Orange County Coastkeeper teams up to award nearly $300,000 in beach accessibility grants

Orange County Coastkeeper works to protect and promote water resources in Southern California.

The Costa Mesa-based nonprofit organization is now also making it easier for people to actually reach that water.

O.C. Coastkeeper has teamed up with the California State Coastal Conservancy to award nearly $300,000 in new grants to help organizations purchase, maintain and promote beach accessibility equipment.

The program is in its second year, said Genesee Ouyang, education director at Orange County Coastkeeper, which is overseeing an application process for the funds. Accessibility equipment includes items like beach wheelchairs, walkers, mats and kayaks.

“I’m just loving doing this whole thing,” Ouyang said. “I’ve been talking about expanding our accessibility efforts since I started working at Coastkeeper, and the fact that this project came around was like destiny. It’s really exciting, because this is definitely an issue that everyone agrees on. Literally, nobody that we’ve interacted with has been like, ‘That’s a dumb thing to fund.’ Everyone is like, ‘Wow, that’s incredible, we need this.’”

Since its launch in May 2024, the beach accessibility program has already distributed $100,000 in funds to six inclusive recreation projects across California. Crystal Cove Conservancy was among those to receive a grant.

Adaptive surfer Kumaka Jensen of Huntington Beach rolls out on the first Mobi-Mat in Huntington Beach in 2021.

(File photo)

“All of that funding was snapped up within one month,” Ouyang said. “So, [the Coastal Conservancy was] like, ‘OK, let’s fund you with $100,000 more this time.’ It’s really, really exciting.”

Applicants can ask for up to $30,000 of funding at a time, and the program is open to any organization in the state of California connected to waterways or the beach. Ouyang said the city of Newport Beach is among the second round of applicants, seeking to replace one of its beach wheelchairs, while the city of San Diego has applied for Mobi-Mats, roll-out mats that make traveling across soft sand easier.

Garry Brown, founder and president of Orange County Coastkeeper, said that Coastkeeper views coastal access not as a luxury, but as a right that everyone should enjoy.

“For decades, we’ve fought to keep beaches clean, public and protected from threats,” Brown said in a statement. “Now we’re confronting another barrier: physical inaccessibility. Everyone should be able to experience California’s coast, and we’re proud to help make that a reality through this program.”

Ouyang said there is about $75,000 accounted for in the second round of founding, meaning that more than $200,000 is still up for grabs. There is no deadline to apply; the funds are available until they run out.

“All of us could use this equipment one day, if we have the privilege of getting old and needing a beach wheelchair or a walker, or even just mothers with strollers using the beach mats to get all the way to the water,” Ouyang said. “There’s just so many types of people who can use this stuff.”

To learn more about the beach and coast accessibility program or to apply for a grant, visit coastkeeper.org/bcap.