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. See below for more information on current and previous funding opportunities. Most funding opportunities require applying through or to one of the 34 Sea Grant programs.
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 National Funding Opportunities
Applications must be submitted to the state Sea Grant program by February 19, 2021. 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. Grant announcement: NOAA-OAR-SG-2022-2006631
State programs: please submit the full Knauss packages through Grants.gov by April 02, 2021 at 11:59 PM EDT
This program will support research to address critical gaps in knowledge about how the American Lobster and its fishery are being impacted by environmental change. Applications are sought from research teams and encourage research partnerships between state agencies, academia, and/or industry stakeholders that address life-history parameters, including but not limited to impacts of ocean acidification; distribution and abundance, including but not limited to ecosystem shifts; species interactions; and/or bait alternatives in the Gulf of Maine, Georges Bank, and/or southern New England.
Pending appropriation of funds, Sea Grant anticipates awarding between five to ten research projects totaling between $1 million and $2 million dollars in FY2021. Projects must have a maximum duration of two years.
Eligible applicants are 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.
Read formal announcement on Grants.gov NOAA-OAR-SG-2021-2006808
Application due date: April 20, 2021
Current State/Local Funding Opportunities
See details on the State Sea Grant Program Funding Opportunities page
Current Regional Funding Opportunities
The Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant Consortium (MASGC) is accepting proposal submissions to estimate the abundance of greater amberjack in the U.S. waters in the Gulf of Mexico (GoMEX) and South Atlantic (SA) regions. This funding opportunity is to develop additional data sources, assessment approaches and knowledge to improve agency and agency-independent estimates of the abundance of greater amberjack throughout the greater amberjack’s range. The successful applicant(s) will determine the absolute abundance of the greater amberjack by habitat type, including artificial reefs, natural reefs and unclassified habitats.
MASGC anticipates funding one or more proposal(s). The total funding available for the competition is $9 million plus a non-federal match requirement of $2.7 million (30%). Funds for this research competition are provided by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) National Sea Grant College Program and NOAA National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS).
The principal investigator (PI) of a proposal must be located at a research university located within a coastal state extending from Virginia to Texas. Co-investigators, including state agencies, non-governmental organizations and the fishing industry, may be in any U.S. region. Federal partners may also participate as uncompensated collaborators.
Proposal instructions are available in the funding request.
Register for an informational meeting on January 15, 2021, 1-2:30 pm CT, to discuss this funding opportunity.
Letters of Intent due date: February 5, 2021
Full proposals due date: April 9, 2021
The Northeast Sea Grant Consortium seeks proposals to catalyze social science and technology research for ocean renewable energy planning in the Northeast, in partnership with the U.S. Department of Energy’s Wind Energy Technologies Office and Water Power Technologies Office, and NOAA’s Northeast Fisheries Science Center.
Over $1 million in funding is available to support projects that improve understanding of offshore renewable energy interactions with fishing and coastal communities. Research priority areas include: Fisheries and Fishing Community Resilience, Coastal Community and Economic Resilience, and Co-Location Management of Ocean Renewable Energy with Other Marine Activities.
Budget requests may not exceed $100,000 annually, for a maximum funding request of $200,000 for two years.
Pre-proposals due May 14, 2021 by 5pm ET via MIT Sea Grant
Full Proposals due July 16, 2021 by 5pm ET via MIT Sea Grant
Current Student Opportunities
See our pages on student opportunities.
Current Opportunities from Sea Grant Partners
NOAA and the North American Association for Environmental Education (NAAEE) are interested in forging lasting partnerships between environmental education providers, aquaculture industry experts, and NOAA to achieve greater impacts on several levels. This competitively-based funding opportunity aims to support such partnerships by funding the co-development of aquaculture education programs that are responsive to the following goals of the Community of Practice for Aquaculture Literacy (CoPAL): Bringing aquaculture education programming to institutions and/or target audiences currently lacking resources; Building the capacity of environmental education providers to offer high-quality programming in informal and formal settings by matching aquaculture communication needs with existing research; and Developing creative approaches for public engagement that promote a culture that values innovation, exploration, and community-relevant learning as a context for improving public aquaculture literacy.
Funding amount: Maximum $15k for projects no longer than 12 months.
Register for an informational meeting on March 5, 2021, 2:00-3:00 pm EST.
Application due date: April 2, 2021