In fall 2024, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency awarded its largest grant ever for nature-based climate solutions to the Atlantic Conservation Coalition. The coalition is comprised of four mid-Atlantic states and The Nature Conservancy. Duke University is among its partners. The $421 million grant will advance dozens of projects to protect and restore high-carbon coastal habitats, peatlands and forested land in North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia and Maryland. The Nicholas Institute for Energy, Environment and Sustainability worked with the coalition to support development of the proposal. As projects get under way, the Nicholas Institute will lead the tracking and reporting of project benefits via a public dashboard launched in June 2025. Experts at the Nicholas Institute’s Nature Activation Hub will also aid the coalition’s efforts by assisting North Carolina State Parks and the North Carolina Coastal Federation in prioritizing projects related to state park land acquisitions and coastal habitat resilience. READ MORE.
The Atlantic Conservation Coalition Dashboard for the public launched in June 2025 to advance protection and restoration of projects in NC, SC, VA and MD.