National Coastal Resilience Fund: Monitoring Metrics and Protocols

The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) works to understand how the National Coastal Resilience Fund (NCRF) projects improve communities’ resilience and wildlife. This page has information on NCRF’s monitoring approach. 

Key Requirements for Applicants and Grantees 

Monitoring Plan  

Applicants submitting proposals for a Restoration Implementation project must include a monitoring plan in their full proposal. These grantees are required to conduct monitoring activities throughout the grant period. Details about NCRF project categories can be found in the Request for Proposals. 

Standard Metrics and Protocols  

To compare and combine results across projects, NFWF requires consistency in metrics and data collection. Restoration Implementation grantees must use a core set of monitoring metrics based on project type. The required metrics are described in the monitoring metrics and protocols document linked below. Applicants should explain how they will collect this data. A template is provided in the protocols document. 

Data Submission  

Grantees must upload their monitoring data to NFWF’s repository at https://resiliencedata.nfwf.org/. Standardized reporting templates, linked below, should be used for data submission. If additional data is collected (e.g., for site assessment, modeling, project design, or partner requirements), it should be submitted alongside the monitoring data when possible. For questions or to submit long-term monitoring data, contact NCRF@nfwf.org. 

Timing of Data Collection  

Monitoring data should be collected at three key points: 

• Before implementation (baseline) 
• Immediately after implementation (within approximately three months) 
• About one year after implementation 

Some metrics may take longer than one year to show changes, but early monitoring provides a baseline for future trends. Longer-term monitoring is encouraged to support active management of nature-based solutions (NBSs). NFWF welcomes additional monitoring data collected optionally after the grant period. 
 

Resources 

These documents include required monitoring metrics for common restoration NBSs, data collection protocols for each metric, and templates for monitoring plans. 

• National Coastal Resilience Fund Monitoring Protocols
• Appendix A: Monitoring Metrics Using Cross-Shore Transects and Monitoring Metrics for Water
• Appendix B: Beach and Dune Restoration Monitoring Metrics
• Appendix C: Coral Reef Monitoring Metrics
• Appendix D: Oyster Reef Restoration Monitoring Metrics
• Appendix E: Seagrass Monitoring Restoration Monitoring Metrics
• Appendix F: Nature-Based Stormwater Infrastructure
• Appendix G: Monitoring Metrics for Stream-Related Restoration Projects
• Appendix H: Coastal Forest Restoration Monitoring
• Appendix K: Kelp and Macroalgae Restoration Monitoring Methods and Metrics

These templates should be used to report monitoring data as described in the protocols document. 

• NCRF Monitoring Data Reporting Template for Aquatic Connectivity Restoration
• NCRF Monitoring Data Reporting Template for Beach and Dune Restoration
• NCRF Monitoring Data Reporting Template for Coastal Forest Restoration
• NCRF Monitoring Data Reporting Template for Coral Restoration
• NCRF Monitoring Data Reporting Template for Floodplain Restoration
• NCRF Monitoring Data Reporting Template for Kelp/Macroalgae Restoration
• NCRF Monitoring Data Reporting Template for Marsh Restoration
• NCRF Monitoring Data Reporting Template for Nature-Based Stormwater Infrastructure
• NCRF Monitoring Data Reporting Template for Oyster Reef Restoration
• NCRF Monitoring Data Reporting Template for Riparian Restoration
• NCRF Monitoring Data Reporting Template for Seagrass Restoration
• NCRF Monitoring Data Reporting Template for Stream Restoration