The five funded projects
The largest award from Crown Estate Scotland's Coastal Communities Fund 2026 is £50,000 for Lossie Community Development Trust's Lossie West Beach Coastal Protection and Access Repair project.
Three other projects also received their full requested grants: £19,800 for Outfit Moray's Water Safety Project, £13,754 for Hopeman Community Association's Hopeman East Beach Dune Protection Project, and £12,690 for Burghead Sub Aqua Club's Moray Shore & Sea Clean Collective.
Tide School CIC received £3,756 for Sea Sense Moray – Tide School, rather than the £15,000 it requested. The partial award will support a scaled-down proposal offering coastal learning courses at five coastal primary schools.
Marc Macrae, who chairs Moray Council's Economic Development and Infrastructure Committee, said residents had a direct role in deciding where the money went. He praised the successful organizations' commitment to the coastline and said the protection, environmental, safety and education projects would bring lasting benefits to residents and visitors.
First phase of West Beach repairs
The West Beach award will fund an initial stage of repairs in Lossiemouth, according to The Press and Journal. Coastal erosion and storm damage uprooted a 200-foot section of the path and wall, prompting the beach parking lot's closure in November 2024. The grant will pay to restore the first 65 feet of that stretch; the trust estimates the full repair cost at about £200,000.
The newspaper also reports that Moray Council decided in May 2025 not to renew its lease on the parking lot. The lease expires in January 2027, and the council's earlier estimate for repairs exceeded £750,000. Lossiemouth Community Development Trust is working with the landowner and Moray Golf Club on a solution.
How residents chose the projects
Moray Council's newsroom said 17 eligible proposals entered the vote on Moray Engage, where residents were asked to choose five. Under the allocation rules, projects receive funding in vote order until the £100,000 budget is committed, with a partial award possible for the last project.
Voting ended on May 9. Before confirming the results, organizers checked the submissions and excluded duplicates, late entries and ballots that selected fewer than five projects. All applicants, successful or otherwise, have been notified directly.
The scheme is now in its second year. Almost 9,000 votes were cast in its first round in 2025, when awards supported beach accessibility work in Burghead, upgrades at the Scottish Dolphin Centre and community facility improvements in Spey Bay and Portknockie.
Funding rules and longer-term investment
Revenue from Crown Estate Scotland's marine assets finances the fund. Eligible projects must have a clear link to Moray's coast or sea, fall within 12 nautical miles of the coastline and address local priorities while helping protect or improve coastal communities.
Mike Spain, Crown Estate Scotland's director of Aquaculture & Marine Ecosystem Services, said marine activities overseen by the organization had generated more than £900,000 for Moray Council since 2017. He said Crown Estate Scotland remained committed to ensuring that this revenue continued to benefit Moray and other coastal communities.
According to Moray Council, this year's round has a £100,000 budget. The council has reserved the remaining Crown Estate funding for longer-term strategic investment over the next five years.
The scheme offers Medium Grants ranging from £10,000 to £20,000 for medium-scale projects, and Strategic Grants from £20,001 to £50,000 for transformational work or projects involving multiple communities or partnerships. An award can meet up to 100% of project costs, although applicants are encouraged to secure some matching funds.
The council says the scheme also aligns with Scotland's Blue Economy Vision. Its 2045 goal is for shared stewardship of the marine environment to support healthy ecosystems, better livelihoods, economic prosperity, social inclusion and well-being.
