Explore the Coast Grants
Photo: Viva Verde Education Program
Explore the Coast Grant Program
The Conservancy’s Explore the Coast Grant program encourages all Californians to explore and experience our spectacular coast.
There is no minimum grant size but the maximum grant award is $50,000. If funding is available, the Conservancy will offer these grants every year. Since 2013, the Conservancy has awarded over $5 million in 176 separate grants (updated Fall 2018).
Explore the Coast grants fund a wide range of programs that bring people to the coast. Several projects fund transportation for school groups from inland areas to the ocean or San Francisco Bay, particularly people from underserved communities and those with disabilities who otherwise have fewer opportunities to visit the coast. Many projects provide environmental education about the ocean, coast, and San Francisco Bay to K-12 students, targeting schools in low-income communities. This grant program seeks to fund projects that meet one or more of the following priorities:
- Provides a coastal experience for people that may face challenges getting to or enjoying the coast (such as lower-income people, people with disabilities, English as a Second Language (ESL) communities, students from Title 1 schools or others).
- Creates opportunities for people to visit the coast for the first time.
- Provides a valuable recreational, environmental, cultural, or historic learning experience.
- Increases stewardship of coastal resources.
See more about the programs funded by the the Explore the Coast Grant Program in this short video:
Advisory Board
The Explore the Coast Grant Program benefits from the guidance of an Advisory Board, which represents the interests and needs of communities served by this grant program. The Advisory Board counsels Conservancy staff on the application process, review of applications, and ongoing delivery of the Explore the Coast grant program. To learn more about the Advisory Board and its current members, click here.
Funding
Funding for Explore the Coast grants comes from the Environmental License Plate Fund from Coastal Access Account. We recommend potential applicants review this linked sample grant terms document when considering applying for Explore the Coast Grants.
Programs that teach Californian’s to value the state’s coastal resources or programs that combine education with beach maintenance and habitat restoration projects should also consider applying for a Coastal Commission Whale Tail Grants.
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- Family Discovery Days – Jac Flanders
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- Fresno Students -Tim Duff
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- Ocean Discovery Days – Jac Flanders
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- Otis Kite Festiva – Allison Knight
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- Sea Odyssey Science Cruise – O’Neill
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- Sonoma State Beach
Grant News
- Coastal Conservancy Awards Over $26.7 Million for Coastal Protection, Restoration of Bay Wetlands, Beach Wheelchairs, and Explore the Coast programBoard approves funding to support coastal projects and programming Sausalito, CA – Today, the Board of the California State Coastal Conservancy awarded $26.7 million in grants including $20 million for the first phase of the 1,600-acre restoration of Bel Marin Keys Unit V in Novato, funding for beach wheelchairs at 18 coastal sites, and support […] (Read more on Coastal Conservancy Awards...)
- California Sea Otter Fund: Grant Applications Due September 6, 2019The State Coastal Conservancy is now accepting applications for its 2020 Sea Otter Recovery Grants. The grants will be funded by the California Sea Otter Fund, which is one of the state’s voluntary tax check-off funds that allows taxpayers to contribute additional money for use towards the recovery of California sea otter populations. Public agencies […] (Read more on California Sea Otter...)
- Explore the Coast Overnight Project Pre-proposal SolicitationThe California State Coastal Conservancy is excited to announce the Explore the Coast Overnight project pre-proposal solicitation. The Explore the Coast Overnight Program aims to expand opportunities for all Californians to stay overnight and experience the coast. Through this program the Conservancy is now soliciting pre-proposals for planning, design, permitting, and/or construction of lower-cost coastal […] (Read more on Explore the Coast...)
- Coast & Ocean Archive
(Originally titled California Waterfront Age)
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