Funding

Most Recent Deadline: February 13, 2024. The NOAA Climate Resilience Regional Challenge (Challenge) will support collaborative approaches to achieving resilience in coastal regions with an emphasis on risk reduction, regional collaboration, equity, and building enduring capacity. The Challenge is a $575 million competition with a Letter of Intent phase and two exclusive funding tracks designed to meet the needs of coastal communities wherever they are in the resilience and adaptation process. Regional Collaborative Building and Strategy Development (Track One) supports building capacity for, development of, and collaboration on transformational resilience and adaptation strategies for coastal communities. Successful applicants will receive $500,000 to $2,000,000 to support regional scale coordination, engagement, planning, advancement of equitable outcomes, and capacity building for resilience and adaptation. Total funding for all Track One awards may be up to $25 million. Implementation of Resilience and Adaptation Actions (Track Two) supports implementation of transformational resilience and adaptation strategies and associated actions for coastal communities anchored in previous planning efforts. Applicants must propose a suite of complementary adaptation actions that together build the resilience of multiple communities within a coastal region, including those that have been marginalized, underserved, or underrepresented. Applicants can apply for not less than $15,000,000 and not more than $75,000,000, with most awards being between $25,000,000 and $50,000,000. Total funding available for all Track Two awards is up to $550,000,000.

Categories: IRA, Inflation Reduction Act, extreme weather events, chronic climate hazards, risk reduction; regional coordination and collaboration; equity and inclusion; and enduring capacity

Most Recent Deadline: December 18, 2023. The objective of the Marine Debris awards for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Justice, and Accessibility (DEIJA) is to further DEIJA initiatives to address and investigate the adverse impacts of marine debris by supporting marine debris prevention, research, monitoring, detection, response, removal, and coordination activities. The Foundation anticipates funding 10-15 implementation projects for 1 year. Potential projects can include support for marine debris removal events, curriculum development, small-scale removal of marine debris, coordination activities, and more.

Categories: ocean, community impact, pollution, education

Deadline Passed:: January 31, 2024. The Marine Debris Challenge Competition will support original, innovative, and transformational marine debris prevention and removal research that pushes the boundaries of existing technologies and approaches, changes the current landscape of marine debris mitigation, and ties that research to tangible outputs. Brief Description: Sea Grant anticipates approximately $16,000,000 in FY 2024 and 2025 federal funds will be available to support research to application projects that will address the prevention and/or removal of marine debris, with award periods of three years. Applications DO NOT require the standard 50% non-federal match for Sea Grant projects. However, applicants are strongly encouraged to combine NOAA federal funding with formal matching contributions and informal leverage from a broad range of sources in the public and private sectors. Eligible Applicants: This opportunity is open to any person or group within the United States or its territories, as well as tribal nations within those geographies. Applicants must submit proposals in partnership with a relevant Sea Grant program. Please note that it is not a requirement that investigators, including the PI, are part of a Sea Grant program. Applicants and awardees from the FY22 National Sea Grant Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) Marine Debris Challenge Competition are eligible to apply for these funds. Please carefully review the specific instructions for the Marine Debris Challenge Competition opportunity found on the Sea Grant Funding page. Questions about the competitions may be sent to oar.sg.marine-debris@noaa.gov.

Categories: Marine Debris, Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, BIL, Sea Grant

Most recent deadline was September 30, 2022. The overall objective of this $28 million funding opportunity is to make tangible, beneficial impacts to coastal and marine habitats and communities across a broad geographic scale, through a variety of marine debris removal methods. While there are a number of effective ways to address the sources and impacts of marine debris, this funding opportunity focuses on two distinct priorities aimed at making the largest measurable impact: 1) the development of large scale and high-value marine debris removal programs (hereafter “partnerships”) that can be responsive to local and regional marine debris removal needs, with a focus on large marine debris; and 2) the implementation of projects that use proven interception technologies that capture marine debris at or close to known marine debris sources or pathways. Learn more and apply here.

Categories: Marine conservation, debris removal, technological solutions, innovation, coastal restoration

RFP closed in Feb 2016. Projects are being solicited to improve communication, education, and training on marine resource issues throughout the region and increase scientific education for marine-related professions among coastal community residents, including indigenous Pacific islanders, Native Hawaiians and other underrepresented groups in the region.

Categories: Education, communication, training, Marine

Most recent Deadline: February 20, 2024. Marine Energy University Foundational R&D. The U.S. Department of Energy’s Water Power Technologies Office (WPTO) and Wind Energy Technologies Office (WETO) has released a $14.5 million funding opportunity for pioneering research in marine and ocean renewable energy at U.S. colleges and universities. The funding opportunity will fund projects across four topic areas, which includes up to $1.5 million for projects that advance potential synergies between offshore wind and/or marine energy and aquaculture development (topic area descriptions from the solicitation are copied below). We would appreciate your helping sharing this announcement with relevant contacts and network. We’ve also shared this with NOAA Office of Aquaculture. For more information and the link to apply: Funding Notice: Marine Energy University Foundational R&D | Department of Energy. Concept papers are due by 5 p.m. ET on February 20th, 2024 and are required to be eligible to submit a full application. https://www.energy.gov/eere/water/funding-notice-marine-energy-universi…

National Coastal Resilience Fund. Most recent Deadline: May 6, 2025. National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) National Coastal Resilience Fund has released a request for proposals. The National Coastal Resilience Fund (NCRF), established in 2018, invests in nature-based solutions that protect coastal communities while enhancing habitats for fish and wildlife. The National Coastal Resilience Fund invests in conservation projects that restore, increase and strengthen natural infrastructure such as coastal marshes and wetlands, dune and beach systems, oyster and coral reefs, rivers and floodplains, coastal forest, and barrier islands that mitigate the impacts of storms and other coastal hazards to communities. For more information, visit: https://www.nfwf.org/programs/national-coastal-resilience-fund/national….
 

Categories: Coasts, resilience, habitat restoration, extreme weather events, mitigation, community preparedness

Deadline Passed 12/03/2018. Deadline Unknown for 2019. The purpose of this document is to advise the public that NOAA is soliciting applications to administer a 5-year, applied research program that supports collaborative research in the National Estuarine Research Reserve System (NERRS). This funding opportunity will provide support for the grantee to develop and administer a comprehensive national program that funds extramural collaborative science projects to address the system-wide research and management needs of the National Estuarine Research Reserve System, while being responsive to local and regional reserve priorities and those of NOAA. 

Categories: research, collaboration, management, coastal management, estuarine management, implementation

Most Recent Deadline: May 30, 2024. The Nationwide Fishing Trap Removal, Assessment, and Prevention Program (TRAP) focuses on derelict trap removal in four areas: 1) standardization of data collection and monitoring, 2) reduction of economic and ecological impacts, 3) prevention and mitigation of harmful effects, and 4) comprehensive data sharing and analysis. This Program will benefit coastal and estuarine natural resources by reducing target species and bycatch mortality of living marine resources and by the removal of abandoned and derelict traps from sensitive habitats, as well as provide economic benefits such as increased harvests. Projects should also foster awareness of the effects of derelict fishing traps to further the conservation of living marine resources and their habitats and contribute to the understanding of nationwide derelict fishing trap distribution and impacts.

Categories: conservation, natural resources, coastal, estuary

Past deadline: May 15, 2019. This broad agency announcement (BAA) is a mechanism to encourage research, education and outreach, innovative projects, or sponsorships that are not addressed through NOAA competitive discretionary programs. It is not a mechanism for awarding congressionally directed funds. Funding for potential projects in this notice is contingent upon the availability of Fiscal Year 2019 and Fiscal Year 2020 appropriations. NOAA issues this BAA for extramural research, innovative projects, and sponsorships (e.g., conferences, newsletters, etc.) that address one or more of the following four mission goal descriptions contained in the NOAA Strategic Plan: 1)  Climate Adaptation and Mitigation 2) Weather-Ready Nation 3) Healthy Oceans 4) Resilient Coastal Communities and Economies

Categories: Climate Mitigation, Climate Adaptation, Disaster Preparedness, Biodiversity, Planning

Deadline passed. Most recent deadline: November 18, 2021. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Climate Program Office is soliciting applications for eight individual competitive research programs through which high-priority climate science, assessment, decision support research, outreach, education, and capacity-building activities are funded to advance our understanding of the Earth’s climate system. Learn more and apply here.

Categories: Climate, natural resources, outreach, education

The Coastal and Estuarine Land Conservation Program (CELCP) was authorized for the purpose of protecting important coastal and estuarine areas that have significant conservation, recreation, ecological, historical, or aesthetic values, or that are threatened by conversion from their natural, undeveloped, or recreational state to other uses. This announcement solicits applications for land acquisition projects (fee simple interest or conservation easements) that are expected to be completed within 18 months from the start date of the award. NOAA-NOS-OCRM-2014-2003828.

Categories: Estuarine Conservation

Deadline passed as of November 9th, 2018. Deadline for 2019 unknown. NOAA has developed the Coastal Ecosystem Resiliency Grants Program to build resilience of coastal ecosystems, communities and economies in the U.S. The Coastal Ecosystem Resiliency awards will fund projects that develop healthy and sustainable coastal ecosystems through habitat restoration and conservation.

Categories: Sustainability, Ecosystem Health, Coastal Ecosystems, Resiliency, habitat restoration, Habitat Conservation

Deadline Passed as of 3/12/2018. Deadline for 2019 Unknown. Funding Opportunity #: NOAA-NMFS-HCPO-2018-2005487. The objective of the Fiscal Year 2018 NOAA Great Lakes Habitat Restoration Grants solicitation is to provide federal financial and technical assistance to habitat restoration projects that both meet NOAA's mission to restore coastal habitats and support the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative goal to protect and restore habitats to sustain healthy populations of native fish species in the eight U.S. Great Lakes states (New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, and Minnesota). Proposals submitted under this solicitation will be primarily evaluated based on their ability to demonstrate they have strong on-the-ground habitat restoration components that will lead to measurable impact on the project’s target species and their ecosystem in the long term. For the purposes of this competition, planning activities are feasibility, engineering and design activities.

Categories: Habtat Restoration

Deadline Passed as of 3/2/2018. Deadline for 2019 Unknown. As part of the NAI, this competition is designed to foster the expansion of a sustainable U.S. ocean, coastal and Great Lakes aquaculture sector by addressing one or more of the following priorities: (a) supporting the development of emerging systems or technologies that will advance aquaculture in the U.S., including projects that will help stimulate aquaculture production by nascent industries; (b) developing and implementing actionable methods of communicating accurate, science based messages and information about the benefits and risks of U.S. marine and Great Lakes aquaculture to the public; and (c) increasing the resiliency of aquaculture systems to natural hazards and changing conditions. Successful applications must describe projects that clearly address major constraints, barriers or hurdles limiting aquaculture production in the U.S.

Categories: coasts, great lakes, aquaculture, sustainability, resiliency, technology

Deadline: 06/06/2021. NOAA Planet Stewards is now providing up to $5,000 to support educators' (elementary through college) efforts to implement hands-on action-based stewardship projects that conserve, restore, and protect human communities and natural resources from environmental challenges.

Categories: Marine debris
Habitat conservation and restoration
Carbon footprint reduction
Carbon sequestration

This climate adaptation initiative is designed to support action to prepare for the current and predicted impacts of climate variability and change on America's coastal communities. Applications to this competition must propose projects that identify and address the vulnerabilities a coastal community may face in adapting to climate change. Projects must be carried out in active partnership with local (county or municipal) leadership, and should include cooperation with relevant state, NOAA, and other Federal agencies, or other organizations, as appropriate.

Categories: Adaptation, Mitigation, Conservation, Coastal

For Fiscal Year 2021, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Adaptation Science Program is soliciting proposals focused on U.S. coastal communities planning for the future impacts of flooding in the context of climate change and other stressors. The program seeks to advance the science of adaptation by soliciting proposals for interdisciplinary and social science research projects that accelerate, expand and enhance the effectiveness and scale of adaptation and resilience planning and implementation in the face of complex challenges in coastal settings. https://cpo.noaa.gov/Funding-Opportunities/FY-2021-Notice-of-Funding-Op…

Deadline passed. Most recent deadline: February 23, 2024. Up to $50K support is available for ocean acidification education and outreach focused on underserved and/or Indigenous communities or Tribes. Priority goals include engaging diverse audiences in ocean acidification education and outreach, matching ocean acidification communication needs with existing research, education and outreach activities, while developing innovative approaches for community involvement. 

Categories: education, ocean acidification, workforce development, ocean literacy, stewardship

Most Recent Deadline for Pre-Proposals: May 30, 2024. NOAA Ocean Exploration is dedicated to exploring the unknown ocean, unlocking its potential through scientific discovery, technological advancements, partnerships, and data delivery. By leading national efforts to fill gaps in basic understanding of the marine environment, we are providing critical ocean data, information, and awareness needed to strengthen the economy, health, and security of the United States and the world. The notice of funding opportunity was published on April 2, 2024, and is accessible through the NOAA Ocean Exploration website, on Grants.gov. https://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/about/funding-opps/welcome.html

Categories: ocean, marine, coastal, habitat, explore, document, research, baseline, marine biology

Deadline Passed. Most recent deadline: March 6, 2023.  Congress established the Pacific Coastal Salmon Recovery Fund (PCSRF) to reverse the decline of West Coast salmon. This competitive grants program provides funding to States and Tribes to protect, conserve, and restore these populations. Read more about this funding opportunity here.

Categories: habitat conservation, protected species, sustainable fisheries, salmon, recovery

Most recent deadline passed. NOAA’s Office of National Marine Sanctuaries (Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary office) is seeking proposals under the Pacific Northwest B-WET Program. The Pacific Northwest B-WET Program is a competitive, environmental education, grants program that promotes locally relevant, experiential learning in the K-12 environment. Funded projects provide Meaningful Watershed Educational Experiences (MWEEs) for students, related professional development for teachers, and help to support regional education and environmental priorities in the Pacific Northwest. This Federal funding opportunity meets NOAA's Vision of healthy ecosystems, helping to ensure that ocean, estuarine, and related ecosystems and the species that inhabit them are vibrant and sustainable in the face of challenges.

Categories: environmental education, watersheds, professional development, healthy ecosystems, ocean health

This popular internal funding program is designed to stimulate efforts within NOAA to preserve, protect and promote the agency's heritage assets. Projects from FY05 through FY12 have varied in scope from interpreting historic and cultural resources in NOAA's care to capturing oral histories of NOAA employees and constituents. Must be partnered with a NOAA partner.

Categories: Education, Conservation, Research

Most recent deadline: 11/20/2024. NOAA announces its FY25 funding opportunity for Regional Resiliency & Vulnerability Assessments (RVAs). Please share amongst your networks! This announcement specifically addresses priorities for how ocean and coastal acidification affect human communities in the context of ocean change. Projects funded under this opportunity will have a September 1, 2025 start date. Approximately 1–6 projects for up to 3 years in duration may be funded at the level of approximately $100,000 – $400,000 per year per proposal. The NOAA Ocean Acidification Program is requesting proposals for collaborative projects that synthesize ocean and coastal acidification information at a regional scale. This announcement specifically addresses priorities for how ocean and coastal acidification - in the context of changing ocean conditions - affects dependent human communities (the human dimensions of ocean and coastal acidification). This includes the identification and engagement of interested partners and groups, the assessment of their needs, and the generation of products and tools that support management, adaptation, and resilience to ocean and coastal acidification. These projects should provide actionable information to decision makers and/or bolster the resilience of the nation’s economy by determining where societal vulnerabilities to ocean and coastal acidification exist or are emerging. This funding opportunity will only support the collection of social science data. Synthesis of existing data in other fields is strongly encouraged. Funding is contingent upon the availability of Fiscal Year 2025 Federal appropriations. Projects funded under this announcement will have a September 1, 2025 start date. Approximately 1–6 projects for up to 3 years in duration are expected to be funded at the level of approximately $100,000 - $400,000 per year per proposal. It is anticipated that a total of up to $3 million may be available in FY25 to support the first year of these projects. See here for more information including the grants.gov listing with the Notice of Funding Opportunity document. 

Categories: ocean acdification, human dimensions

Deadline Passed. Most Recent Deadline: November 8, 2023. Nearly $85 million in funding is available for fish passage and tribal capacity building under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act. This funding will support U.S. federally recognized tribes, Alaska Native Corporations, and tribal organizations in implementing fish passage work and building tribal organizational capacity. In collaboration with NOAA, selected partners will use these funds to build tribal organizational capacity and implement projects that reopen migratory pathways and restore access to healthy habitat for tribally-important species. Selected projects may also provide community and economic benefits, such as enhancing climate resilience by removing or improving aging infrastructure. NOAA will accept proposals between $300,000 and $12 million. Learn more and apply here.

Categories: BIL, IRA, Tribally-important species, dam removals, sustainable fisheries, endangered species, conservation, watershed health

Deadline passed. Most recent deadline: October 31, 2022. NOAA Fisheries is accepting applications for the Saltonstall-Kennedy Grant Competition. This funding will support the promotion, development and marketing of U.S. fisheries. Awards maximum is $300,000. Learn more and apply here.

Categories: Fisheries development, aquaculture, community participation, sustainability

Deadline Passed. Most recent deadline: November 7, 2023. The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) recognizes the unique importance of many protected species to tribes and values ongoing efforts by tribal nations to conserve and protect species under NMFS jurisdiction. This grant supports conservation of endangered, threatened, and candidate or proposed species, as well as post-delisting monitoring of recovered species. Funded activities may include the development and implementation of management plans, scientific research, and public education and outreach.

Categories: Natural Resources, Wildlife, Conservation, Research, Education

Deadline passed. Most recent deadline: February 28, 2023. The Resilience Collaborative seeks to fund justice-focused, environmental and climate projects that advance community-centered resilience priorities. The Collaborative is particularly interested in supporting frontline communities and tribes or nonprofits and community organizations that serve frontline communities and tribes. Project topics can include capacity building, developing a community-centered resilience plan, developing Indigenous climate knowledge, and more. Awardees must be based in Washington, Idaho or Oregon. Funding amount (provided by NOAA and University of Washington EarthLab) varies based on level or project ranging from $5,000 up to $50,000 for one year. Projects of varying levels will be funded as follows: Level 1: $5,000 to $10,000; Level 2: $15,000 to $30,000; Level 3: $35,000 to $50,000. Additional information and an opoprtunity to have questions answered will be available at an informational webinar on Friday, January 20, 2023 and during open office hours Tuesday, January 24, 3-4:30 p.m. and Thursday, February 16, noon-1:30 p.m. More information is available here.

Categories: capacity building, community-building, Indigenous climate knowledge, resilience strategy, climate documenting, environmental justice

Recent Deadline: April 16, 2025. $100 million in funding is available for habitat restoration and coastal resilience through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. Of the $100 million in funding available, 15 percent is specifically available to U.S. federally recognized tribes, Alaska Native Corporations, and organizations that represent tribes through formal legal agreements, through direct awards or subawards: A direct award is an award where the tribe is the applicant, receives an award from NOAA, and administers the award. and A subaward to a tribe is an award where a non-tribal applicant receives a direct award from NOAA, but provides a specific amount of funding to a tribe to carry out a portion of the award. The remaining funding will be available to all eligible applicants. Projects selected through this funding opportunity will have a transformative impact for coastal communities and tribes across the country. They will help sustain our nation’s fisheries, make significant strides in the recovery of threatened and endangered species, and help protect coastal communities and ecosystems from the impacts of climate change. They will support efforts such as reconnecting rivers to their historic floodplains, outplanting corals to rebuild reefs, building living shorelines that protect coasts from erosion and sea level rise, and more. https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/grant/transformational-habitat-restorati…

Categories: BIL, IRA, Coastal restoration, marine areas, estuaries, fisheries, conservation, climate resilience

Deadline passed. Most recent deadline: August 30, 2023. NOAA announced the availability of approximately $1.8 million for federally-recognized Tribes to support tribal participation in or engagement with existing regional ocean partnerships, with funding provided through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. This Tribal funding complements a separate funding program for established regional ocean partnerships, which seeks to enhance and sustain the efforts of the established partnerships to coordinate inter-state and inter-Tribal management of ocean and coastal management issues. This Tribal engagement funding opportunity focuses on encouraging or enhancing Tribal participation with established regional ocean partnerships, and/or Tribal activities related to partnership priority actions. Learn more and apply here.

Categories: Ocean and coastal management, Tribal leadership, regional ocean partnerships, BIL