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Explore the Coast

Grantor:
Coastal Conservancy
Portal ID:
153699
Status:
Closed
Open Date:
11/19/25 00:00
Opportunity Type:
  • Grant
Last Updated:
Categories:

Details

Purpose:

 The Explore the Coast grant program seeks to provide enjoyable coastal experiences for people and communities who face challenges or barriers to accessing the coast.

Description:

The California State Coastal Conservancy (Conservancy) announces the availability of grants to public agencies, federally recognized tribes, California Native American communities, and nonprofit organizations that facilitate and enhance the public’s opportunities to explore California’s spectacular coast. The ocean, coast, and beaches have long been recognized and used as spaces of joy, relaxation, and healing for many Californians. The ability to experience the coast without fear of financial cost, physical barriers or feelings of not belonging, is crucial to how people cultivate their own lifelong connections with the coast.  The Explore the Coast grant program seeks to provide enjoyable coastal experiences for people and communities who face challenges or barriers to accessing the coast (“ETC Priority Communities”). ETC Priority Communities include but are not limited to lower-income individuals and households, people with disabilities, people of color, immigrant communities, and foster youth, among others.

Eligibility Requirements

Eligible Applicants:

  • Nonprofit
  • Public Agency
  • Tribal Government

The Conservancy may award grants to public agencies, federally recognized tribes, and
nonprofit organizations that constitute a 501(c)(3) under the Internal Revenue Code. Other
community-based organizations and tribes or California Native American communities that are not federally recognized may apply with a 501(c)(3) fiscal sponsor.

Eligible Geographies:

Based on the funding sources, projects must involve participants visiting the coast of California, including the shores of bays. Projects can bring participants from throughout the state to the coast, including participants from inland areas.

Important Dates

The date (and time, where applicable) by which all applications must be submitted to the grantmaker. Time listed as “00:00” equates to midnight.
The date on which the grantor expects to announce the recipient(s) of the grant.
Sept 2026
The length of time during which the grant money must be utilized.
June 1, 2027

Funding Details

The total projected dollar amount of the grant.
See Notes Below
A single grant opportunity may represent one or many awards. Some grantors may know in advance the exact number of awards to be given. Others may indicate a range. Some may wish to and wait until the application period closes before determining how many awards to offer; in this case, a value of “Dependent” will display.
Dependent
Grant opportunities representing multiple awards may offer awards in the same amount or in varied amounts. Some may wish to wait until the application period closes before determining per-award amounts; in this case, a value of “Dependent” will display.
$1 – $100,000
Certain grants require that the recipient(s) provide a letter of intent.
No
Certain grants require that the recipient(s) be able to fully or partially match the grant award amount with another funding source.
No

Available Funding Notes:

Applicants may request a grant amount of up to $100,000. Approximately $700,000 is available for this grant round. Up to $50,000 of the $700,000 is available for participants to access the San Francisco Bay shoreline. Due to limited funding, projects with trips to the San Francisco Bay shoreline will be extremely competitive. The funding source for the remaining $650,000 is available for projects that provide access to the outer coast.

The funding source allocated to fund the grant. It may be either State or Federal (or a combination of both), and be tied to a specific piece of legislation, a proposition, or a bond number.
  • State
The manner in which the grant funding will be delivered to the awardee. Funding methods include reimbursements (where the recipient spends out-of-pocket and is reimbursed by the grantor) and advances (where the recipient spends received grant funds directly).
  • Advances & Reimbursement(s)

How to Apply

State agencies/departments recommend you read the full grant guidelines before applying.

Resources

For questions about this grant, contact:
Taylor Samuelson, 1-510-286-4182, taylor.samuelson@scc.ca.gov

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