Current Funding Opportunities

NOAA Ocean Guardian School Program: 2026-2027
Submission deadline: July 1, 2026
Funding amount: USD 1,000 to 4,000 per school (participation without funding also available)
Status: Open
Website: https://sanctuaries.noaa.gov/education/ocean_guardian/
Details: NOAA’s Office of National Marine Sanctuaries is accepting applications from PreK-12 schools committing to the protection of local watersheds, the ocean, and special ocean areas like national marine sanctuaries through a school- or community-based conservation project. Any U.S. school may participate without funding. Funded participation is open to schools in eligible counties across California, Washington, Oregon, and statewide in Hawai’i.

Save Our Seas Foundation Grants
Submission deadline: July 3, 2026 (Small Grant)
Funding amount: Not specified
Status: Open
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, while the Storytelling Grant supports early-career and emerging conservation storytellers and focuses on photography in its inaugural year. Applications for the Small Grant are open until July 3, 18:00 CET.

Earthna Prize 2026
Submission deadline: July 20, 2026
Funding amount: USD 1 million total prize pool, split across four winners
Status: Open
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.

Bow Seat True Blue Fellowship
Submission deadline: August 30, 2026 (11:59 PM ET)
Funding amount: Up to USD 2,500
Status: Open
Website: https://bowseat.org/programs/true-blue-fellowship/
Details: Bow Seat’s True Blue Fellowship supports young people using creativity to drive environmental action. Fellows receive funding, peer support, and capacity-building opportunities to help grow projects that protect the ocean, waterways, and climate. Eligible applicants are individuals, groups, or organizations led by people aged 16–24 worldwide, with new or emerging projects less than two years old. Projects must address ocean, waterway, and/or climate issues through a creative arts lens. Selected Fellows join a global network of peers and receive ongoing support from Bow Seat staff and the Future Blue Youth Council.

OceanLove Innovation Awards 2026
Submission deadline: August 31, 2026
Funding amount: Seed funding up to USD 10,000, plus a place at a global bootcamp for selected participants
Status: Open
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. Three categories: the Wavemakers Award (education, youth, and awareness movements), the Living Sea Award (innovations protecting marine life and ecosystems), and the Blue Circle Award (circular economy and pollution solutions; clean-ups alone are not considered innovative). Winners announced 11 October at a ceremony in Los Angeles.

2026 Get Into Your Sanctuary Photo Contest
Submission deadline: September 7, 2026
Funding amount: Not applicable (recognition; winning photos featured in NOAA’s Earth Is Blue social media campaign)
Status: Open
Website: https://sanctuaries.noaa.gov/photo-contest.html
Details: NOAA’s Office of National Marine Sanctuaries invites photographers, divers, boaters, paddlers, scientists, and coastal community members to submit images from national marine sanctuaries and other ocean and Great Lakes places, across four new categories: Life in Motion, Sanctuaries and You, The Water’s Edge, and Ripples From the Past. Photographers must be 13 or older and photographs must be taken in one of NOAA’s 18 US national marine sanctuaries. Winners announced October 2026. Questions: earthisblue@noaa.gov.

Ferris Olson Family Foundation for Ocean Stewardship (FOFFOS)
Submission deadline: October 12, 2026
Funding amount: Varies by project
Status: Open
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 organizations working in ocean and coastal conservation. Applicants must hold 501(c)(3) status. Applications are reviewed and awarded by the FOFFOS board on merit. Questions can be directed to FerrisOlsonFoundation@gmail.com.

NRDC Climate Storytelling Fellowship 2027
Submission deadline: December 2026
Funding amount: USD 20,000 plus mentorship
Status: Open
Website: https://on.nrdc.org/ClimateStorytelling
Details: The 2027 NRDC Climate Storytelling Fellowship, in partnership with The Black List, CAA Community + Impact, NBCUniversal, and The Redford Center, supports writers developing feature or pilot scripts that engage with climate or environmental themes in compelling or unique ways. Selected fellows receive a USD 20,000 grant, feedback from climate experts, and creative mentorship. Recipients will be announced in April 2027. NRDC will additionally cover one month of hosting and one evaluation fee for accepted submissions on the Black List website.

European Invasive Alien Species Rapid-Response Fund (IUCN Save Our Species)
Submission deadline: February 10, 2027
Funding amount: EUR 10,000 to 50,000
Status: Open
Website: https://iucnsos.org/call-for-proposals/
Details: IUCN Save Our Species, with funding from the European Union, has launched a call for proposals under the European Invasive Alien Species Rapid-Response Fund, supporting urgent conservation actions focused on the early detection and rapid eradication of invasive alien species in Europe. Grants range from EUR 10,000 to 50,000 for projects of up to 12 months. The call is open to organisations operating in the European Union; EU overseas countries and territories are not eligible, with the exception of the Canary Islands, the Azores and Madeira. The deadline is February 10, 2027 at 14:00 CEST.

Captains Preferred Products Annual Marine Science Scholarship
Submission deadline: March 31, 2027
Funding amount: USD 1,000
Status: Open
Website: https://captainspreferredproducts.com/pages/marine-science-scholarship
Details: Captains Preferred Products offers a scholarship to a student pursuing a degree in marine science, marine biology, oceanography or another marine-focused discipline. Applicants must be US citizens or permanent residents attending or planning to attend an accredited college or university in the United States, with a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0; high school seniors accepted into a marine science programme are eligible. The application requires proof of enrolment and a self-taped video, between 30 seconds and five minutes long, responding to a set prompt on the applicant’s passion for marine science and plans to contribute to the field after graduation. The winner will be announced by May 1, 2027.

Oceanic Society 2026 Global Ocean Cleanup Grants
Submission deadline: Open (rolling until all grants awarded)
Funding amount: USD 1,500 per grant (ten awards available)
Status: Open
Website (application form): https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1QLr3pY5_P_RozMuRL00KBC0hAwXpR2nMAKADsIsSFcw/viewform
Details: The Oceanic Society is accepting applications for its fifth annual Global Ocean Cleanup, offering grants to ten organizations worldwide to lead, organize, and document community-based coastal or underwater cleanup events. Eligible applicants include nonprofits, community groups, and conservation organizations operating in any coastal or marine environment. Grant recipients will be supported in planning and executing cleanup events while contributing standardized data to a broader marine debris tracking effort. The program is open to organizations in any country.

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.

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 the Sea-Changers 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.

UNDP Ocean Innovation Challenge
Submission deadline: No current open call
Funding amount: USD 50,000 to 250,000 (typical range when active)
Status: Between cycles, subscribe for funding alerts
Website: https://www.oceaninnovationchallenge.org/
Details: Supports innovative solutions tied to SDG 14 targets. Past calls have focused on marine pollution, fisheries, and the blue economy.

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 percent match funding.

Whitley Awards (The Green Oscars)
Submission deadline: 2027 cycle opens early 2027
Funding amount: £40,000 (standard); £100,000 (continuation funding)
Status: Between cycles, watch the website for the 2027 application window
Website: