Advancements to science and improved partnerships are needed to align the complex, time-intensive requirements of beneficial use of dredged material (BU) projects, including sediment sourcing, site selection, site design, environmental analysis, and regulatory collaboration, with the goal of maximizing dredged material reuse. For the past nine years, NOAA’s Effects of Sea Level Rise (ESLR) Program has fostered collaboration among interdisciplinary teams nationwide to advance the science and tools coastal managers need to mitigate hazard risks, integrating both built and natural infrastructure. ESLR projects have placed a strong emphasis on sediment management and modeling to evaluate the performance of various site designs for BU. Through discussing NOAA funded science projects in the Gulf and beyond, we will highlight the state of the science and future needs in the advancement of science and BU execution processes.