife. The tool identifies these natural areas that have the greatest ability to protect communities and wildlife as Resilience Hubs⁴. Projects need not be located in an area identified by NFWF as a Resilience Hub to be eligible, but it is a useful guide and applicants should use it to assess how a project might address the benefits to habitats and human communities. Applicants may explore Resilience Hubs on the Coastal Resilience and Evaluation Siting Tool (CREST).

Further, proposals will be considered that support the following two categories:

1) Restoration and Monitoring  

The primary focus of the ECRF is to help with implementation of restoration projects. There is no maximum limit on the award amount for “Restoration and Monitoring” grants. Grant requests should be appropriate to the scope and scale of the project. NFWF expects most awards for this project category to range from $1,000,000 to $5,000,000 and anticipates awards will vary significantly in amount based on the scope of the project and the work proposed. Proposals for larger, more comprehensive projects that are designed for greater impact are likely to be most competitive.

Eligible projects include ecosystem restoration projects and the construction of natural and nature-based features, where tangible community resilience and conservation outcomes can be measured. Restoration projects should advance resilience goals (e.g., reduction of storm-surge impacts), community goals (e.g., protecting critical assets), and conservation goals (e.g., creation of habitat for native species). Projects may include, but are not limited to: marsh, beach and dune restoration; living shorelines; stream restoration, including aquatic connectivity projects that reduce flood risk; innovative stormwater management; hazardous fuel reduction to prevent wildfire and revegetation to prevent debris flow.   Acquisition of land and conservation easements are not eligible activities. Projects that only conduct monitoring are not eligible.

Projects proposed are expected to address a specific threat and location that has been prioritized, ideally through a planning process that addresses coastal resilience or based on damage experienced due to consequences of the 2020 and 2021 hurricanes or wildfires. Priority will be given to projects that have completed all necessary designs and engineering planning for implementation, and/or demonstrate an understanding of the permits and other approvals necessary for implementation. Projects that have secured all necessary permits will receive higher priority for funding. Proposals should clearly state the month and year in which the project’s preliminary design and final design was, or will be, completed.

Projects may be conducted on state, tribal, or local government lands, or on private lands where there is a demonstrated commitment to the protection of those lands for conservation and community protection purposes. Projects on federal lands are not eligible, but if federal lands are essential to any project’s success, proponents are encouraged to contact NFWF staff to discuss the need and other potential funding leverage or opportunities. Given the scale of coastal resilience needs, projects that consider the larger landscape and involve multiple landowners and/or partners and jurisdictions are encouraged.

Projects are expected to be able to be completed within three years from the start of the grant and should include at least one year of post-construction monitoring. For many project types, NFWF has developed monitoring metrics and protocols that at a minimum are required and will need to be incorporated in full proposals. These minimum metrics and protocol standards are located here.

Due to the emergency nature of these funds, the Fund will prioritize projects that are ready for on-the-ground implementation and provide the most accelerated and comprehensive outcomes to protect communities.  If necessary, a small amount of engineering and design activities may be included in order to make the project shovel-ready within 12-18 months of award. In this case, projects must have clear milestones and indicate how substantial progress will be made in construction of the project within two years of the start of the grant and completion of construction within three years. Funding for the grant may be phased to require review and approval of final project design before proceeding with the implementation of the project. 

2) Site Assessment and Preliminary Design

While ECRF’s primary focus is the implementation of nature-based community resilience projects, in limited instances projects may be considered that complete site assessments and preliminary designs of best options for communities to address restoration and community resilience goals. Proposals should clearly indicate that the proposed project has been prioritized for risk reduction and increased resilience benefits, and clearly indicate the specific site(s) selected to achieve these goals. To help with this, projects should build upon relevant local, state, or national-level resilience plans, prioritization tools, and/or cost-benefit analysis, etc. At the end of the grant period, projects under this category are expected to allow the community to make a “go/no-go” decision on the nature-based resilience project option and be ready for final design and permitting. 

Proposals under this category should also emphasize community engagement to ensure affected landowners and community members are aware and supportive of the goals of the effort and to increase the support of the final selected option to the greatest extent possible. Proposals should include a community engagement plan as well as plans for preliminary conversations with relevant permitting officials by the end of the grant period.

The amount requested should reflect the project proposed. NFWF expects the average award to be $250,000 for this priority area, but that awards will vary significantly in amount based on the scope of the project and the work proposed. Most Site Assessment and Preliminary Design projects are expected to be completed within 12 months of the start of the grant. Eligible activities under this priority area include evaluation of potential project sites, through continued community engagement, assessing alternatives for restoration and protection activities and site-specific characteristics that influence project and activity selection, assessing the potential improvements in risk reduction, identifying and addressing barriers to moving to the final design and implementation phases, gathering baseline data, conducting cost-benefit analyses, selecting the most appropriate natural or nature-based solution for a site, and preparing preliminary project designs that allow a community to make a “go/no-go” decision on the project (this is generally between a 30-60% design depending on the needs of the community).

Proposals should provide examples of natural or nature-based features they anticipate designing. If a project will develop several conceptual designs and advance a small portion of those to preliminary designs, the proposal should be clear that the focus of preliminary designs to be developed will have a natural, or nature-based component and have clear community resilience benefits. Applicants are also encouraged to identify potential sources of funding to advance proposals of this type into future phases. 

Community Outreach and Engagement:

All proposals should explain how key partners and stakeholders (e.g., local government leaders, federal, state, territorial, or tribal governments or affiliates, emergency managers, and/or resource agencies) will be involved in the project. Partners and stakeholders should be meaningfully engaged, allowing partner and stakeholder perspectives to be more fully integrated throughout the project, to ensure broad utility of the work and enhance the likelihood of successful implementation. Proposals should identify how stakeholders have been meaningfully engaged leading up to the stage of the project being proposed. Applicants should provide letters of support from partners and stakeholders key to the successful completion of the project, to demonstrate that the intended project is a priority.

The ECRF desires to support projects that engage and benefit underserved communities. The Fund recognizes that these communities are often disproportionately impacted by storms, wildfires and associated natural hazards (e.g., flooding, debris flows, erosion), and encourages investments that seek to address these impacts while also meaningfully engaging communities to achieve benefits for both human communities and fish and wildlife.

PROJECT METRICS

To gauge progress on individual grants and to ensure greater consistency of project data provided by multiple grants, the ECRF has a list of metrics in Easygrants (NFWF’s grant tracking system) for applicants to choose from for project reporting. We ask that applicants select only the most relevant metrics from this list for their project (all possible program metrics are shown in the table below).  For restoration metrics, please represent one acre/mile in only one metric. For example, if you are enhancing a floodplain that is also considered a wetland, please select the most relevant habitat. If you think an applicable metric has not been provided, please contact Suzanne Sessine (suzanne.sessine@nfwf.org) to discuss acceptable alternatives.

In addition to the project metrics listed below, NFWF has developed additional ecological and socio-economic indicators to better assess the projects’ impacts on resilience. Applicants proposing projects for marsh/living shoreline restoration, beach/dune restoration, or floodplain restoration are requested to include specific ecological monitoring metrics and protocols in their projects and NFWF may contract a third party to collect socio-economic data across several funded resilience projects post-award. All awardees under this program may be engaged during their period of performance, and/or in the years following, to support these monitoring and evaluation efforts. Funding may be included in the project budget to cover these minimum monitoring requirements for one year post-construction. Please refer to the monitoring guidance related to these specific restoration project types located here. The monitoring guidance includes a Project Monitoring Plan template which can be completed according to the category of restoration that you think is most appropriate. The completed document should be uploaded as ‘Other’ in the Uploads Section of the application.

Restoration and Monitoring

Project Activity	Recommended Metric	Additional Guidance
Floodplain Restoration	Habitat Restoration – Floodplain Restoration – Acres Restored	Enter the number of acres restored. In the notes, indicate the type(s) of flood plain habitat (i.e., coastal forest) restored and restoration method(s).
Beach and/or Dune Restoration	Habitat Restoration – Beach Habitat Quality Improvements – Miles Restored	Enter the number of miles of beach or dune restored. In the notes, indicate restoration action(s) taken (e.g., beach renourishment, dune vegetation planting).
Marsh/Wetland Restoration	Habitat Restoration – Wetland Restoration – Acres Restored	Enter the total number of marsh or wetland acres restored. Do NOT include acres of marsh or wetland outside the scope of the work proposed in your application (i.e., marsh landward of a living shoreline proposal). In the notes, indicate the type of wetland (e.g., freshwater woody wetland, salt marsh) and restoration method(s) used (e.g., invasive species removal, thin-layer dredge deposition).
Oyster Reef Restoration	Habitat Restoration – Marine Habitat Restoration – Acres Restored	Enter the number of acres of oyster reef restored.
Reforestation and Restoration of Forest Vegetation	Habitat Restoration - Land Restoration - Acres Restored	Enter acres restored through replanting or revegetation to prevent debris flow from extreme storm events.
In-stream Restoration	Habitat Restoration – Instream Restoration – Miles Restored	Enter the number of miles of instream habitat restored. Note, this is in-stream restoration only. Stream miles opened should NOT be counted under this metric, rather use # miles of stream opened under Aquatic Connectivity Restoration if applicable.
Aquatic Connectivity Restoration	Habitat Restoration – Fish Passage Improvements - # of Fish Passage Barriers Rectified Habitat Restoration – Fish Passage Improvements – Miles of Stream Opened	Enter the number of fish passage barriers rectified and in the notes indicate the number of remaining barriers in the system.   Enter the number of stream miles opened and, in the notes, those miles as a percentage of habitat available for restoration or reconnection.

Site Assessment and Preliminary Design

Project Activity	Recommended Metric	Additional Guidance
Site Assessment and Design Plans Development	Capacity, Outreach, Incentives - Volunteer Participation - # Volunteers Participating	Enter the number of volunteers engaged in assessment of sites and preliminary design. Please include the percent design to be completed at the conclusion of the project in the notes
Government Agency Participation and Engagement	Capacity, Outreach, Incentives – Outreach/Education/Technical Assistance - # of Governmental Entities Participating	Enter the number of municipalities, local, state, and federal government entities participating in the project, and add the names of these institutions in the notes and their primary role.

Community Benefit and Outreach

Project Activity	Recommended Metric	Additional Guidance
Community Benefits	Planning, Research, Monitoring – Community Benefits Projected - # of Critical Facilities or Infrastructure Within Radius of Enhanced Protection	Enter the number of critical infrastructure assets or facilities that are within the radius of enhanced resilience.5 This can include those necessary for ensuring public health and safety, such as hospitals, shelters, emergency and evacuation routes, fire and police stations, etc. as well as critical infrastructure – wastewater treatment facilities, power plants, etc.
Community Outreach and Engagement	Capacity, Outreach, Incentives – Outreach/Education/Technical Assistance - # of People Reached by Outreach, Training, or Technical Assistance Activities Capacity, Outreach, Incentives – Volunteer participation - # of Volunteer Hours	Enter the number of people demonstrating a minimum level of knowledge, attitudes, or skills to enable them to become resiliency leaders. This metric refers to people other than staff or FTEs who are engaged in comprehensive planning and prioritization. In the notes include the participant demographics.   Enter the number of volunteer hours in this project.

ELIGIBILITY

Eligible and Ineligible Entities

• Eligible applicants include non-profit 501(c) organizations, state and territorial government agencies, local governments, municipal governments, Tribal governments and organizations, educational institutions, or commercial (for-profit) organizations. 
  • Tribal governments include all Native American tribal governments (both federally recognized tribes and those tribes that are not federally recognized). 
  • For-profit applicants: please note that this is a request for grant proposals, not a procurement of goods and services; see the Budget section below for specific cost considerations.
• As this program will award grants of Federal financial assistance funds, applicants must be able to comply with the OMB guidance in subparts A through F of 2 CFR 200 (OMB Uniform Guidance).
• Ineligible applicants include federal agencies or employees of federal agencies, foreign organizations, foreign public entities and unincorporated individuals.

Ineligible Uses of Grant Funds

• Equipment: Applicants are encouraged to rent equipment where possible and cost-effective or use matching funds to make those purchases. NFWF acknowledges, however, that some projects may only be completed using NFWF funds to procure equipment. If this applies to your project, please contact the program staff listed in this RFP to discuss options.
• Federal funds and matching contributions may not be used to procure or obtain equipment, services, or systems (including entering into or renewing a contract) that uses telecommunications equipment or services produced by Huawei Technologies Company or ZTE Corporation (or any subsidiary or affiliate of such entities) as a substantial or essential component, or as critical technology of any system. Refer to Public Law 115-232, section 889 for additional information. 
• NFWF funds and matching contributions may not be used to support political advocacy, fundraising, lobbying, litigation, terrorist activities or Foreign Corrupt Practices Act violations.
• NFWF funds may not be used to support ongoing efforts to comply with legal requirements, including permit conditions, mitigation and settlement agreements. However, grant funds may be used to support projects that enhance or improve upon existing baseline compliance efforts. 
• All projects must take place within the United States or territories or their respective waterways.

FUNDING AVAILABILITY AND MATCH

The ECRF will award approximately $24 million in grants in 2022. While there is no minimum or maximum expected award amount, funding request amounts should be appropriate relative to the overall scale and impact of the project, and in accordance with the guidance provided under the Program Priorities section above. Please contact Suzanne Sessine at Suzanne.Sessine@nfwf.org with any questions about funding request amounts.

Match Requirement: Due to the emergency nature of these funds, a non-federal match in cash and/or in-kind services is not required. If the request includes match, it can be any combination of cash and/or in-kind goods and services. A description of acceptable sources of matching funds, is available at http://www.nfwf.org/whatwedo/grants/applicants/Pages/faqs.aspx. Acquisition of land and conservation easements related to a project may be eligible as match (see OMB Uniform Guidance for more information). Applicants who have questions regarding match beyond this guidance may contact Suzanne Sessine at Suzanne.Sessine@nfwf.org. This may include inquiries regarding inclusion of matching contributions raised and spent for the project prior to the Period of Performance.

Federal leverage:  Applicants are encouraged to describe federal partner contributions as well in the proposal narrative. These contributions will not count toward any non-federal match described above but will help in understanding the amount of resources and partners contributing to the overall project. 

EVALUATION CRITERIA

All proposals will be screened for relevance, accuracy, completeness and compliance with NFWF and funding source policies. Proposals will then be evaluated based on the extent to which they meet the following criteria.

Prioritized in Existing Plans – Project has been prioritized through an existing planning process or identified as a need at the state, tribal, regional, or local level for addressing coastal resilience and demonstrates activities that support habitat, fish and wildlife restoration, and community resilience goals of NFWF and NOAA. Project complements and builds off other federal, tribal, state, and local conservation priorities that are consistent with the goals of this program and can clearly connect ecosystem and coastal community resilience actions.

Technical Merit – Project is technically sound and feasible, and the proposal sets forth a clear, logical and achievable work plan and timeline. Project engages appropriate technical experts throughout project planning, design and implementation to ensure activities are technically-sound and feasible.

Partnership and Community Impact – To develop and implement the proposed project, the applicant organization partners and engages collaboratively with diverse local community members, leaders, community-based organizations, and other relevant stakeholders, including key state or local agencies with responsibility for developing and implementing coastal resilience plans. This ensures long-term sustainability and success of the project, integration into local programs and policies, and community acceptance of proposed restoration actions. Further, non-traditional partners or communities are enlisted to broaden the sustained impact from the project. Identify proposed partners contributing to the project in a substantial way, if known (including potential or contemplated subawards to third party subrecipients of the applicant), the roles they will play in implementing the project, and how this project will build new or enhance existing partnerships.  

Please describe the community characteristics of the project area, identify any communities impacted and the consequences of damage by the hurricane or wildfire event, describe outreach and community engagement activities and how those will be monitored and measured. Use demographic data to support descriptions and submit letters of support from community partners and/or collaborators demonstrating their commitment to the project and engagement in project activities as proposed. 

Cost-Effectiveness – Project includes a cost-effective budget that balances performance risk and efficient use of funds.  Cost-effectiveness evaluation may include, but is not limited to, an assessment of either or both direct and indirect costs in the proposed budget. The federal government has determined that a de minimis 10% indirect rate is an acceptable minimum for organizations without a NICRA, as such, NFWF reserves the right to scrutinize ALL proposals with indirect rates above 10% for cost-effectiveness.  

Transferability – Project includes a meaningful plan to transfer lessons learned to other communities and/or to be integrated into government programs and policies.

Communication – Project includes a detailed plan to communicate information about the project to appropriate audiences. Key stakeholders and partners are meaningfully engaged throughout the project.

Monitoring and Adaptive Management – Project includes a plan for monitoring progress during and after the proposed project period to track project success and adaptively address new challenges and opportunities as they arise. 

Long-term Sustainability – Project reflects planning and design that takes into account the future conditions of a site and adapts the project to those conditions. Project design either does not require maintenance or will be maintained to ensure benefits are achieved and sustained over time. Narrative includes how future funding will be secured to implement necessary long-term monitoring and maintenance activities, as well as risk associated with not securing future funding. For site assessment and preliminary design projects, narrative includes information on likely sources of funding for eventual project implementation.  

Past Success – Applicant or project partner has a proven track record of success in implementing complex projects with specific, measurable results. 

Innovation – The project proposes to conceptualize and develop or apply innovative solutions for habitat restoration activities that incorporate best practices testing and learning to increase desired impact. Projects seeking to employ innovative thinking to approach community protection should still have natural and green infrastructure as part of the design. 

Scale or Comprehensiveness – The project is at a large enough geographic scale to have an impact on flood risk or coastal wildfire risk reduction. The project is comprehensive and designed for a greater impact – versus a ‘demonstration’ or ‘pilot’-scale project. If a project is not itself large or comprehensive, then it proposes the advancement of a piece of a larger, more comprehensive effort underway. 

OTHER  

Budget – Costs are allowable, reasonable and budgeted in accordance with NFWF’s Budget Instructions cost categories. This funding opportunity will award grants of federal financial assistance funds; applicants must be able to comply with the OMB Uniform Guidance (2 CFR 200).  While for-profit entities are eligible applicants, charges to a potential award may include actual costs only; recipients may not apply loaded rates or realize profit from an award of federal financial assistance funds.

Matching Contributions – Due to the emergency nature of these funds, a non-federal match in cash and/or in-kind services is not required. If the request includes matching contributions, it can consist of cash, contributed goods and services, volunteer hours, and/or property raised and spent for the Project during the Period of Performance. Please contact Suzanne Sessine (Suzanne.Sessine@nfwf.org) about the potential to include matching contributions raised and spent for the Project prior to the Period of Performance.  

Procurement – If the applicant chooses to specifically identify proposed Contractor(s) for Services, an award by NFWF to the applicant does not constitute NFWF’s express written authorization for the applicant to procure such specific services noncompetitively. When procuring goods and services, NFWF recipients must follow documented procurement procedures which reflect applicable laws and regulations.  

Publicity and Acknowledgement of Support – Award recipients will be required to grant NFWF the right and authority to publicize the project and NFWF’s financial support for the grant in press releases, publications and other public communications.  Recipients may also be asked by NFWF to provide high-resolution (minimum 300 dpi) photographs depicting the project.

Receiving Award Funds – Award payments are primarily reimbursable. Projects may request funds for reimbursement at any time after completing a signed agreement with NFWF. A request of an advance of funds must be due to an imminent need of expenditure and must detail how the funds will be used and provide justification and a timeline for expected disbursement of these funds.

Compliance Requirements – Projects selected may be subject to requirements under the National Environmental Policy Act, Endangered Species Act (state and federal), and National Historic Preservation Act. As may be applicable, successful applicants may be required to comply with additional Federal, state or local requirements and obtain all necessary permits and clearances.

Quality Assurance – If a project involves significant monitoring, data collection, or data use, NOAA’s Data Sharing Policy will apply for all environmental data. Applicants should budget time and resources to complete these tasks.

Permits – Successful applicants will be required to provide sufficient documentation that the project expects to receive or has received all necessary permits and clearances to comply with any Federal, state or local requirements.  Where projects involve work in the waters of the United States, NFWF strongly encourages applicants to conduct a permit pre-application meeting with the Army Corps of Engineers prior to submitting their proposal. In some cases, if a permit pre-application meeting has not been completed, NFWF may require successful applicants to complete such a meeting prior to grant award. NFWF strongly encourages applicants to conduct conversations with all relevant permitting agencies.

Federal Funding – The availability of federal funds estimated in this solicitation is contingent upon the federal appropriations process. Funding decisions will be made based on level of funding and timing of when it is received by NFWF.

Applicant Demographic Information – In an effort to better understand diversity in our grantmaking, NFWF is collecting basic information on applicants and their communities via a voluntary survey form (available in Easygrants). This information will not be shared externally or with reviewers. For more details, please see the tip sheet and the Uploads section of Easygrants. 

TIMELINE

Dates of activities are subject to change. Please check the Emergency Coastal Resilience Fund on the NFWF website for the most current dates and information.

Applicant Webinar [Register]	Tuesday, December 7, 2021 at 3:00–4:00 p.m. ET
Full Proposal Due Date	Thursday, February 3, 2022 by 11:59 p.m. ET
Review Period	February – April 2022
Awards Announced	May 2022

HOW TO APPLY

All application materials must be submitted online through National Fish and Wildlife
Foundation’s Easygrants system.

1. Go to easygrants.nfwf.org to register in our Easygrants online system. New users to the system will be prompted to register before starting the application (if you already are a registered user, use your existing login). Enter your applicant information. Please disable the pop-up blocker on your internet browser prior to beginning the application process. 
2. Once on your homepage, click the “Apply for Funding” button and select this RFP’s “Funding Opportunity” from the list of options.
3. Follow the instructions in Easygrants to complete your application. Once an application has been started, it may be saved and returned to at a later time for completion and submission.

APPLICATION ASSISTANCE 

A Tip Sheet is available for quick reference while you are working through your application. This document can be downloaded here. 

Additional information to support the application process can be accessed on the NFWF website’s Applicant Information page.

For more information or questions about this RFP, please contact one of the following individuals based on your question: 

If you have a question about a project idea in…	Please contact…
Gulf States and North Carolina	Suzanne Sessine – Suzanne.Sessine@nfwf.org
Northeastern States (NY, CT)	Lynn Dwyer – Lynn.Dwyer@nfwf.org
Mid-Atlantic States (MD, DE, NJ)	Stephanie Heidbreder – Stephanie.Heidbreder@nfwf.org
West Coast	Jonathan Birdsong – Jonathan.Birdsong@nfwf.org
General questions about the RFP or requirements of the program	Suzanne Sessine – Suzanne.Sessine@nfwf.org
Questions about online application and submission process	Zack Bernstein – Zachary.Bernstein@nfwf.org

For issues or assistance with our online Easygrants system, please contact:
Easygrants Helpdesk
Email:  Easygrants@nfwf.org
Voicemail:  202-595-2497
Hours:  9:00 am to 5:00 pm ET, Monday-Friday. 
Include:  your name, proposal ID #, e-mail address, phone number, program you are applying to, and a description of the issue.

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¹More information about disaster declarations available at: Declared Disasters | FEMA.gov.
²To determine if a project falls within the NCRF coastal area boundary footprint, a more detailed map can be found here: https://www.arcgis.com/apps/View/index.html?appid=1dd16e528fd844b49d765b51402feb8c&%3Bextent 
³Map source data available at https://www.fema.gov/about/openfema/data-sets. 
⁴More about NFWF’s coastal resilience assessment can be found at https://www.nfwf.org/programs/national-coastal-resilience-fund/regional-coastal-resilience-assessment. 
⁵The radius of enhanced resilience refers to the area predicted to benefit from an implementation project.