State Sea Grant Program Funding Opportunities
State Sea Grant Programs provide funding opportunities for a variety of topics within Sea Grant’s strategic priorities. See the table below for a list of opportunities available at each of our state programs. For questions about these opportunities please contact the state program directly.
2024 Gloria Barron Prize for Young Heroes
The Gloria Barron Prize annually honors 25 outstanding young leaders ages 8 to 18 who have made a significant positive difference to people and the environment. Fifteen top winners each receive $10,000 to support their service work or higher education. Encourage the young heroes you know to apply online by April 15th!
Young people are invited to apply by completing an online application. It includes an essay and three letters of recommendation, which references submit through our online platform. Many applicants also include supplemental materials such as links to their websites and social media pages.
Applicants can now access the 2024 online application and begin compiling their materials. Winners will be announced in late September.
Applications Due: April 15, 2024
Recycle Regatta Competition
Apply the engineering method and help your students become environmental stewards as you repurpose recyclables into seaworthy vessels! Master buoyancy, engineering, and physics obstacles to race your boat creations to victory.
The Recycle Regatta is a free, fun, hands-on competition for K-12 students to participate in from anywhere! Students build a model sailboat from recycled and repurposed materials and race to victory while discovering engineering, mathematics, sailing, buoyancy, and stewardship. Two awards will be given for each fleet, including the fastest and most creative vessels.
Entries due: April 30, 2024
NOAA Planet Stewards Projects Funding 2024/2025
Through federal funding opportunities of up to $5,000, NOAA Planet Stewards supports educators working in formal and informal educational settings to carry out hands-on action-based stewardship projects with elementary through college age students, as well as the general public. Stewardship projects must make a substantive, measurable impact on an environmental issue related to the educator’s community. Projects should focus on the conservation, restoration, and/or protection of human communities and/or natural resources from environmental issues in one of the four focus areas identified below.
Educators requesting support from NOAA Planet Stewards must submit an application and supporting documents by midnight (Pacific Time) June 2, 2024. Applicants will be contacted regarding the status of their submission no later than July 31, 2024. If approved, educators shall use the funds to carry out their project during the 2024/2025 academic year.
Educators leading stewardship projects will be required to send a detailed progress report every six months until the project is completed. For projects taking place during the 2024/2025 academic year, the first progress report is due by midnight (Pacific Time), February 2, 2025. A final report must be submitted within one month of completing the project, but no later than July 28, 2025. More information…
Questions? Join us Tuesday, April 2 and/or April 30, 2024 I 7-8 p.m. ET
Ask questions about project development, implementation, and the funding application process. These sessions will not be used to introduce information already posted on our web site or found within supporting documents on our website, so we strongly recommend you review all the information there first. Spaces for these events are limited!
Video Conference Log In: meet.google.com/gsv-ymtr-jzj
Phone Dial In: (US)+1 928-793-2072
PIN: 350 609 389#
New Graduate Student Level Ecosystem Science National Research Traineeship Program
Check out this new National Research Traineeship program for graduate students interested in interdisciplinary marine ecosystem science that brings together collaborators from the University of Maine’s School of Marine Sciences, School of Computing and Information Science, Native American Studies, and Department of Anthropology.
The program, funded by the National Science Foundation, will support more than 20 graduate students over the next five years. Applications for Fall 2024 are now being accepted. Find out more about the program and how to apply here.
Student Mini-Grants
These mini-grants are available to students looking for financial support for their personal education, school and community projects, internships, networking events, etc. connected to addressing the plastic crisis.
Mini-grants range from $300 – $2000, and must be applied to your education, projects, or other efforts related to addressing the plastic problem. If you are selected as a grantee, you’ll need to report back to us by the end of the grant period sharing what you’ve accomplished. This is not a loan, so the money is yours to keep; you won’t need to pay it back.
In 2024, we will award a total of $15,000 USD through this program!
Application Timeline
- The application period begins January 15th, 2024.
- Application deadline is 5:00 pm PT, April 15th, 2024.
- Winners announced May 1st, 2024. Potential recipients may be contacted for a one-on-one phone or video call interview with judges.
NBEP Outreach & Education Awards Program
The Narragansett Bay Estuary Program (NBEP) seeks proposals for outreach and education projects that align with the program’s vision of clean water and habitat for wildlife in the tri-state Narragansett Bay region. Projects that incorporate community participation and ownership of solutions to issues facing the Narragansett Bay Watershed will be competitive. A brief scope of work, timeline, and budget should be submitted in NBEP’s Google Form.
Deadline: Friday, May 3, 2024, 5 PM ET
Next-gen STEMM leaders in Environmental Justice Fund
The Gulf Research Program (GRP) is seeking proposals from nonprofit and community-based organizations with 501(c)(3) status that have existing environmental justice (EJ) programs to cultivate the next generation of Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics, and Medicine (STEMM) leaders (grades 9-12) in the field of environmental justice who will be needed to confront the complex challenges to human health and the environment in the 21st century. Visit the website for more information
Deadline: May 8, 2024
MassDEP Reduce, Reuse, Repair Micro-Grant
This micro-grant program supports short-term waste reduction projects totalling $10,000 or less. Regional authorities, eligible municipalities, schools, non-profits, and for-profit companies are eligible to apply. Composting and recycling projects are not eligible for this funding opportunity.
Deadline: Wednesday, May 15, 2024, 5 PM ET
EPA Pollution Prevention Grants
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced over $20 million to support technical assistance to be provided to businesses to develop and adopt pollution prevention practices. States, U.S. territories, federally recognized tribes, tribal consortia, and state universities are eligible to propose projects. Read more about this funding opportunity and sign up for the informational webinar on April 11.
Deadline: Friday, May 17, 2024
NOAA RESTORE Science Program FFO-2025: Long-term Trends
NOAA is excited to announce the availability of approximately $17.5 million in funding through the FFO-2025 program. This initiative aims to support projects focused on understanding the trends and variability of natural resources in the Gulf of Mexico ecosystem. We are seeking proposals that investigate the impacts of climate change, water quality and quantity, and fish, fisheries, and fishing communities on the region’s biodiversity. Additionally, projects outside of these areas of emphasis will be considered if sufficiently justified. Successful applicants will have the opportunity for up to five years of funding, with the potential for renewal. Key dates include public webinars on March 29 and April 11 for an overview of the competition, with letters of intent due by May 23, 2024, and full proposals by August 22, 2024. Join us in advancing our understanding and management of this vital ecosystem. For complete details, visit the Full Announcement link provided.
The Science Program will provide an overview of the funding competition and answer questions during public webinars on March 29 & April 11.
- Webinar 1:Friday, March 29 from 2-3 pm ET. Register here.
- Webinar 2: Thursday, April 11 from 11am-12pm ET. Register here.
All applicants must submit a letter of intent by 11:59 pm ET on May 23, 2024 in order to submit a full proposal (see sections IV.B.B.1 and IV.D.1 of the full announcement). Once a letter of intent has been checked for the required components, the applicant will receive an acknowledgement of receipt.
Full proposals are due by 11:59 pm ET on August 22, 2024!
EPA Community Change Grants
The Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Environmental and Climate Justice Community Change Grants Program (Community Change Grants) announced a Notice of Funding Opportunity for approximately $2 billion in Inflation Reduction Act funds to benefit disadvantaged communities through projects that reduce pollution, increase community climate resilience, and build community capacity to address environmental and climate justice challenges.
Deadline: Thursday, November 21, 2024