Coastal Conservancy Technical Assistance Program
The Coastal Conservancy offers Technical Assistance to help communities implement projects that will achieve our shared goals. The Technical Assistance Program aims to help people understand our grant program and develop competitive applications for funding.
Please review the steps and resources below and apply for Technical Assistance at the link here.
Step 1: Start with an idea for a project
- All projects start with an idea. If you are in the early stages of developing your project, we encourage you to apply for support through this Technical Assistance Program. This is a voluntary program, and you are welcome to submit a pre-application without Technical Assistance.
- Does the Conservancy fund the type of project you are developing? Review the Conservancy’s Strategic Plan, which clearly outlines the types of projects we fund.
- Before deciding to write a pre-application, review the Conservancy’s Grants page to understand what it takes to apply for and receive a Conservancy grant.
- Our main source of funding right now is the 2024 Climate Bond (Prop 4). To understand the priorities of the Bond and the Conservancy’s Prop 4 funding, please review the webinars and materials on the Resources for Accessing 2024 Climate Bond (Prop 4) Funding page on our website.
- Sign up for the Conservancy Mailing List to be notified of upcoming webinars and scheduled grant rounds.
Step 2: Writing a competitive application
Following your initial Technical Assistance consultation, the next step is to develop a grant application. The majority of the Conservancy’s funding is awarded through a rolling pre-application solicitation that uses a two-step application process; first, submit a brief pre-application. If your project seems like a good fit, you will be invited to develop a full application. To write a competitive pre-application and, if asked, full application, please review the resources below.
- Conservancy Project Selection Criteria – these are how we evaluate and prioritize projects
- Conservancy Strategic Plan – all project selected for funding must align with the goals and objectives of our strategic plan
- Recording of Conservancy webinar on grant writing skills – this webinar aims to help applicants write effective grant proposals.
Prioritizing equity is the first goal in the Conservancy’s Strategic Plan. We encourage you to review the resources below when developing your application and throughout your project to build equity into your project’s design, delivery, and outcomes.
- Inclusive Interpretive Materials Guidelines
- Tips for Equitable Workforce Development in Environmental Conservation Projects
- In 2023, the San Francisco Estuary Wetlands Regional Monitoring Program lead the development of Best Practices for Tribal Engagement. This documentaims to give helpful guidance to meaningfully engage with Tribes.
After reviewing your application, Conservancy staff will inform you if your project will be recommended for funding. If your project will be recommended, Conservancy staff will present your project to our Board at a public meeting.
Step 3: Managing your grant
After being awarded a grant, you should review the following:
Following each Board meeting, the Conservancy hosts an onboarding webinar for new grantees. After your grant funding has been approved by the Board, you will be invited to one of these webinars. A recording of a Grantee Onboarding webinar from April 2025 can be found here.
The Conservancy created guidance videos broken down by each step of your Conservancy grant. You can find them here. We also created a flow chart visualizing these steps here.
Other resources
The Conservancy provides a range of services to support our partners throughout the life of their projects. Conservancy staff can often provide assistance directly. Occasionally, we can make consultants that we have under contract for specific, technical needs available to grantees at no cost.
Stay in regular contact with your Conservancy Project Manager to keep them updated on your project’s progress and any unforeseen challenges.
Materials in Spanish/ Recursos y Documentos en Español
Several of the Conservancy’s key documents are available in Spanish here:
Recursos y Documentos en Español
La agencia estatal para la Conservación de la Costa (Coastal Conservancy) está al servicio de todos los californianos. La mayor parte de la información y los materiales de nuestro sitio web están escritos en inglés, lo que no refleja la diversidad lingüística de nuestro estado. Para obtener información en otros idiomas distintos del inglés, póngase en contacto con taylor.samuelson@scc.ca.gov