Habitat Restoration Under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act | NOAA Fisheries
Habitat Restoration Under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act
NOAA’s Office of Habitat Conservation is making a historic impact to restore coastal habitats and support communities across the country through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.
National
For decades, NOAA’s
Office of Habitat Conservation
has supported habitat restoration efforts across the country through large-scale competitive funding opportunities and expert
technical assistance
through our
Community-based Restoration Program
. With funding under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, we are continuing our work to support fisheries and communities through habitat restoration and coastal resilience efforts. This includes:
Fish passage projects that restore access to healthy habitat for migratory fish
Habitat restoration projects that support fisheries and protected species while also strengthening the resilience of coastal ecosystems and communities
Capacity building and on-the-ground restoration projects that advance the coastal habitat restoration priorities of tribes and communities
Results to Date
The Office of Habitat Conservation has run four funding opportunities under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. To date, we have funded 212 awards totaling approximately $1 billion through two rounds of funding. Explore the awards through our
interactive map
Map of awards to date across the Office of Habitat Conservation’s funding opportunities. Circles represent awards in single states or territories; triangles represent awards spanning multiple states or territories.
Learn about our most recent awards from the second round of competitions:
More than $45 million for 27 grants selected through the
Coastal Habitat Restoration and Resilience Grants for Tribes and Underserved Communities
funding opportunity
Nearly $220 million for 32 grants selected through the
Transformational Habitat Restoration and Coastal Resilience
funding opportunity
More than $81 million for 19 grants selected through the
Restoring Tribal Priority Fish Passage through Barrier Removal
funding opportunity
More than $158 million for 27 grants selected through the
Restoring Fish Passage through Barrier Removal
funding opportunity
Learn about the awards from the first round of each competition:
More than $16 million for 13 awards selected through the
Restoring Tribal Priority Fish Passage through Barrier Removal
funding opportunity
More than $87 million for 23 awards selected through the
Restoring Fish Passage through Barrier Removal
funding opportunity
More than $265 million for 38 awards selected through the
Transformational Habitat Restoration and Coastal Resilience
funding opportunity
Nearly $25 million for 35 awards selected through the
Coastal Habitat Restoration and Resilience Grants for Underserved Communities
funding opportunity
News and Project Updates
Learn more about how these projects are helping to recover threatened species, reduce the impact of coastal flooding and land loss, and empower communities by reading our latest feature stories and project updates:
NOAA and Partners Launch Next-Generation Coral Restoration Following Florida Coral Bleaching
Oregon Tribe Partners with Agricultural Producers to Restore Salmon and Steelhead Habitat
Florida Creek Restoration Benefits Fish and People in Jacksonville
Cape Cod Cranberry Bog Project Restoring Wetlands and Fish Passage for River Herring
Endangered California Coho Salmon Experience Record-Breaking Spawning Season on Mendocino Coast
Oyster Restoration Investments Net Positive Returns for Economy and Environment
See all of our content
about efforts funded under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.
Image
Migrating Chinook salmon. Credit: Laura Mahoney/USFWS.
Fish Passage
With this funding, NOAA is continuing our work to reopen migratory pathways and restore access to healthy habitat for fish. A portion of this funding is specifically dedicated to support tribes and organizations that represent tribes in implementing fish passage projects and building tribal organizational capacity.
Every year, millions of fish migrate to their spawning and rearing habitats to reproduce. Some fish need to swim thousands of miles through oceans and rivers to reach their destinations. They are often blocked from completing their journey by barriers like dams and culverts. When fish can’t reach their habitat, they can’t reproduce and maintain or grow their populations. As a result, many fish populations have declined. NOAA works to
reopen these migratory pathways
, restoring access to healthy habitat for fish. These efforts also provide community and economic benefits, like increased opportunities for fishing and boating and reduced risk of flooding.
Fish Passage Awards
To date, NOAA has announced funding for 82 fish passage awards under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. Learn more about these efforts:
Fish passage awards
Tribal priority fish passage awards
Image
Funding will support the Native Village of Levelock, Alaska, in assessing how future climate scenarios could affect their community. Credit: Rich Buzard/Alaska Division of Geological and Geophysical Surveys.
Habitat Restoration and Coastal Resilience
NOAA is using this funding to invest in large-scale habitat restoration and coastal resilience projects across the country. NOAA has dedicated a portion of this funding specifically to advancing the coastal habitat restoration priorities of tribes and communities, to provide capacity for them to more fully participate in restoration activities.
Communities, businesses, and infrastructure in coastal areas are under increasing pressure from the impacts of flooding, climate change, and sea level rise. Habitat restoration provides a safe, effective, and affordable approach to coastal protection. Efforts like
restoring coastal wetlands
and
reopening rivers to migration
help strengthen
coastal communities
and ecosystems while also supporting our nation’s fisheries and protected species. Capacity building and on-the-ground restoration activities helps to ensure tribal and community needs and priorities are at the center of habitat restoration efforts where they live.
Habitat Restoration and Coastal Resilience Awards
To date, NOAA has announced funding for 131 habitat restoration and coastal resilience awards under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. Learn more about these efforts:
Transformational habitat restoration and coastal resilience awards
Coastal habitat restoration and resilience grant awards for tribes and underserved communities
Habitat Restoration and NOAA
Habitat restoration efforts like
restoring coastal wetlands
and
removing outdated dams
can improve coastal resilience—helping communities recover from and adapt to the impacts of extreme weather and flooding.
NOAA’s Office of Habitat Conservation
has a long history conducting habitat restoration efforts with large-scale competitive funding opportunities and expert technical assistance through our
Community-based Restoration Program
More Information
Interactive Map: Office of Habitat Conservation Awards
NOAA and the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act
About the Office of Habitat Conservation
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New England/Mid-Atlantic
Pacific Islands
Southeast
West Coast
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International
More News
Office of Habitat Conservation
on August 14, 2025
Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act