The Division of Coastal Management (DCM) will select up to 20 municipal and county governments throughout the 20 coastal counties of North Carolina to receive no-cost direct technical assistance services to complete Phases 1 and 2 of the N.C.  Resilient Coastal Communities Program (RCCP). These phases will include community engagement, a risk and vulnerability assessment, and development of a portfolio of resilience projects and actions to integrate within existing local planning initiatives.

The RCCP contains four major phases:

Phase 1: Community Engagement and Risk/Vulnerability Assessment

Phase 2: Planning, Project Identification, and Prioritization

Phase 3: Engineering and Design

Phase 4: Project Implementation

The N.C. Resilient Coastal Communities Program is intended to help overcome barriers in coastal resilience and adaptation planning, boost local government capacity, and support a proactive, sustainable, and equitable approach to coastal resilience planning and project implementation. The program aims to facilitate a community-driven process for setting coastal resilience goals, assessing existing and needed local capacity, and identifying and prioritizing projects to enhance community resilience to coastal and climate hazards.

Upon completion of Phases 1 and 2 of the program, participating localities will become eligible to apply for financial assistance to complete engineering and design work for one priority project, and funding for project construction. Local governments that wish to complete the requirements of Phases 1 and 2 without applying for technical assistance may do so following program guidance provided.Application materials: RCCP WebsiteEligibility: Municipal and county governments in the 20 coastal counties of North CarolinaSubmission deadline: January 15, 2021Program Contact: Questions and completed applications may be sent to RCCP@ncdenr.govSelection Notices: February 2021

The North Carolina Division of Coastal Management  received funding from the N.C. General Assembly and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation  to develop and implement the Resilient Coastal Communities Program in coordination with the N.C. Office of Recovery and Resiliency, The Nature Conservancy, and N.C. Sea Grant.

The program curriculum and contractor applications to provide professional services for completion of Phases 1 and 2 will be released soon.