The Maine Office of Community Affairs’ (MOCA) Maine Coastal Program (MCP) and Municipal Planning Assistance Program (MPAP) are accepting applications for approximately $450,000 in coastal planning grants through Aug. 31.
Awards of up to $50,000 for individual applicants and $75,000 for group applicants will support local or regional planning projects that prepare coastal communities and critical public infrastructure for current and future hazards and storms, and to advance community resilience planning.
The funding is available through two grants: the MCP Shore and Harbor Planning Grant and the MPAP Coastal Community Grant (CCG). Both grants are supported by an annual National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) award to MCP.
Instructions can be found on the MOCA website. Questions must be submitted by email to mainecoastalprogram@maine.gov by Aug. 21.
Past awards have been used to develop long-term coastal hazard and risk assessments, design resilient public working waterfront infrastructure, improve public access to the coast, and improve regulatory and non-regulatory approaches to land use planning and local ordinances to address current and future hazards.
MOCA, MCP, and MPAP also recently announced awards of $649,975 in grants. Projects began in late spring 2026.
“As Maine’s communities continue to face a variety of threats, these grants underscore our commitment to helping them protect and enhance crucial coastal resources, water access, and infrastructure,” said MOCA director Samantha Horn. “By investing in these planning projects, we help communities to create strategies that safeguard resilience and that prepare them to obtain implementation funding for infrastructure projects.”
Under CCG, MPAP has granted $294,060 to the following municipalities and organizations:
- Bath will build on existing flood vulnerability assessments to evaluate site-specific adaptation options downtown and create conceptual designs for a pilot adaptation project.
- Bath will also hire a consulting team to create a final design and action plan for the riverwalk. The consulting team will provide nature-based designs for shoreline stability and flood adaptation while improving public access and neighborhood connectivity near the river.
- Southern Maine Planning and Development Commission will update and conduct community trainings for two climate resilience tools, the Nature-Based Strategies Decision Support Tool and the Climate Ready Coast Vulnerability Assessment Mapping Tool.
- South Portland will hire a consultant for a modeling study to understand stormwater movement in the Mill Creek watershed. The study will help identify flood mitigation strategies and stormwater system improvements the city can implement to reduce flooding and improve the quality of the watershed.
- Southwest Harbor will hire a consultant to update the harbor management plan and integrate climate considerations and other recent local planning efforts. The updated plan will guide investment and management of harbors and public waterfront infrastructure.
- Yarmouth will create a master plan to understand vulnerabilities and opportunities at working waterfronts, while accounting for future climate adaptation needs. The plan will guide investment, policy decisions, and infrastructure improvements at the working waterfront.
Within the Shore and Harbor Planning Grant program, MCP has awarded $355,915 to the following municipalities:
- Bowdoinham will hire a consultant to create a master plan to improve shore fishing and hand-carry boating access. The plan will include resilience improvements, conceptual designs, and cost estimates.
- Brooksville will hire an engineer to create construction-ready designs for a new pier and float at the public landing.
- Chebeague Island & Yarmouth will hire a consultant to assess vulnerabilities and create conceptual designs and cost estimates for work to improve the resilience of the parking lot and wharf for the Chebeague Island Ferry.
- Columbia Falls will hire a consultant to create a master plan for improvements to the town landing; these plans will include resilience adaptations and alterations to improve public use of the facility.
- Friendship will hire an engineering firm to create final designs for the reconstruction of the municipal wharf.
- Monhegan Plantation will hire a consultant to create permit-ready engineering designs and cost estimates for work to increase the resilience of the breakwater.
- North Haven will hire an engineering firm to create engineering designs for a new fishermen’s wharf to reduce congestion at the existing public landing and improve water access.
