Coastal Community Grant Case Studies

An overhead view of Thomaston
St. Georges River Estuary

Coastal Community Grants are an important element of the Municipal Planning Assistance Program’s mission to improve economic conditions by providing technical and financial assistance to Maine municipalities. The Coastal Community Grants are awarded and administered by the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry Municipal Planning Assistance Program. The Maine Coastal Program, Department of Marine Resources, provides funding through Maine’s federal coastal zone management award from the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

This is a competitive grant program for projects designed to improve water quality, increase adaptation to erosion and flooding, restore coastal habitat, promote sustainable development, and enhance the coastal-dependent economy while preserving coastal natural resources within Maine’s coastal zone.

Coastal Community Grant Awards

Coastal Community Grant Awards by Location & Project Type

The color coded maps below show awards by location and the project type. Click the thumbnails to view larger maps.

Downeast Maine Projects Hampden to Calais
Downeast Maine
Hampden to Calais
Midcoast Maine Projects Brunswick to Belfast
Midcoast Maine
Brunswick to Belfast
Southern Maine Projects by Location
Southern Maine
South Berwick to Freeport

Case Studies

At the conclusion of each project, grant recipients are requested to prepare a case study to describe the project’s approach and results, identify next steps and needs, share lessons learned and applicability for other municipalities and provide recommendations to the MCP for follow-up by state agencies to address identified municipal and regional needs and emerging coastal issues.

Coastal Community Planning Grant projects are designed to address the goals of the Maine Coastal Program. The case studies appear under the primary goal the project seeks to address.

Ensuring Sustainable, Vibrant Coastal Communities

Improving Coastal Public Access

Addressing Effects of Land Use Activity on Water Quality

Restoring Coastal Habitats

Preparing for Coastal Storms, Erosion and Flooding