Technical assistance grants for Florida municipalities
Up to $200,000 in technical assistance. Fully funded. Zero obligation.
C-HAWQ funds and manages the studies that make your water quality project fundable and shovel-ready.
Questions before you apply? Contact our team.
Backed by independent university research and a science-first nonprofit
How it works
Three steps from first conversation to a shovel-ready project — see the process below.
Step 01
Discovery Call — We learn your waterway and your community's specific issues.
Step 02
We fund water sampling, feasibility work, and technical studies, and help write the RFP that puts your project in front of qualified engineers.
Step 03
We help build public support and identify funding through completion.
See the process in action
Backed by Science, Not Sales
Our advisory board is made up of university researchers, scientists and engineers, not vendors. C-HAWQ is partnered with the National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis (NCEAS) as part of the Gulf Ecosystem Initiative, a $3.5 million research partnership between NCEAS and the NOAA RESTORE Science Program mapping canal degradation and building indicators municipalities can use to plan restoration. This is science in action.
Our Scientific Advisors
Chris Stallings, PhD
Professor, USF College of Marine Science
Holden Harris, PhD
University of Florida
Michael Allen, PhD
Professor, UF School of Forest, Fisheries & Geomatics Sciences
Christopher B. Burke, PhD, PE
Professor, University of Illinois – Chicago College of Engineering
David Kaplan, PhD
Professor, UF Engineering School of Sustainable Infrastructure & Environment
Vincent Encomio, PhD
Extension Agent, Florida Sea Grant, University of Florida IFAS
Research & Conservation Partners
Why Cities Trust C-HAWQ
The Coastal Habitat and Water Quality Initiative (C-HAWQ, "sea-hawk") is a science-first Florida nonprofit. We have no construction contract to win and no profit motive to defend. We're a partner at the table, not another vendor.
University researchers collect data on every project — rigorous work at no cost to your city.
Independent research into Florida's canal and coastal ecosystems, so decisions stay grounded in data, not politics.
Working With Municipalities Across Florida
From the Panhandle to the Keys, we're already partnering with canal communities on nature-based solutions — living shorelines, oyster reefs, and better circulation that solve water quality problems for less than traditional infrastructure. If your municipality is facing the same challenges, our technical assistance grants can help fund the path forward.
Active canal communities and project sites across Florida's coastline.
Ready to Move Your Water Quality Project Forward
Questions before you apply? Contact our team.