- What it funds
- Nature-based projects that protect coastal communities and habitat from storms, flooding, erosion and sea level change, such as marsh and floodplain restoration, living shorelines and dunes. It funds four stages: community capacity building and planning, site assessment and preliminary design, final design and permitting, and restoration implementation.
- Who can apply
- Nonprofits, state agencies, local and municipal governments, tribal governments and organizations, educational institutions and for-profit companies can apply directly; federal agencies, foreign organizations and individuals cannot. Projects must sit in NFWF's coastal-area footprint (coastal HUC-8 watersheds in coastal states, which include Maryland), so check NFWF's map.
- Match
- Non-federal match is not required but is encouraged, and NFWF recommends higher match for larger projects. Match can be cash or in-kind (up to 100% in-kind); federal funds are reported as leverage, not match.
- Award
- NFWF expects average awards of about $100,000 to $1.5 million for planning, site assessment and design projects and about $1 million to $7 million for restoration implementation, with no set maximum. In 2025 the fund awarded $78 million to 68 grants.
How Maryland applicants apply
Apply directly to NFWF through its Easygrants system: a pre-proposal first, then a full proposal if invited. There is no state pass-through. The 2026 round is closed, so watch the NCRF page for the next request for proposals (the 2026 one was posted February 20, 2026).
The program on nfwf.orgDates
No dates are listed ahead. The 2026 round is closed: pre-proposals were due March 31, 2026 and invited full proposals June 24, 2026. NFWF expects to announce awards in late November to early December 2026, and no 2027 request for proposals has been posted.
What has changed
- June 24, 2026Invited full proposals closed at 11:59 p.m. ET. (nfwf.org)
- March 31, 2026Pre-proposals closed at 11:59 p.m. ET. (nfwf.org)
- February 20, 2026NFWF released the 2026 request for proposals. (nfwf.org)
- December 3, 2025NFWF posted its December 2025 grant slate; its fact sheet reports $78 million awarded to 68 grants in 2025. (nfwf.org)
Sources
Checked against the funder’s own pages on October 29, 2026. Rules and dates change; confirm with the funder before you apply.
Frequently Asked Questions
As of October 29, 2026: Under review. The 2026 round is closed: pre-proposals were due March 31, 2026 and invited full proposals June 24, 2026. NFWF expects to announce awards in late November to early December 2026, and no 2027 request for proposals has been posted.
Nature-based projects that protect coastal communities and habitat from storms, flooding, erosion and sea level change, such as marsh and floodplain restoration, living shorelines and dunes. It funds four stages: community capacity building and planning, site assessment and preliminary design, final design and permitting, and restoration implementation.
Nonprofits, state agencies, local and municipal governments, tribal governments and organizations, educational institutions and for-profit companies can apply directly; federal agencies, foreign organizations and individuals cannot. Projects must sit in NFWF's coastal-area footprint (coastal HUC-8 watersheds in coastal states, which include Maryland), so check NFWF's map.
Non-federal match is not required but is encouraged, and NFWF recommends higher match for larger projects. Match can be cash or in-kind (up to 100% in-kind); federal funds are reported as leverage, not match.
Apply directly to NFWF through its Easygrants system: a pre-proposal first, then a full proposal if invited. There is no state pass-through. The 2026 round is closed, so watch the NCRF page for the next request for proposals (the 2026 one was posted February 20, 2026).
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