Federal grant programs / Department of Commerce

Marine Debris Program (11.999)

• Awarded, FY 2021 to 2025$147 million
• Grant awards89
• Typical award$560,965
• Awarded in FY 2025$30.0 million
• Size rank694 of 1,823
• Type of assistanceCooperative agreements

Key findings

• Annual funding rose from $7.1 million in fiscal 2021 to $30.0 million in fiscal 2025.
• It is the 694th largest of 1,823 federal grant programs by five-year awards.
• The 20 largest recipients received 80% of the money.
• Awards went to recipients in 30 states and territories.

What the program funds

To provide grants and cooperative agreements to help identify, determine sources of, assess, reduce, and prevent marine debris and its adverse impacts on the marine environment and navigation safety within the coastal United States, territories, and Freely Associated States. Awards that are made under this program from annual appropriations, the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) Supplemental Appropriations Act, Inflation Reduction Act, and the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, American Relief Act will remove and assess marine debris from coastal habitats, including through interception technologies; explore non-regulatory incentives to reduce the quantity and impacts of derelict fishing gear, abandoned and derelict vessels, and other large debris; support regional coordination among marine debris practitioners, states, and tribes; conduct outreach and education activities aimed at preventing marine debris; develop interagency plans to respond to “severe marine debris events” and other natural disasters; assess debris composition, volume, and trajectory in different marine and coastal ecosystems; conduct research and development on marine debris impacts and distribution; and estimate the potential impacts of marine debris on coastal resources, habitats, and economies.

From the federal Assistance Listing. Read the full listing on SAM.gov.

Open opportunities

No opportunity under this program is open or forecast on Grants.gov right now. Programs often post once a year, so the funding history below shows what to expect.

Rules from the program listing

Who can apply

Eligible applicants for assistance typically include 1) state and local governments including public universities and colleges; 2) U.S. territorial agencies and organizations; 3) federally and State-recognized Indian Tribal governments; 4) private universities and colleges; 5) private / commercial for-profit organizations; and 6) nonprofit research and conservation organizations.

What the money can and cannot pay for

Financial assistance can be used to support the implementation of locally-driven marine debris projects that achieve the objectives of the program listed above. These generally include prevention, identification and assessment, research, and removal projects including reducing and preventing fishing gear loss that will benefit coastal habitat, waterways, and NOAA trust resources. Funds must be spent to carry out the purpose of the program and the award in accordance with the Marine Debris Act or other relevant authorities.

Matching requirements

This program has no statutory formula. The Marine Debris Act Section 3 (c) (2) (a) requires that Federal funds for any grant under this section must not exceed 50 percent of the total cost of such project. The non-Federal share of project costs may be provided by in-kind contributions and other non-cash support. The Marine Debris Act allows the NOAA Administrator to waive all or part of the matching requirement in certain instances. Matching requirements under statutory authorities other than the Marine Debris Act may be voluntary.MOE requirements are not applicable to this assistance listing.

Award range and average, in the agency's words

Projects funded through the NOAA Marine Debris Program's Infrastructure Investments and Jobs Act competitions in range from $100,000 to $15,000,000. The average NOAA Marine Debris Program award is $246,500.

Examples of funded projects

Fiscal Year2020: The NOAA Marine Debris Program regularly provides funding to support eligible organizations to conduct research directly related to marine debris through field, laboratory, and modeling experiments.Fiscal Year2021: The NOAA Marine Debris Program regularly provides funding for projects that create long-term, quantifiable ecological benefits and habitat improvements through on-the-ground marine debris removal activities, with highest priority for those targeting derelict fishing gear and other medium- and large-scale debris. The NOAA Marine Debris Program also supports projects that actively engage and educate a target audience (such as students, teachers, recreational fisher communities, state or local governments, industries, elected officials, etc) in hands-on programs designed to raise awareness, reduce barriers to marine debris prevention (e.g., lack of access to waste receptacles or alternatives to single-use items), and encourage and support changes in behaviors to ensure long-term prevention of marine debris.Fiscal Year2022: The NOAA Marine Debris Program regularly provides funding for projects that create long-term, quantifiable ecological benefits and habitat improvements through on-the-ground marine debris removal activities, with highest priority for those targeting derelict fishing gear and other medium- and large-scale debris.

Continue reading on SAM.gov

Quoted from the program's federal Assistance Listing. The notice of funding opportunity is the official source for each competition's rules.

Who usually wins

Nonprofits received 58% of the money, state and local governments 20% and colleges and universities 15%.

By state

20 states have a page for this program: those that received at least $1 million or 10 awards.

Award amounts are federal obligations reported to USAspending.gov for fiscal 2021 to 2025; see how our data works.