U.S. Department of the Treasury

About the centers of excellence research grant program

The Centers of Excellence Research Grants Program, administered by the Department of the Treasury, makes available 2.5 percent of all administrative and civil penalties deposited into the Trust Fund plus 25 percent of interest earned on the Trust Fund to the five Gulf Coast states.  Grant recipients under the Centers of Excellence Research Grants Program must comply with the RESTORE Act, Treasury’s RESTORE Act final rule, 31 C.F.R. Part 34, the requirements of 2 C.F.R. Part 200, Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards, the requirements included in the grant agreement documents, such as, the RESTORE Act Financial Assistance Standard Terms and Conditions and Program-Specific Terms and Conditions and as applicable, special award conditions, and all other relevant program requirements, applicable executive orders, federal statutes, and regulations.

ELIGIBLE DISCIPLINES UNDER THE CENTERS OF EXCELLENCE RESEARCH GRANTS PROGRAM

Trust Fund amounts are available to establish one or more one or more Centers of Excellence through competitive subawards to nongovernmental entities and consortia in the Gulf Coast Region, including institutions of higher education. Funds may be used by those Centers of Excellence for science, technology, and monitoring in one or more of the following disciplines:

• Coastal and deltaic sustainability, restoration, and protection, including solutions and technology that allow citizens to live in a safe and sustainable manner in a coastal delta in the Gulf Coast Region;
• Coastal fisheries and wildlife ecosystem research and monitoring in the Gulf Coast Region;
• Offshore energy development, including research and technology to improve the sustainable and safe development of energy resources in the Gulf of Mexico;
• Sustainable and resilient growth, economic and commercial development in the Gulf Coast Region; and
• Comprehensive observation, monitoring, and mapping of the Gulf of Mexico.

ELIGIBLE APPLICANTS UNDER THE CENTERS OF EXCELLENCE RESEARCH GRANTS PROGRAM

The RESTORE Act and Treasury’s implementing regulations at 31 C.F.R. § 34.702 specify which entities are eligible to receive grants under the Centers of Excellence Research Grants Program. Treasury’s regulations list the Centers of Excellence Research Grants Program eligible applicants for each state as follows:

• In Alabama, the Alabama Gulf Coast Recovery Council or such administrative agent as it may designate;
• In Florida, the Florida Institute of Oceanography;
• In Louisiana, the Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority Board of Louisiana through the Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority of Louisiana;
• In Mississippi, the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality; and
• In Texas, the Office of the Governor or an appointee of the Office of the Governor.

Each of the five Gulf Coast States have established one or more RESTORE Act Centers of Excellence.  Information about the Centers of Excellence and the awards is available on this RESTORE Act website.

RESTORE ACT: 2023 SCIENCE-BASED SOLUTIONS FOR A CHANGING GULF Webinar series

Join Treasury for a bi-monthly informational webinar series that will highlight research findings that help state and local resource managers better understand the Gulf's resources and develop sustainable solutions that will provide for the long-term health of the region's ecosystems and economy.

The 2023 webinar series highlighted COE research findings that help state and local resource managers better understand the Gulf's resources and develop sustainable solutions that will provide for the long-term health of the region's ecosystems and economy. Recordings of each webinar are available below: