Governments can apply for resilience project funding

The deadline to apply for funding for phase 4 of the North Carolina Resilient Coastal Communities Program is 5 p.m. April 28.

The N.C. Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Coastal Management staff oversees the four-phase program and estimates that $1 million total will be available. Awards will range from $50,000 to $250,000.

Many communities have received funding for the first three phases, which are community engagement and risk and vulnerability assessment; planning, project selection and prioritization; and project engineering and design.

Funding for phase 4 is to cover the implementation or construction of planned, prioritized and engineered resilience projects by county and municipal governments, or federal and state-recognized tribes within the 20 Coastal Area Management Act counties that have completed the first three phases of the program or equivalent. The proposed project must have been identified as priority project for the community.

Grant funds may be used for the construction or implementation of a project that improves the resilience the community’s critical assets, people, and property, to identified coastal hazards such as flooding, sea level rise and storm surge. The proposed project must have been identified as priority project for the community.

Projects should feature or include natural or nature-based components; examples include wetland and stream restoration, flood mitigation, living shoreline stabilization, and stormwater management.

Application information is on the program’s website. Questions about the Resilient Coastal Communities Program and completed applications may be sent to RCCP@ncdenr.gov.

The program is a state-local partnership designed to help overcome barriers in 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 funded through a combination of state and federal sources, according to the division.