Living Shoreline Stewardship Fund

Stewarding Thriving Living Shorelines

The Living Shoreline Stewardship Fund is designed to extend the lifespan of existing living shoreline projects. The Fund provides financial assistance to living shoreline projects which require maintenance or repairs in order to function properly and thrive. The Fund is administered through the Living Shoreline Collaborative’s Implementation and Outreach Team to a sponsoring organization. If a project is funded, the sponsoring organization will manage the project.

Please contact Melissa O'Neill, Programs Administration Coordinator at the James River Association at moneill@thejamesriver.org to submit an application or with any questions.
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Download the Application:

LSC Stewardship Fund Application.docx
File Size: 60 kb
File Type: docx
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Program Description and Eligibility

What We Cover

The Stewardship Fund provides the following support to selected projects:

Project Eligibility

Projects must meet the following criteria to be eligible: 
  • Projects must be located in the James River Watershed.
  • Maintenance and repairs caused by one or more of the following factors:
    • Improper design (elevation, drainage, sill material, plant selection)
    • Improper construction (design was appropriate but project was not installed properly)
    • Impacts from severe weather
    • Impacts from adjacent properties' shoreline stabilization methods
    • Design failure due to sea level rise
  • In addition to the shoreline itself, the fund may cover the following practices if deemed necessary for project success:
    • Tree limbing/removal
    • Debris removal
    • Invasive species management
  • Projects located on residential, public, and non-profit owned properties.
  • Project age is not a consideration.
  • There is not a project cap.
  • Projects installed in partnership with a sponsoring organization. The sponsoring organization will oversee the proposed maintenance or repair; examples of sponsoring organizations are nonprofits, community groups, local governments.
  • Projects should be complete by December 31st, 2023.

What We Do Not Cover

The Stewardship Fund does not cover projects that have the following characteristics:
  • Maintenance and repairs cause by:
    • Impacts from shoreline use
    • Impacts due to landowner negligence
  • Projects where a living shoreline is directly in front of a bulkhead or revetment.
If a project is funded, the Living Shoreline Collaborative will not manage the maintenance project; that is the responsibility of the sponsoring organization.

Application Process

  • Applications should be submitted to Melissa O'Neill, Programs Administration Coordinator at the James River Association at moneill@thejamesriver.org.
  • The James River Association will provide funds to a “sponsoring organization”. The sponsoring organization may determine how they will distribute funds to the project (e.g. reimburse the property owner for expenses or pay for the materials and labor directly). If the sponsoring organization is unable to distribute the funding themselves this will be handled on a case-by-case basis.
Additional financial assistance is available to property owners who qualify. For more information, see Stewardship Fund Additional Financial Assistance.
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Living shoreline project installed by the Elizabeth River Project in Norfolk, VA.