Sea Otter Recovery

The Sea Otter Recovery Grants program is administered by the California State Coastal Conservancy, a state agency established in 1976 to support coastal resource protection and enhancement through partnerships with local communities. The Conservancy operates across California’s coastal regions, including inland watersheds and the San Francisco Bay Area, and administers funding derived in part from the California Sea Otter Fund. This fund is a voluntary taxpayer contribution mechanism, with approximately half of its revenues allocated to competitive grants and contracts supporting research, conservation, and ecosystem improvement aligned with the Federal Southern Sea Otter Recovery Plan. The primary purpose of this funding opportunity is to support projects that facilitate the recovery of the southern sea otter population along California’s coast while also improving the nearshore marine ecosystem. The Conservancy emphasizes projects that advance the evaluation of sea otter reintroduction as a viable recovery strategy. These projects may include biological and socioeconomic research, stakeholder engagement processes, baseline environmental assessments, and risk or impact analyses. Secondary priority is given to projects addressing other recovery actions identified in the federal recovery plan, including implementation and applied research activities. Funding from this program is flexible but must be used strictly for activities tied to sea otter recovery or nearshore ecosystem improvement. Allowable uses include scientific research, planning, stakeholder coordination, and project implementation. Certain restrictions apply, such as limits on indirect costs, which may not exceed 20 percent of the total grant amount. Additionally, food and beverage expenses are not allowable, and training or conference attendance must be directly tied to project implementation. Funds are reimbursed after expenses are incurred, requiring grantees to manage upfront costs. Eligible applicants include public agencies, federally recognized tribes, and nonprofit organizations that qualify under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Nonprofit applicants must provide documentation verifying their status and may be required to complete a pre-award questionnaire assessing financial and administrative capacity. Matching funds are not required; however, leveraging additional funding sources may strengthen an application, as it is considered during the evaluation process. The application process requires submission of a complete package via email, including the application form, signed acknowledgment of grant terms, and any supporting materials such as maps or project designs. Nonprofit applicants must also include a pre-award questionnaire. Applications must address a comprehensive set of questions covering project need, goals, methods, site characteristics, alignment with recovery priorities, tasks, deliverables, budget, organizational capacity, community engagement, and regulatory compliance. Applicants may be contacted for additional information during review, and external experts may assist in evaluation. The timeline for this funding opportunity begins with the solicitation release on April 29, 2026, and concludes with the application deadline on July 17, 2026. Applicants will be notified in September 2026 if their project is selected for consideration by the Conservancy’s Board, with final funding decisions announced after the December 3, 2026 board meeting. Funded projects are expected to begin in February 2027, contingent on approval and execution of grant agreements, and must be completed by February 2029. Evaluation criteria include alignment with solicitation priorities, the urgency of the proposed project, the amount of available funding, and adherence to the Conservancy’s broader project selection criteria. Additional considerations include organizational capacity, feasibility, and the ability to manage reimbursement-based funding. Contact for the program is provided through a designated staff member via email for applicant inquiries. This grant is part of an annual funding cycle, with proposals solicited each year as funds become available through the Sea Otter Fund.

Align proposal strongly with sea otter recovery priorities emphasize feasibility and demonstrate organizational capacity and ability to manage reimbursement funding