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Current Funding Opportunities

PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS & CONFERENCES

FEDERAL GOVERNMENT PROGRAMS

INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS

UNDP Ocean Innovation Challenge
Submission deadline: Open call (no current deadline)
Funding amount: $50,000 – $250,000
Status: Between funding cycles – Next call expected late 2025
Website: https://dev.oceaninnovationchallenge.org/
Details: Supports innovative solutions for SDG 14 targets. Previous calls focused on marine pollution, fisheries, and blue economy.

Pure Ocean Fund: 2025 Call for Projects
Submission deadline: Winners announced March 21, 2025 (Next call expected 2026)
Funding amount: Up to €40,000 per year (1-2 year projects)
Status: Closed – 2025 winners selected
Website: https://www.pure-ocean.org/en/call-for-projects/
Details: Supports innovative marine research projects. Six winning projects announced for 2025.

PRIVATE FOUNDATIONS & CONSERVATION ORGANIZATIONS

Ocean Innovator Award (Sea & Shore Solutions)
Submission deadline: March 15, 2026 (11:59 PM)
Funding amount: Up to $2,000
Status: Open, Third annual competition
Website: https://sea-shoresolutions.com
Details: Recognizes and promotes innovative ocean-related research and applied solutions from early career professionals and students. Submissions must relate to the ocean, coast, or estuaries and may span communications, education, fieldwork, maritime operations, policy, or scientific research. Winners receive cash prizes and a featured presentation in the Ocean Innovator Webinar series. Open to applicants worldwide; no entry fee.

Blue Action Fund – Marine Protected Areas Grant Program
Submission deadline: No current open calls
Funding amount: €2-4 million (typical grants)
Status: Between funding cycles – Subscribe for funding alerts
Website: https://www.blueactionfund.org/
Details: Supports MPA establishment and management in Africa, Latin America, and Asia/Pacific. Requires 25% match funding.

Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund (CEPF)
Submission deadline: Ongoing (varies by region)
Funding amount: Varies by project
Status: Ongoing
Website: https://www.cepf.net/grants
Details: Supports biodiversity conservation in global hotspots. Marine components in coastal hotspots.

REGIONAL & SPECIALIZED PROGRAMS

Sea-Changers Scottish Learning Fund
Submission deadline: Rolling applications (open until funds depleted)
Funding amount: Up to £750 per application
Status: Open
Website: https://www.sea-changers.org.uk/scottish-learning-fund
Details: Supports early-stage and community-based marine conservation groups in Scotland to learn from peers, share knowledge, and develop collaborative skills. Funding covers site visits to established projects, workshops with experienced practitioners, joint training sessions, and networking activities. Showcases funded projects on website for inspiration.

OCEAN Grants Programme (UK)
Submission deadline: Rolling applications
Funding amount: Varies
Status: Accepting proposals
Website: https://oceangrants.org.uk/
Details: UK-focused marine and ocean research grants.

Ocean Changemakers Challenge 2025
Submission deadline: Open call
Funding amount: Not specified
Status: Open
Website: https://www.f6s.com/ocean-changemakers-challenge-2025/apply
Details: Supports innovative ocean solutions and entrepreneurship.

Whitley Awards (The Green Oscars)
Submission deadline: Opens early 2026
Funding amount: £40,000 (standard); £100,000 (continuation funding)
Status: Applications open early 2026
Website: https://whitleyaward.org/apply-for-conservation-funding/apply-for-a-whitley-award/
Details: Recognizes outstanding conservation leadership. Next application cycle opens early 2026.

YOUTH & FELLOWSHIP PROGRAMS

MMOA Bursary for Aspiring Marine Mammal Observers
Submission deadline: January 31 each year
Funding amount: Amount not specified (typically covers training or equipment costs)
Status: Open – Annual call for applications
Website: https://www.imarest.org/education-training/awards-funding/mmoa-bursary
Details: Jointly funded by IMarEST’s Don Bootle Fund and the Marine Mammal Observer Association (MMOA), this bursary supports early-career marine mammal observers, protected species observers, and PAM operators. Funding may be used for JNCC MMO training, field internships, work experience, or purchasing equipment. Applicants must be members of both IMarEST and MMOA. Officially endorsed by the UN Ocean Decade.

Wayfinder Society Educator Mini-Grant (Algalita)
Submission deadline: March 1, 2026
Funding amount: $1,000 (10 grants available)
Status: Open
Website: https://algalita.org/wayfinder-society/educator-mini-grants/
Details: Supports middle and high school educators in US public, private, and charter schools to create meaningful learning experiences and action-focused projects addressing plastic pollution. Funding can be used for student-led research projects, building mobile repair carts for campus-wide use, creating reuse systems in school cafeterias, or other initiatives that empower students to imagine a world where plastic pollution is unthinkable. Open to educators across all subject areas who demonstrate commitment to addressing plastic pollution in their classroom, school, or community. Awardees announced early April 2026.

2026 Science Without Borders® Challenge (Khaled bin Sultan Living Oceans Foundation)
Submission deadline: March 2, 2026
Funding amount: Scholarships up to $500 (1st place: $500; 2nd place: $350; 3rd place: $200; People’s Choice: $50 per age group) Status: Open – Free to enter
Website: https://www.livingoceansfoundation.org/education/science-without-borders-challenge/
Details: Annual international art competition for students ages 11–19 enrolled in primary or secondary school worldwide. The 2026 theme, “Microscopic Marine Life,” invites students to create original, hand-drawn artwork celebrating the invisible organisms that generate oxygen, anchor marine food webs, and regulate climate. Submissions judged on artistic quality, originality, and connection to ocean conservation. Includes educational resources for teachers and grading rubrics.

2026 Ocean Awareness Contest: Your Story, Our Ocean (Bow Seat)
Submission deadline: June 8, 2026
Funding amount: Cash awards up to $1,000
Status: Open – Free to enter
Website: https://bowseat.org/programs/ocean-awareness-contest/
Details: Open to students ages 11–18 worldwide. Submissions accepted across multiple categories, including visual art, creative writing, poetry, film, performing arts, and interactive/multimedia. Contest encourages youth to explore personal connections to the ocean through creative storytelling.