Financial Assistance

Coastal Community Planning Grants Opportunity

Fiscal Year 2026 Program

FY26 Program Statement

The Maine Office of Community Affairs’ Municipal Planning Assistance Program (MPAP) and Maine Coastal Program (MCP) are seeking applications for coastal planning grants totaling approximately $550,000. The two grants covered by this announcement are the Coastal Community Grant and the Shore and Harbor Planning Grant. Funding for these planning grants comes from the Maine Coastal Program’s annual grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

Applications are due by 5:00 p.m. on Monday, January 5, 2026. All applications must be submitted via email to: melissa.britsch@maine.gov.

All questions regarding the Program Statement must be submitted by email to melissa.britsch@maine.gov by 5:00 p.m. on December 15, 2025. Responses to all questions will be compiled in writing and posted on the Maine Office of Community Affairs website by 5:00 p.m. on December 22, 2025. Only those answers issued in writing on the MOCA website will be considered binding.

Eligibility 

Eligible applicants include municipalities, unorganized townships, and Tribal Governments in Maine’s Coastal Zone, as well as coastal Regional Councils. Coastal Regional Councils may submit applications on behalf of coastal municipalities, townships, or Tribal Governments. Projects that include partnerships are strongly encouraged. 

For single applicants, the maximum award is $50,000 and the minimum award is $5,000; applicants may submit more than one application if the projects fall into distinct priority categories. Groups of eligible applicants (e.g., two municipalities) may submit applications for collaborative projects with a maximum award amount of $75,000. Grants are anticipated to be awarded in the first quarter of 2026, with an expected start date on or after February 23, 2026. Projects must be completed, and deliverables received by March 31, 2027. 

The FY26 grants will provide resources on a competitive basis for projects that fall into the following Priority Categories: 

  1. Conduct an assessment of the long-term hazards and risks from changing ocean conditions, storm surge, and flooding either community-wide or at critical public infrastructure, such as at boat launches, lifeline roads, etc. Collaborative projects that address regional hazards are encouraged. 

  1. Design and create plans for resilient infrastructure either community-wide or at critical public facilities, such as at boat launches, lifeline roads, etc. 

  1. Conduct needs assessments for use of and access to public waterfront facilities, and develop harbor management plans, mooring plans, inventories of public water access points, or plans to improve access over time. Collaborative projects that address regional needs are encouraged. 

  1. Legal work to identify lost or contested public rights-of-way to coastal waters, such as beaches or intertidal mudflats 

  1. Identify hazard-prone locations to integrate land conservation and public access planning, guiding development away from sensitive areas. This could include low impact development, resilient land use planning, coastal resource conservation, and planning for nature-based projects like living shorelines to manage the impacts of increased precipitation and stormwater, as well as beach, dune, marsh or bluff erosion. Collaborative projects that address regional needs are encouraged. 

  1. Review and recommend changes to municipal land use laws or create plans to address current and future coastal hazards, including sunny day flooding, shoreline erosion, and coastal storms and storm surge. This could include conservation plans to reconnect floodplains, allowances for salt marsh migration, identification of living shoreline protection areas, completion of the Maine Flood Resilience Checklist, and updating zoning regulations to include higher freeboard requirements and other flood mitigation measures. Collaborative projects that address regional needs are encouraged. 

  1. Assess, plan, and implement projects to reduce water quality impacts from polluted runoff in Non-Point Source Priority Watersheds listed by the Maine Department of Environmental Protection as Impaired or Threatened Marine Waters or Impaired or Threatened Streams with emphasis on shellfish growing areas. 

Past Coastal Community Grant Projects

Since 2012, this grant program has provided over $2 million for 74 projects throughout coastal Maine. List of Coastal Community Grant Awards (XLSX).

Coastal Community Grant Program Case Studies

At the conclusion of each project, grant recipients prepare a case study to describe the project’s approach and results, identify next steps and needs, share lessons learned and applicability for other municipalities and help identify municipal and regional needs and emerging coastal issues. The case studies focus on sharing lessons learned “in their own words” and can be found on our Coastal Community Grant Case Studies webpage.

Maine's Community Planning & Implementation Grant Programs have been suspended due to state budget cuts

These include first-time comprehensive planning grants, implementation grants, and update grants.

Brownfields

Additional Federal & State Funding Opportunities

  • Catalog of Federal Funding Sources for Watershed Protection U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
  • Community Development Block Grant Program Maine's Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Program provides funding and technical support for projects that achieve local community and economic development objectives while principally benefiting low-moderate income persons. These grants are administered by the Maine Department of Economic and Community Development.
  • Maine Safe Routes to School Program A matching grant program to improve safety for Maine children who bike or walk to school. Typical improvements include sidewalks, multi-use paths, crosswalks and traffic signals designed to separate children from vehicular traffic in school areas. The program is open to all Maine municipalities and school districts. These grants are administered by the Maine Department of Transportation.
  • Section 319 Program A matching grant program for planning and implrementation of measures to address non-point source water pollution. These grants are administered by the Maine Department of Environmental Protection.