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Funding

Addressing Priority Research, Extension, and Education Needs

Sea Grant provides a variety of funding opportunities based on its work in four focus areas: Healthy Coastal Ecosystems, Sustainable Fisheries and Aquaculture, Resilient Coastal Communities and Economies, and Environmental Literacy and Workforce Development. Funding opportunities include National Strategic Investments, Special Projects, focused opportunities through each of the 34 Sea Grant programs, and more.

Sea Grant Programs should see Inside Sea Grant for forms and additional guidance where applicable. Questions about funding opportunities should be directed to oar.hq.sg.competitions@noaa.gov.

current opportunities

Subject to the availability of funding, the National Sea Grant Office (NSGO) anticipates approximately $2,000,000 in FY2024 federal funds will be available to eligible applicants to support projects that will advance our scientific knowledge of the American Lobster fishery and support the resiliency of fishing communities in the face of environmental change and economic uncertainty. 

Awards will be made for no more than approximately $600,000 in federal funds per project, and may be for one or two years in duration with a maximum of two years. Applications will require 50% in non-federal match funding. All projects must take place within the United States or territories or their respective waterways. 

There is no guarantee that funds will be available to make awards, or that any application will be selected for funding. If an applicant incurs any costs prior to receiving an award agreement signed by an authorized NOAA official, it does so at its own risk of not being selected or of these costs not being included in a subsequent award. NOAA and DOC will not be responsible for any incurred project costs if a project fails to receive full funding.

This opportunity is open to any individual; any public or private corporation, partnership, or other association or entity (including any Sea Grant College, Sea Grant Institute or other institution); or any State, political subdivision of a State, Tribal government or agency or officer thereof. 

Applicants are strongly encouraged to consider projects that involve partnerships among industry, State agencies, academia, and other community members engaged in the research priorities they intend to investigate.

Information about current and past funded research projects can be found at seagrant.umaine.edu/extension/american-lobster-initiative/research-projects/.

Please carefully review the Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for specific instructions on how to apply for the competition via grants.gov.

Applications must be submitted to Grants.gov by May 7, 2024.

If you have questions please contact sg.grants@noaa.gov and specify that your question is related to the American Lobster Research Funding Opportunity in the subject line.

Subject to the availability of funding, the National Sea Grant Office (NSGO) anticipates approximately $1,000,000 in FY2024 federal funds will be available to eligible applicants to support 2-3 projects that will develop and execute local, regional and national programs, workshops and services to enable fishermen to enter career paths and make a living supplying seafood from our oceans, coasts and Great Lakes. 

Awards will be made for no more than approximately $400,000 in federal funds per project, and may be for one or two years though for no more than $200,000 per year. Applications will require 25% in non-federal match funding. All projects must take place within the United States or territories or their respective waterways. 

Successful projects will create and implement trainings that include the following types of programs, workshops, and services:

  • seamanship, navigation, electronics, and safety;
  • vessel and engine care, maintenance, and repair;  
  • sustainable fishing practices;
  • other training needs as identified by the community.

There is no guarantee that funds will be available to make awards, or that any application will be selected for funding. If an applicant incurs any costs prior to receiving an award agreement signed by an authorized NOAA official, it does so at its own risk of not being selected or of these costs not being included in a subsequent award. NOAA and DOC will not be responsible for any incurred project costs if a project fails to receive full funding.

To be eligible to receive a grant under this program a recipient shall be a collaborative State, Tribal, local, or regionally based network or partnership of public or private entities, which may include— (A) a Sea Grant Institution; (B) a Federal or State agency or a Tribal organization; (C) a community-based nongovernmental organization; (D) fishermen’s cooperatives or associations; (E) an institution of higher education (including an institution awarding an associate’s degree), or a foundation maintained by an institution of higher education; or (F) any other appropriate entity.

Federal agencies and their personnel are not permitted to receive federal funding under this competition; however, federal scientists and other employees can serve as uncompensated partners or co-Principal Investigators on applications. Federal labs and offices can also make available specialized expertise, facilities or equipment to applicants but cannot be compensated under this competition for their use, nor can the value of such assets be used as match.

Information about current and past funded projects can be found at seagrant.noaa.gov/youngfishermen/.

Please carefully review the Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for specific instructions on how to apply for the competition via grants.gov.

Applications must be submitted to Grants.gov by May 2, 2024.

If you have questions please contact sg.grants@noaa.gov and specify that your question is related to the Young Fishermen’s Career Development Projects in the subject line.

Subject to the availability of funding, Sea Grant anticipates $5,000,000 to $6,000,000 will be available for research projects and programs that will develop and refine methods, protocols, techniques, and/or strategies to enhance the production of one or more life stages of aquaculture species (described below) with the overall goal of improving the efficiency, output, and profitability of commercial coastal, marine, or Great Lakes region aquaculture businesses.

Projects that focus on the following aquaculture categories and organisms in both marine and freshwater are eligible for this competition and include:

  • Microalgae and macroalgae (seaweed)
  • Molluscs
  • Crustaceans
  • Ornamentals
  • Baitfish
  • Finfish species for food production
  • Misc. invertebrates

Proposals are sought that will support broad, non-proprietary research to address issues and/or barriers to aquaculture production; make that information available to aquaculture businesses; and preferably include participation and involvement of Sea Grant extension personnel and industry stakeholders. All projects must take place within the United States or territories or their respective waterways.

This opportunity is open to: any individual; any public or private corporation, partnership, or other association or entity (including any Sea Grant College, Sea Grant Institute or other institution); or any State, political subdivision of a State, Tribal government or agency or officer thereof. Applications require the standard 50% non-federal match for Sea Grant projects.

Please carefully review the Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for specific instructions on how to apply for the competition via grants.gov.

Contact oar.hq.sg.aquaculture@noaa.gov with any questions regarding this NOFO and please specify the opportunity in the subject line.

Deadline for Letters of Intent: Wednesday, January 17, 2024 by 5:00 pm local time
Deadline for full applications: Wednesday, April 3, 2024 by 11:59 pm ET

The National Sea Grant Office (NSGO) anticipates approximately $3,000,000 in FY 2024 and 2025 federal funds will be available to individual Sea Grant programs in order to support approximately 10-20 Marine Debris Community Action Coalitions. 

This competition is open to all Sea Grant programs. Matching funds will not be required for this competition.

Letters of intent are required in order to be eligible to submit a full proposal. Letters of intent or applications that do not come through a Sea Grant program will be rejected without review.

Please carefully review the Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for specific instructions on how to apply for the competition via grants.gov.

Resources and forms, including a new application package checklist, are available at the bottom of this page.

Letters of Intent due December 14, 2023
Full Proposals due March 5, 2024

Informational webinar on October 2, 2023 at 4:00 pm ET (register here)

Contact sg.grants@noaa.gov with any questions, and specify the opportunity in the subject line.

Questions and Answers on Sea Grant’s BIL Marine Debris Funding Opportunities (PDF)

Sea Grant anticipates approximately $16,000,000 in FY 2024 and 2025 federal funds will be available to support innovative, transformational research to application projects that will address the prevention and/or removal of marine debris. Proposals are sought that will build upon and extend existing knowledge and efforts related to marine debris; support broad, non-proprietary, and innovative research to address critical gaps with respect to marine debris; and make that information available to communities and stakeholders.

Approximately 5-12 projects of up to three years duration may be funded. Matching funds will not be required for this competition.

This opportunity is open to any person or group within the United States or its territories, as well as tribal nations within those geographies. Please note that it is not a requirement that investigators, including the PI, are part of a Sea Grant program.

Letters of intent are required in order to be eligible to submit a full proposal. Letters of intent should be submitted to the NSGO at sg.grants@noaa.gov.

Please carefully review the Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for specific instructions on how to apply for the competition via grants.gov.

Resources and forms, including a new application package checklist, are available at the bottom of this page.

Letters of intent must be submitted to NSGO by January 31, 2024.
Applications must be submitted to Grants.gov by March 27, 2024.

An informational webinar about the funding opportunity will be held on October 3, 2023 at 4:00 pm  ET. Register in advance here. 

If you have questions or need further assistance in identifying a Sea Grant Program to partner with, please contact sg.grants@noaa.gov and specify that your question is related to the Marine Debris Challenge Competition funding opportunity in the subject line.

Questions and Answers on Sea Grant’s Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act Marine Debris Funding Opportunities (PDF)

This is one of two Sea Grant federal funding opportunities in support of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act to address the prevention and removal of marine debris. The Marine Debris Community Action Coalitions opportunity will support the creation of coalitions and partnerships to address marine debris prevention and removal. Please contact your local Sea Grant Program if you are interested in partnering on this opportunity.

Sea Grant and the NOAA Climate Program Office, with support from the NOAA Office of Coastal Management, seek to establish programs aimed at assisting employers develop a 21st century workforce that is climate literate, informed by climate resilience, and skilled at addressing consequent challenges. NOAA will assist communities in coastal and Great Lakes states and territories so they may form partnerships that train workers and place them into jobs that enhance climate resilience. 

NOAA envisions making between 10-20 awards under this competition, at amounts ranging from $500,000-$10 million each. NOAA expects projects to range in duration from 24 months to 48 months, beginning no earlier than August 1, 2024. This opportunity is open to state, tribal, territorial and local governments, institutions of higher education, and non-profit organizations in coastal states or territories. Resources from NOAA’s Climate Program Office, Office for Coastal Management, and National Sea Grant Office and its partners will be available to provide technical assistance to applicants and recipients to support these innovative efforts. 

Read the formal announcement on Grants.gov NOAA-OAR-SG-2024-2007783

Letters of intent are required in order to be eligible to submit a full proposal.

Resources and forms, including a new application package checklist, are available at the bottom of this page.

Letters of Intent due: November 30, 2023

Full Proposals due: February 13, 2024

See dates and registration for informational and application support webinars here

See NOFO Resources for a Climate Ready Workforce

Questions about this opportunity may be submitted to sg.grants@noaa.gov.

This opportunity is open to state, tribal, territorial and local governments, institutions of higher education, and non-profit organizations in coastal states
or territories.

Find resources for applicants and reviewers at the bottom of this page.

For individuals and organizations that may be interested in applying for any of these opportunities, you must register with SAM.gov, Grants.gov, and eRA Commons. Your accounts must be active before you can apply. Please account for processing time, which may take up to eight weeks.

Current Student Funding Opportunities

Applications must be submitted to the state Sea Grant program by February 15, 2024. Applicants are strongly encouraged to reach out to the Sea Grant Program in their state one to two months prior to the state application deadline to receive application support and provide notification of an intent to apply. The applicant should allow sufficient time to schedule an interview with the eligible Sea Grant program at the program’s request. More information at seagrant.noaa.gov/Prospective.

State programs: LOIs should be received via email by the NSGO Fellowships Program Managers (oar.sg.fellows@noaa.gov) by 5:00 PM ET on March 14, 2024. Full Knauss packages should be submitted through Grants.gov by March 28, 2024 at 11:59 PM ET.

Resources and forms, including a new application package checklist, are available on the Implementation page.

Applications must be submitted to the state Sea Grant program by 5:00 PM local time on January 25, 2024. Applicants are strongly encouraged to reach out to the Sea Grant Program in their state one to two months prior to the state application deadline to receive application support and provide notification of an intent to apply. More information at seagrant.noaa.gov/NMFS-SG-Fellowship.

Join the NMFS-Sea Grant 2024 Fellowship informational webinar on November 13, 2023 at 2 PM ET. Register here. Join office hours, where anyone can ask questions, on November 14, 2023 from 12-1 PM ET and 3-4 PM ET. Attend here.

State programs: LOIs should be received via email by the NSGO Fellowships Program Managers (oar.sg.fellows@noaa.gov) by 5:00 PM ET on February 8, 2024. Applications should be submitted through Grants.gov by February 22, 2024 at 11:59 PM ET.

Resources and forms, including a new application package checklist, are available on the Implementation page.

Current Opportunities from Sea Grant Partners

The Northeast Sea Grant Consortium, in partnership with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)’s Northeast Fisheries Science Center seeks research proposals focused on advancing social, cultural, historical, and economic research to inform communities, developers, and other decision-makers. Proposals that utilize qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches from across the social sciences and humanities are encouraged. Approximately $1 million will be available to support projects in three topical research areas:

  • Offshore Wind Development Planning and Engagement
  • Understanding Fisheries and Offshore Wind Development Interactions
  • Monitoring of Offshore Wind Development and Fisheries Interactions

The funding competition is accepting letters of intent to submit proposals from eligible researchers for projects located in the Northeast through February 15, 2024, with full proposals due April 1, 2024. An informational webinar will be held on January 24, 2024. 

The National Sea Grant Law Center is accepting applications from eligible applicants to conduct research on the effectiveness of laws and policies related to a wide range of coastal resilience issues including sea level rise, flooding, amplified storm surge, increased frequency and intensity of storms, land use, or other environmental factors, and whether those policies are achieving desired policy changes. The 2024 Coastal Resilience Program grants have a recommended funding level of $75,000, and the Law Center anticipates selecting up to two projects for funding. Matching funds will not be required. 

Letters of Intent must be received by 5 p.m. Central Time on Friday, March 8, 2024. 

Full proposals must be received by 5 p.m. Central Time on Friday, June 7, 2024. 

The anticipated award start date is February 1, 2025.

The American-Made Power at Sea Prize seeks new, innovative, and feasible marine energy concepts that can fulfill Powering the Blue Economy initiatives—including supporting offshore industries, science, and security activities, and meeting the energy and water needs of coastal and rural island communities. The Power at Sea Prize was established by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Water Power Technologies Office in collaboration with NOAA’s National Sea Grant College Program and other partners. The submission deadline for the concept phase is July 26, 2024.

Opportunities from Sea Grant Programs

Request for Reviewers

NOAA Sea Grant Seeks Reviewers for Historic Competitive Investments

The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Inflation Reduction Act have made historic investments in America. In support of these investments, NOAA is running multiple grant competitions that need peer reviewers to assess the merit of the proposed work. NOAA’s National Sea Grant College Program is specifically seeking a diverse group of reviewers for three competitions funded by these acts:

 A $50 million competition to support efforts to train and place workers in existing and emerging good jobs that enhance climate resilience

    • Expertise sought:
      • Climate Resilience across a range of sectors
      • Workforce Development
      • Climate Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Justice, and Accessibility
      • Program and Partnership Management
    • Workload:
      • Reviews will occur from approximately March 1 to March 31, 2024
      • Reviewers will read, score, and comment on approximately 10-15 proposals via NOAA’s electronic grant system
        • Proposal narratives are limited to 15 pages
        • Additional included materials usually will increase the package size to 60-100 pages  
    • Honorarium:
      • Non-federal reviewers of 10-15 proposals may be eligible to receive an approximately $2,000 honorarium

A $16M competition to support innovative, transformational research-to-application (R2A) projects that will address the prevention and/or removal of marine debris

    • Expertise sought:
      • Marine Debris Prevention or Removal
      • Ocean Engineering
      • Plastics in the Environment
    • Workload:
      • Reviews will occur from approximately April 8 to May 7, 2024
      • Reviewers will read, score, and  comment on approximately 10-15 proposals via NOAA’s electronic grant system
        • Proposal narratives are limited to 15 pages
        • Additional included materials usually will increase the package size to 60-100 pages  
    • Honorarium:
      • Non-federal reviewers of 10-15 proposals may be eligible to receive an approximately $2,000 honorarium

A $3 million competition to support the creation of coalitions and partnerships among communities, groups, and localities, especially those that have been traditionally underserved, to address various marine debris challenges

    • Expertise sought:
      • Marine Debris Prevention or Removal
      • Community Environmental Coalition Building
      • Plastics in the Environment
      • Environmental Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Justice, and Accessibility
    •  Workload:
      • Reviews will occur from approximately March 15 to April 15, 2024
      • Reviewers will read, score, and comment on approximately 10-15 proposals via NOAA’s electronic grant system
        • Proposal narratives are limited to 15 pages
        • Additional included materials usually will increase the package size to 40-50 pages  
    • Honorarium:
      • Non-federal reviewers of 10-15 proposals may be eligible to receive an approximately $1,000 honorarium

The National Sea Grant College Program champions diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) by recruiting, retaining, and preparing a diverse workforce, and proactively engaging and serving the diverse populations of coastal communities. Sea Grant is committed to building inclusive research, extension, communication, and education programs that serve people with unique backgrounds, circumstances, needs, perspectives, and ways of thinking. We seek reviewers that reflect diverse participation with regards to age, race, ethnicities, national origins, gender identities, sexual orientations, disabilities, cultures, religions, citizenship types, marital statuses, education levels, job classifications, veteran status types, income, and socioeconomic status. This includes reviewers at a range of career stages and backgrounds.

If you are interested in serving as a reviewer for one of these three competitions, please complete this brief interest form or email joshua.brown@noaa.gov with a statement of interest and a copy of your resume/CV.

Resources for Applicants & Reviewers

Obtain the latest version of all standard required forms from https://www.grants.gov/forms/forms-repository/

Follow this link to access the 90-2 webform. Guidance on how to use the webform is located below for view or download.

Click to download the ZIP file containing the Excel version of the form as well as the PDF of the NEPA Questionnaire.

Overview Video

Follow this link to watch the Bias Awareness Training for Reviewers video and find the transcript here.

Applicant organizations must complete and maintain three registrations to be eligible to apply for or receive an award. These registrations include SAM.gov, Grants.gov, and eRA Commons. All registrations must be completed prior to the application being submitted. The complete registration process for all three systems can take 4 to 6 weeks, so applicants should begin this activity as soon as possible. If an eligible applicant does not have access to the internet, please contact the Agency Contacts listed in Section VII for submission instructions.

Prior to registering with eRA Commons, applicant organizations must first obtain a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) from SAM.gov, if needed (refer to Section IV. Applications and Submission Information, Section C). Organizations can register with eRA Commons in tandem with completing their full SAM and Grants.gov registrations; however, all registrations must be in place by time of application submission. eRA Commons requires organizations to identify at least one Signing Official (SO) and at least one Program Director/Principal Investigator (PD/PI) account in order to submit an application.

Grants Progress Reporting/Research Performance Progress Report (RPPR)
  • Interim Supplemental Information for Sea Grant RPPRs
    • GEMS/eRA Updates
      • 12/14/2023 Update – If you had multiple RPPR tasks between 9/23/2023 and 3/31/2024 and were unable to submit the reports due to an eRA migration issue, DOC will allow recipients to simplify the older RPPR and submit a comprehensive report for the latest RPPR due. While an entire RPPR submission is required via eRA Commons, it is reasonable to simplify the older RPPR and submit the comprehensive report for the latest RPPR due. See the link above for more details.
    • Webinar: Tuesday, March 12th from 3:00-4:00 pm ET 
    • Office hours: Thursday, March 21 from 4:00-5:30 pm ET 
    • If you have additional questions after watching the webinar, please connect with your NSGO point of contact.  
    • Feedback form (coming soon)
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