In recent years increased attention has been given to biopolymers including chitosan and pectin for their biocompatible, antimicrobial, and hemostatic properties. We have found that the grafting of these biopolymers onto cotton through crosslinking chemistries affords fabrics with bioactive performance properties. For example cotton fabrics and nonwovens grafted with chitosan exhibit interesting antimicrobial, and hemostatic activity which are useful in biocidal, wound dressing, and clothing applications. Cotton grafted pectin also confers interesting wound healing and metal binding properties. The chemistry and fiber manipulation of cotton modified with these biopolymers will be discussed for their potential applications to new product development.