Coastal Program Grants

Seeking input for grant funding priorities

Each year, the Indiana DNR's Lake Michigan Coastal Program seeks public input to help prioritize grant funding. The suggestions from this survey will help in evaluating grant proposals for 2019. Submit suggestions.

About $600,000 is available to local entities for projects meeting the program criteria for the 2018 grant cycle.

Federal appropriations for the 2018 grant cycle are not yet set; as such, all projects that receive state approval will be considered conditionally approved. If federal appropriations for 2018 are less than for 2017, projects may receive a pro-rated award amount reflecting the difference in funding shortfall.

The DNR Lake Michigan Coastal Program (LMCP) administers the Indiana Coastal Grants Program. The program is composed of two components: (1) The Large-Scale Grant Program; and (2) The Small-Scale Grant Program.

Lake Michigan

2018 funding cycle - large grants

The mission of the LMCP is to protect and enhance coastal resources by providing technical and financial assistance and coordination to current and future partners.
The Coastal Grants Program provides technical assistance and funding to communities and organizations that seek out social, economic and environmental solutions that promote partnerships and balance the use and protection of the coast’s valuable, yet fragile, resources.

If your agency or organization is interested in applying, please read the “Lake Michigan Coastal Program Large Grant Fact Sheet” (link below) to see if your organization and your project qualify. The guidance document and pre-proposal form will be posted in mid-July, when the request for proposals is released. It is strongly advised that you communicate with the LMCP grant specialist about your project so that you can make sure it is eligible and in keeping with the mission and goals of the Lake Michigan Coastal Program. Contact information for the LMCP grant specialist is:

Sarah Nimetz
snimetz@dnr.IN.gov
219-250-5401

If you are not already on the Grant Program email list and would like to receive periodic email notices about grant program events, email Sarah Nimetz at snimetz@dnr.IN.gov

Documents for grantees: Reporting and grants manual

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Past coastal grants

The map below displays a sample of Lake Michigan Coastal Grants between the years 2003 and 2010 ranging from Low Cost Construction to Education/Outreach project types. While numerous grants are awarded each year, it's helpful to have a visual connection with the project locations and types in the coastal region.

The map will be updated as additional grant projects are identified. To learn more about a report location, zoom in or out by using the menu in the upper left corner. Click on the project dot to see attributes as well access to each fact sheet.

Click here to launch the grants web map

Funding referral service

The Lake Michigan Coastal Grants Program can offer approximately $600,000 per year in pass-through grant funding. Annually, we receive at least $1 million in requests, which means that many great projects have to be turned away. In order to help our grant applicants and partners find alternate sources of funding for the projects we are unable to fund, we have developed a suite of services which we are calling our “Funding Referral Service.”

Services

  1. The Funding Source Matrix is a compilation of more than 100 different government and private grant programs, in spreadsheet format. It includes the basic vital information about each grant program, such as eligibility, subject area, matching fund requirements, and a link to the program’s webpage.
  2. Grant Programs Timelines promote better planning, by enabling funding-seekers to see what dates throughout the year that the various grant programs will be releasing RFPs, as well as due dates for grant proposals. The intent is to prevent last minute scrambles to submit proposals.
  3. Government Grant Capacity Building Workshops cover basic principles which apply across all grant programs, such as matching funds, federally negotiated indirect rates, developing budgets, and designing projects. It also includes advice on such grant proposal writing skills as how to describe your project effectively, and quantifying appropriate work products.

The LMCP Grant Specialist currently offers technical assistance to help funding-seekers identify appropriate grant programs for their projects, review proposals for other grant programs and offer suggestions for improvement. These proposed projects, however, must be in line with the mission and goals of the Lake Michigan Coastal Program.

More information

Please contact the Lake Michigan Coastal Program for further information at: snimetz@dnr.IN.gov or 219-250-5401.