The Wisconsin Coastal Management Program (WCMP) supports the management, protection, and restoration of Wisconsin’s coastal resources, and increases public access to the Great Lakes. Projects must be located in one or more Wisconsin counties adjacent to Lake Superior or Lake Michigan
The Wisconsin Department of Administration (DOA) administers WCMP Grants in collaboration with the Wisconsin Coastal Management Council (WCMC) and the Office for Coastal Management (OCM), U.S. Department of Commerce, through funding provided under the Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972.
Click through the sections below to learn more about this funding opportunity.
Grant priorities include:
Click on the next section to learn about this funding opportunity’s eligibility requirements.
The following threshold requirements must be met to be eligible for this funding opportunity:
Click on the next section to learn more about this funding opportunity’s matching requirements.
WCMP Grant projects totaling $60,000 or less require a 50% match. Projects with a total budget larger than $60,000 require a 60% match.
Match may be in-kind, cash, or a combination of the two. Applicants must certify that they can supply the required match. Match cannot be federal funds except for tribal “self-sufficiency” grants. Local money spent before the grant is awarded cannot be considered as match, including expenses incurred in preparing this application, preliminary engineering reports, etc. All matching funds, including in-kind expenses, must be spent during the grant period (no prior match is allowed). In-kind match includes the use of equipment, supplies, land, or other commodity already owned by the applicant or the use of items or staff time donated by a third party.
Partnerships that include meaningful private contributions as part of the match are encouraged. Gifts and property donations are acceptable, but only if they are made during the grant period. Financial donations collected before the grant period may be included in the match calculation only if the money is expended after the grant period begins.
Volunteer time used as an in-kind match must be charged at the rate paid for the type of work being done. For example, the time an 2024-25 WCMP Grant Program Grant Application Instructions attorney spends doing data entry work for a project is charged at the rate paid to data entry operators. If the attorney volunteers to do legal work for the project, the attorney’s volunteer time is charged at the rate paid to an attorney.
Applicants must certify that they can supply the required match. Match cannot be federal funds except for tribal “self-sufficiency” grants. Local money spent before the grant is awarded cannot be considered as match, including expenses incurred in preparing this application, preliminary engineering reports, etc. If match funding is not available at the time of application, please describe what funding resources are being explored and when the funding decisions will be made. Commitment and security of match funding are included in the application evaluation criteria.
Click on the next section to learn about the eligible costs for this funding opportunity.
Eligible costs include:
Ineligible costs include:
Click on the next section to learn more about this funding opportunity’s project timeline.
WCMP grant funded projects must be completed within one year.
2024-25 WCMP Grant Program Example:
*Subject to release of federal funding and, for habitat restoration, acquisition projects, and other projects with a ground-moving component, approval of technical documentation.
Click on the next section to learn more about this funding opportunity’s application deadline and forms.
Applications are due via email by November 3, 2023. Applicants are highly encouraged to discuss proposals with staff prior to the due date, and applicants requesting $100,000 or more are required to contact WCMP staff before submittal.
For information on current grant cycles, please contact the grant administrators listed in the “Contact Information” section below.
WCMP staff welcome questions and discussion of project ideas. Please contact WCMP staff at:
Mike Friis, Bureau Director
Phone: (608) 267-7982
Kate Angel, Coastal Resources and Community Planning
Phone: (608) 267-7988
Todd Breiby, Wetland Protection/Habitat Restoration
Phone: (608) 261-6349
Lauren Leckwee, Public Access & Historic Preservation, Environmental Review
Phone: (608) 267-2125
Lydia Salus, Great Lakes Education, BIL Opportunities
Phone: (608) 266-3687
Or WCMP staff generally via email.
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