Maine Coast Heritage Trust Climate Resilience Conservation Fund

Cousins River Marsh frontage

Fund Background

The Climate Resilience Conservation Fund (CRCF) supports land protection projects that enhance climate resilience and reduce climate impacts on Maine’s land, waters and people. This approximately $4 million Fund is the land conservation component of Resilient Maine, a $69 million statewide effort to protect coastal communities, Maine’s environment and working waterfronts from extreme storms, flooding and rising sea levels.

Support for the Fund comes from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Climate Resilience Regional Challenge (CRRC). Maine Coast Heritage Trust (MCHT) administers the Fund in coordination with the Governor’s Office of Policy Innovation and the Future (GOPIF). An advisory committee with expertise from state, local, Tribal and federal governments and non-profit groups reviews and recommends eligible projects.

NOTE: MCHT’s ability to make awards is contingent upon availability of funds from NOAA. CRRC funds for Resilient Maine are currently available and continue to be released. MCHT and GOPIF are closely monitoring this program and will notify grant awardees of any changes.

Fund Goals

Enhance Maine’s climate resilience and reduce climate impacts to coastal communities through permanent conservation of the biodiversity and natural functions of critical lands and waters.
Protect key places that contribute to the resilience of natural systems and Maine’s coastal communities, such as headwater streams, coastal marshes, marsh migration space, intact and older forests, and other areas that further terrestrial, coastal or riparian connectivity.
Emphasize protection of natural communities and geological settings that are not currently well conserved in Maine.

Fund Timeline

Application Open: March 24, 2026
Informational Webinar: click here to view webinar recording
Applicants Request Natural Resource Data: March 24 - April 20, 2026. All eligible projects must request natural resource data from Maine Natural Areas Program.

Application Closes: May 18th, midnight

Grant Decisions: Late July

Future Grant Rounds: MCHT will hold a third grant round in fall 2026 and a fourth grant round if any funds remain uncommitted.

How to Apply

Steps

Click this link to access the Microsoft application form.

Complete the Pre-Application checklist in the first section of the form.
- If you answer NO to any, your project is not eligible.
Complete all application questions. Remember: Progress is NOT saved if you exit the form.
- Download the Application Questions PDF and work on your answers in a
  location where you can save your progress.
- Enter responses into the Microsoft application form only once your materials are finalized.
After finishing Sections 1 & 2, upload your required documents to section 3.

- For each document:
  - Include your Project Name in the file name.
  - Enter only your initials when prompted for name.
  - Return to the application form and check the box confirming upload (required to continue).

Fund Details

Fund Guidelines

Eligible Projects: Projects must permanently conserve land in fee or through a conservation easement, contribute to the climate resilience of Maine’s coastal communities, and close by October 2027.
Eligible Entities: Maine’s federally recognized Tribal governments, municipalities, state conservation agencies, and non-profit organizations dedicated to conservation, restoration or preservation of land and natural resources are eligible to apply.
Eligible Geography: Land in Maine watersheds that drain into the Gulf of Maine are eligible.
Grant Size: The CRCF does not have a minimum or maximum grant size but awards typically range from $50,000-$250,000. A successful project may receive less than the amount requested due to funding limitations.
Eligible Fund Uses: CRCF grants can be used for the acquisition of land and conservation easements and for due diligence and management planning associated with the transaction.

Project Criteria

Climate Resilience: To evaluate applications to the CRCF, the review team considers how the project’s land and waters contribute to the resilience and adaptation of Maine’s coastal communities and natural ecosystems. We use the following publicly available metrics and data.

Focus Areas of Statewide Ecological Significance: Maine’s Focus Areas contain 85% of the state’s at-risk species. Protection of these areas is critical to long term ecosystem resilience and biodiversity in the face of an uncertain climate.
Terrestrial resilience is a measure of how connected and topographically diverse a place is, factors essential for species to adapt and respond to climate risks. This model also considers the geophysical settings (elevation and soil type) that are least well protected. Freshwater Resilience measures the condition of watersheds, streams and rivers, including how well connected they are and their ability to sustain freshwater diversity and protect downstream communities.
Marsh Migration: Protecting land where coastal marshes can migrate overtime is critical to helping these ecosystems adapt to sea level rise. We use Maine Natural Area Program’s marsh migration data to evaluate whether projects include marsh migration space that is well connected to undeveloped coastal habitats.
Current Condition: The existence and condition of wetlands, headwater streams, rare plants, animals and natural communities and intact and mature forests are critical factors for a place to contribute to a climate resilient landscape.

Landscape Context:

Connection to Intact Lands: The extent to which a property is connected to other conserved lands and/or lies within a significant undeveloped block of intact land is an indication of ecosystem function
Existing Climate Plan: If the project is included in an existing climate resilience plan, we will consider the project’s significance within that plan.

Additional Criteria

Projected Management: Plans for the property should focus on sustaining and/or enhancing ecosystem health and climate resilience of land and waters. The primary purposes for conservation easement projects must be climate resilience and protection of natural ecosystems and species.
Other Climate Benefits to Local Communities: We evaluate whether a project protects a public drinking water supply, ensures access to traditional wild foods, provides flood mitigation or brings other climate resilience benefits to local communities not captured in the above criteria.
Applicant Capacity: We consider the applicant’s experience with transactions of the size and complexity of their proposed project.
Timing: The project should have a high likelihood of closing by October 2027.
Budget: The applicant should have a clear budget and solid plan for securing the necessary funding.

Fund Requirements

All eligible projects must request natural resource data from the Maine Natural Areas Program by April 20, 2026. Even if you have received MNAP data for other grant programs, please request the data for your CRCF application. Send in this MNAP data request form or reach out to Kristen Puryear ().

NOAA requires the following of projects recommended for a CRCF grant:

Prior to release of funds, NOAA must review and approve project due diligence, including willing seller letter, purchase agreement, an appraisal that meets federal acquisition standards (aka “yellow book”), evidence of clear title, deed language, conservation easement language (if applicable), and survey. Applicants must submit these documents at least four months prior to closing.
NOAA will review and approve each project for environmental compliance before release of funds. NOAA’s environmental compliance team will work with successful applicants to obtain the necessary project details that must be submitted to complete environmental compliance reviews.
A deed restriction stating that the project was acquired with NOAA funds and that the land will be managed for conservation purposes consistent with the purposes for which it was acquired.
Posting a sign on the protected property acknowledging NOAA as a funding source.

Budget Template

Application Questions

Advisors

Conservation Easement Guidelines

Eligibility Map

Application Instructions

Frequently Asked Questions

Application Assistance

Who can help with natural resource data, mapping and other questions?

General Questions: Please contact Jennifer Melville (), CRCF fund manager, for help preparing an application.
Natural Resource Information: All eligible projects must request natural resource data from the Maine Natural Areas Program (MNAP), even if the project has MNAP data for another grant program or purpose. Send in this MNAP data request form or reach out to Kristen Puryear () no later than April 20, 2026.
Field Visit: MNAP offers the opportunity for an optional field visit for eligible projects. To schedule a site visit, reach out to Kristen Puryear () as soon as possible and no later than April 20, 2026.
Maps and shapefiles: Jeremy Gabrielson () at MCHT can help prepare a map and shapefile for your application.

Eligibility and Funding Restrictions

Who can apply? Eligible entities include state, county, municipal and Tribal Governments and non-profit organizations whose purpose is conservation, restoration or preservation of land and natural resources.

How can funds be used? Applicants can use funds toward the purchase of land and conservation easements and for due diligence and land planning costs associated with
the project.

Is match funding required? No. But approved projects will need to document funding sources and the portion of the project CRCF funding is allocated to.

Can an organization submit multiple grant proposals? Yes. But funding is limited so if you submit multiple proposals, you will be competing against yourself.

Can a proposal include multiple parcels? Maybe. Applicants can group parcels covered under a single appraisal, title report, and survey in one application. A project can also
include parcels under more than one ownership if the parcels closely relate to each other geographically and ecologically and will all close within the required timeframe.

Is project size considered? Project size is not a funding criterion. We evaluate projects for alignment with CRCF's goals and the protection of conservation values.

If my project will not close by October 2027, should I still apply? No. MCHT expects to provide at least one more CRCF grant round with a later closing deadline.

Is a project already owned by a conservation entity eligible? Land that has been pre-acquired, typically by a third party, to enable time for the project to be funded is eligible as long as the land is not permanently conserved.

Can we pay above fair market value (FMV)? NOAA supports acquisitions up to five percent over FMV in limited circumstances. To use CRCF funds for more than FMV requires written justification and approval from NOAA. The grantee can use other funds to pay more than FMV, but we do not encourage above-market transactions.

Project Review

Who reviews applications? MCHT conducts an initial review for eligibility. An advisory committee with expertise from state, local, Tribal and federal governments and
non-profit groups reviews and recommends eligible projects. Because MCHT and state agencies, both of whom have representation on the advisory committee, can apply for
CRCF grants, we have a clear conflict of interest policy to ensure transparency and equity in grant decision making.

What projects are given preference? The project review committee gives preference to projects with all of the following attributes:

Strong economic, social, and/or environmental benefits to coastal communities and/or coastal ecosystems.
High likelihood of closing by October 2027.
Above average terrestrial and/or freshwater resilience, valuable marsh migration space and/or location within a Focus Area.
Healthy and intact natural communities and ecosystem functions.

Resilience and Science Criteria

What are the scientific criteria used to evaluate projects?

Beginning with Habitat Focus Areas of Statewide Ecological Significance highlight natural areas of statewide biodiversity importance and high concentrations of at-risk species and habitats. Focus Areas include examples of over 85% of Maine’s rare, threatened, and endangered plant and animal species and high-quality examples of all natural community types. Here is a map and list of Focus Areas that overlap organized towns. Use this form to obtain information about Focus Areas in unorganized townships.
The Nature Conservancy’s (TNC) Terrestrial Resilience model aims to predict the ability of a place to maintain species diversity and ecological function as the climate changes. The model evaluates landscape diversity and local connectedness, characteristics that provide species with options to respond to changing temperature and precipitation. You can upload a shapefile or draw a polygon to learn about the resilience characteristics of your project.
Geophysical settings – geology type and elevation – are also key components of terrestrial resilience as different species thrive in different settings (high elevation granite versus a sandy beach, for example). Settings that are not well protected are considered Under-Represented Settings and are a conservation priority.
TNC’s River Explorer helps determine the resilience of freshwater systems, based on their physical condition, stream connectivity and potential availability of water.

How do you define a coastal community and coastal benefit? NOAA provides flexibility for projects with significant coastal benefits but that are not located in coastal areas. The focus of all projects should be on reducing risk to coastal communities, infrastructure, economies, and ecosystems, and on benefitting coastal communities.

How do you define coastal resilience? Resilience is the ability of a community to prepare and plan for, absorb impacts of, recover from, and more successfully adapt to weather and climate impacts. Projects should contribute toward the natural ability of lands and waters to support resilience of coastal areas.

Grant Awards

Post Award Process

If my project is approved, what is the next step? MCHT will provide a grant agreement with the grant terms and requirements.

What due diligence is required? The following due diligence is required for every project: a willing seller letter, a purchase agreement, an appraisal that meets federal acquisition standards (aka “yellow book”), evidence of clear title, a survey, the draft deed and, if applicable, the draft conservation easement.

Who will review the due diligence? MCHT undertakes an initial review of all due diligence and then NOAA conducts a final review.

When should I submit my project’s due diligence documents? Grantees should provide the documents as soon as they are available and no later than five months prior to closing.

What is NOAA’s Environmental Compliance review? NOAA reviews projects for compliance with applicable environmental laws and regulations before release of funds. NOAA's environmental compliance team will work with grantees to obtain the project details necessary to complete environmental compliance reviews. These reviews could include: assessing whether the land is located within the Maine Coastal and Estuarine Land Conservation Program plan and will be managed in alignment with the plan; determining if the land is located within a Coastal Barriers Resources System Unit, requiring NOAA to consult USFWS; determining if the land is characterized as prime farmland, requiring NOAA to consult USDA; determining if there are known Tribal interests in project area, requiring NOAA to coordinate with state and local partners as appropriate to send letters to Tribes inviting input or consultation; and analyzing applicable permit requirements.

What is the required NOAA deed restriction language? The deed must contain substantially the following provision: “This property has been acquired in part with funds from Federal financial assistance award NA24NOSx473C0106-T1-01 through NOAA’s funding under the Inflation Reduction Act. Title to the property conveyed by this deed shall vest upon acquisition in (Grantee) subject to the conditions that the property shall be managed for conservation purposes and consistent with the purposes for which it was acquired. (Grantee) shall not dispose of, exchange, encumber its title or other interests in or convert the use of this property without the approval of NOAA or its successor agencies.”

When will funds be available for approved projects? Funds will be wired into an escrow account to be available at closing.