DARRP Restoration Implementation Grants (2026)

The DARRP Restoration Implementation Grants program is administered through the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Fisheries Habitat Conservation Program Office, with the NOAA Restoration Center administering the awards. NOAA established the Damage Assessment, Remediation and Restoration Program in 1992 to provide technical and legal expertise for protecting and restoring natural resources injured by oil spills and hazardous substance releases. The principal objective of this funding opportunity is to collaborate with non-federal partners capable of implementing marine and coastal habitat restoration and conservation across a wide geographic scale. Activities are intended to accomplish shared restoration goals associated with oil spills, hazardous substance releases, and other natural resource damages under authorities including the Oil Pollution Act, Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act, Clean Water Act, and other applicable authorities. Successful recipients may identify, select, implement, and oversee restoration activities identified through natural resource damage assessment and restoration plans or develop and solicit projects to meet restoration goals. Activities may include habitat restoration or creation, habitat protection, species protection, public access to coastal properties, land acquisition, debris and grounded vessel removal, invasive or exotic species removal, enhancement of species reproduction, stocking and transplanting target species, recreational and educational projects, restoration planning, environmental compliance analysis, and project monitoring. Recipients may directly implement projects or administer contracts and subawards. There are no explicit project funding restrictions, although costs must be necessary and reasonable for the award and comply with applicable federal cost principles. Matching funds are not required. Applicant contributions that could otherwise qualify as cost share may be documented as leverage but will not become an official match. Total anticipated funding for initial cooperative agreements is up to $100 million. NOAA anticipates typical cooperative agreements ranging from $2.5 million to $50 million. Total five-year federal funding requests must be at least $2.5 million and no more than $100 million, while first-year budgets must be at least $500,000 and no more than $20 million. Applications should cover five budget years, with funding expected to be provided incrementally and on an as-available basis depending on funding from NOAA and trustee councils. The earliest anticipated award start date is June 1, 2027. Successful applications may be designated institutional awards, potentially allowing future non-competitive awards for related or similar activities after the initial award period when periodic independent merit review validates the effectiveness and continued desirability of that approach. Eligible applicants include institutions of higher education, nonprofit organizations, and commercial for-profit organizations. Federal, state, and tribal governments will not be considered because of their potential roles as trustee council members. Local governments may be considered only when they identify potential large-scale restoration opportunities based on current or anticipated restoration plans. Individuals and federal agency employees are not eligible. Organizations having a financial relationship or other conflict involving a responsible party may apply, but participation may not be feasible unless the conflict can be effectively addressed through measures such as recusal, mitigation, or divestiture. Applicants are expected to demonstrate relevant marine and coastal restoration expertise, experience working with partners and trustee councils, federal funds management capacity, the ability to manage multiple projects and subawards, and experience competitively soliciting restoration projects. Applications are due by 11:59 PM EST on November 18, 2026. Applications may be submitted electronically through Grants.gov or by qualifying mail or delivery service procedures described in the announcement; applications by facsimile or email are not accepted. Applicants must complete SAM.gov, eRA Commons, and Grants.gov registrations before electronic submission, and NOAA warns that registrations can take six weeks or longer. A complete application includes required federal forms, including SF-424, SF-424A, SF-424B, CD-511, and SF-LLL when applicable. NOAA also recommends a package containing a two-page Summary, a ten-page Narrative, a Data Management Plan of up to two pages, a detailed Budget Justification, and Supplemental Information not exceeding 40 pages. Supplemental materials may include resumes for up to five key personnel, letters of support, indirect cost rate agreements, restoration planning documents, and Work Plans. Applicants are strongly encouraged to submit at least two business days before the deadline because Grants.gov and eRA Commons validation can take up to two business days. Applications first undergo an administrative review for eligibility and completeness. Eligible applications are reviewed by three or more merit reviewers and scored on a 100-point scale. Importance, relevance, and applicability to program goals carries 30 points; technical or scientific merit carries 20 points; overall applicant qualifications carries 20 points; project costs carries 20 points; and outreach and education carries 10 points. Top-ranked applications may then be considered by a federal panel, with final selection also considering factors such as available funding, geographic and institutional balance, project and partner types, program priorities, duplication with other federal projects, prior award performance, targeted-group partnerships, and information needed for NOAA environmental review. NOAA intends to select the fewest applicants necessary to fulfill program priorities while maintaining preparedness for restoration needs and minimizing administrative costs. NOAA will attempt to notify highly ranked applicants by March 1, 2027, with the earliest anticipated award start date of June 1, 2027. Unsuccessful applicants are expected to receive written notification after completion of the selection process, approximately in spring or summer 2027. Financial and performance reports for funded awards are due semiannually on October 30 and April 30, and a comprehensive final report is due within 120 days after the award ends. Environmental data and information generated under awards are subject to NOAA data sharing requirements. For further program information, applicants may contact David Landsman at David.Landsman@noaa.gov. Prospective applicants may contact NOAA staff before submission to discuss project ideas in relation to technical merit and NOAA objectives, although NOAA will not review draft proposals or conduct site visits during the application period.

Closely organize the narrative around the evaluation criteria, with particular attention to the highest-weighted criteria. Demonstrate wide geographic reach, marine and coastal restoration and NRDA experience, federal funds management with clean audits, capacity to manage multiple projects and subawards, competitive project solicitation, cost-effective administration, public data access, and an effective outreach strategy. Submit at least two business days before the deadline to allow Grants.gov and eRA Commons validation, and begin registrations early because they can take six weeks or longer.