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WHALE TAIL® Grant

Coastal Commission · 151083

Eligibility details

Eligible applicants are non-profit 501(c)(3) organizations, projects of a non-profit fiscal sponsor, public schools or districts, government entities, Federally Recognized Tribes and other California Native American Tribes as defined by Governor’s Executive Order B-10-11.

Matching funds & resources

Source matching-funds field: Not Required.

Matching funds and leveraged resources are different requirements. Read the description and reviewed rules below before determining resource commitments.

About this opportunity

Projects must engage communities in California and include education about coastal and marine environments. This may include classroom-based programs, field trips, climate change education and stewardship, coastal habitat restoration or shoreline cleanup programs with community involvement, community or participatory science, cultural and ancestral practice preservation, workforce development, and much more. We strongly encourage projects engaging communities that face barriers accessing coastal and marine education and stewardship. We also look for applicant organizations based in and composed of the communities they are engaging. We strive for a broad geographic distribution of projects across California. Interested parties complete and submit a full application by the deadline. Grants up to $50,000 may be awarded. We anticipate $2,000,000 will be distributed with approximately half dedicated through a tribal set-aside to projects led by California Native American tribes, tribally-led entities, and organizations engaging California Native American tribal communities. At least 25% of projects funded outside of the tribal set-aside will be small grants up to $25,000. Proposals are due December 15, 2025.

Funding geography: Grant projects can take place anywhere in California and must engage audiences within California, with a priority for communities that face barriers accessing coastal and marine education and stewardship.

Funding instrument: Grant. Issuing jurisdiction: California. This is not a geographic eligibility determination.