Rhode Island Coastal and Estuarine Habitat Restoration Trust Fund 2014-2015  

The Rhode Island Coastal Resources Management Council is currently seeking pre-proposals for habitat restoration project funding through its R.I. Coastal and Estuarine Habitat Restoration Program and Trust Fund. Proposed projects should seek to restore or enhance ecological conditions that have been degraded by human impacts in coastal or estuarine habitats such as coastal wetlands, submerged aquatic vegetation beds, shellfish beds, vegetated coastal upland and anadromous fish runs. This year, priority will be placed on those projects that seek to enhance coastal habitats’ resiliency to climate change and sea level rise, for example, projects that remove barriers to future wetland migration with sea level rise or that enhance shoreline vegetation where habitat is threatened by increased coastal erosion.

History:  The Rhode Island General Assembly established the Coastal and Estuarine Habitat Restoration Program to facilitate design, planning, construction, and monitoring of coastal and estuarine restoration projects by providing grants and technical assistance. The program is administered by the CRMC with technical support from the R.I. Habitat Restoration Team. The Trust Fund allocates monies from fees collected under the Oil Spill Prevention and Response Act (OSPAR) to potential habitat restoration projects. The Habitat Restoration Team Technical Advisory committee, formed in 1998 through the collaborative efforts of the CRMC, DEM and Save the Bay recommends projects to the Council for funding.

Eligibility:  Municipalities, committees, boards or commissions chartered by a municipality, nonprofit organizations, civic groups, educational institutions and state agencies are eligible to apply. Proposed projects must be located within Rhode Island. There is no specific match requirement for proposed projects; however, proposals that can demonstrate matching funds or in-kind services will have an advantage in the selection process. Applicants are therefore encouraged to detail all federal and non-federal resources contributing toward completion of the project, whether cash or in-kind.

Funding Levels: Funding for projects is from an annual account totaling $225,000.  Individual project awards generally range from $5,000 to $50,000 per year.  Longer-term projects may reapply for additional funds in subsequent years. There is a small project application form for projects whose total cost is less than $5,000.

Deadline:  Project pre-proposals are due by 4:00 p.m. on November 21, 2014.  To submit a pre-proposal, please download a pre-proposal form at www.crmc.ri.gov/habitatrestoration.html, fill out the form and submit it to Caitlin Chaffee, Coastal Policy Analyst; R.I. Coastal Resources Management Council, Stedman Government Center, Suite 116, 4808 Tower Hill Road, Wakefield, RI 02879. For questions regarding the Fund or pre-application requirements, please contact Caitlin at cchaffee@crmc.ri.gov or 783-3370.