Ocean Funding Opportunities

Save Our Seas Foundation Small Grant
Submission deadline: 3 July 2026 (18:00 CET)
Funding amount: Not specified
Website: https://grants.saveourseas.com/
Details: The Save Our Seas Foundation offers a series of grants supporting research, conservation and education projects worldwide. Keystone Grant and Small Grant projects should integrate at least two of these components and focus on threatened marine megafauna, particularly sharks, rays and skates. Applications for the Small Grant are open until 3 July at 18:00 CET. The Keystone Grant is currently closed and reopens in mid-March 2027.

Conservation Nation 2026 Grant Program
Submission deadline: 15 July 2026 (23:59 EST; portal opens 8 July)
Funding amount: Up to USD 5,000 (eight grants)
Website: https://conservationnation.org/2026-grant-program-application-information-2/
Details: Conservation Nation will award up to USD 5,000 each to eight early to mid-career conservationists for work that protects threatened wildlife, preserves habitats and advances biodiversity across terrestrial, marine and freshwater systems, with marine conservation and ocean biodiversity protection named among the eligible focus areas. Preference is given to funding individuals directly and to projects that include field research. Applicants must be able to receive electronic funds in USD. The portal opens at 10:00 EST on 8 July and closes at 23:59 EST on 15 July.

Earthna Prize 2026
Submission deadline: 20 July 2026
Funding amount: USD 1 million total prize pool, split across four winners
Website: https://www.earthna.qa/earthna-prize-2026
Details: Earthna’s prize celebrates projects that preserve, integrate, adapt and adopt ancestral knowledge and cultural heritage to address contemporary environmental challenges. Submissions are invited across five focus areas: water systems, food systems, terrestrial ecosystems, marine and coastal ecosystems, and built environments. Four winners will share the prize pool at the Earthna Summit in 2027.

Oceanic Society Expedition Impact Program (autumn cycle)
Submission deadline: 1 August 2026 (awards announced 15 September)
Funding amount: USD 1,000 to 10,000
Website: https://www.oceanicsociety.org/our-work/conservation-grants/
Details: The Oceanic Society’s Expedition Impact Program funds community-based ocean conservation projects, with grants of USD 1,000 to 10,000 addressing marine plastic pollution, sustainable fisheries, climate change resilience, sustainable tourism and behaviour change. Projects must create measurable conservation outcomes within 12 months and involve local communities. Applications are accepted twice a year, with the autumn deadline on 1 August.

Ocean Exchange Neptune Awards 2026
Submission deadline: 7 August 2026 (Americas, 23:59 GMT); 10 July 2026 (Europe, Middle East and Africa)
Funding amount: Three awards of USD 100,000, plus two USD 50,000 Florida Environmental Impact Awards
Website: https://www.oceanexchange.org/register/
Details: Ocean Exchange’s Neptune Awards recognise solutions that advance understanding of the ocean and reduce human impact while supporting the blue economy, across maritime, ocean environmental, coastal resilience and data themes. Three non-dilutive awards of USD 100,000 are offered, alongside two USD 50,000 Florida Environmental Impact Awards for solutions that can be applied in South Florida. Entry deadlines vary by region: Europe, Middle East and Africa close 10 July, and the Americas close 7 August. Finalists present at the Ocean Exchange event in Fort Lauderdale on 25 to 27 October 2026.

Bow Seat True Blue Fellowship
Submission deadline: 30 August 2026 (23:59 ET)
Funding amount: Up to USD 2,500
Website: https://bowseat.org/programs/true-blue-fellowship/
Details: Bow Seat’s True Blue Fellowship supports young people using creativity to drive environmental action, providing funding, peer support and capacity-building to grow projects that protect the ocean, waterways and climate. Eligible applicants are individuals, groups or organisations led by people aged 16 to 24 worldwide, with new or emerging projects less than two years old. Projects must address ocean, waterway and climate issues through a creative arts lens.

OceanLove Innovation Awards 2026
Submission deadline: 31 August 2026
Funding amount: Seed funding up to USD 10,000, plus a place at a global bootcamp for selected participants
Website: https://oceandecade.org/news/oceanlove-innovation-awards-2026-open-applications-following-huge-success-in-2025/
Details: Organised by OceanLove and endorsed by the UN Ocean Decade, the awards invite ideas for new products, tools, campaigns or initiatives that measurably contribute to ocean conservation. There are three categories: the Wavemakers Award for education, youth and awareness movements; the Living Sea Award for innovations protecting marine life and ecosystems; and the Blue Circle Award for circular economy and pollution solutions. Winners will be announced on 11 October at a ceremony in Los Angeles.

Ferris Olson Family Foundation for Ocean Stewardship (FOFFOS)
Submission deadline: 12 October 2026
Funding amount: Varies by project
Website: https://foffos.org/
Details: The Ferris Olson Family Foundation for Ocean Stewardship is accepting applications for its 2026 grant cycle. Established in 2022 as a 501(c)(3) charitable giving foundation, FOFFOS awards annual grants to organisations working in ocean and coastal conservation. Applicants must hold 501(c)(3) status. Applications are reviewed and awarded by the FOFFOS board on merit.