Marine Minerals Activities (15.424)
Marine Minerals Activities (Assistance Listing 15.424) is run by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, part of the Department of the Interior. It awarded $17.1 million in 22 grants from fiscal 2021 to 2025, about $779,123 per award on average. No funding opportunity is open on Grants.gov right now.
The typical award was $299,883. Half of the 22 awards fell between $196,691 and $792,359, and they ranged from $11,993 to $3.0 million.
- Awarded, FY 2021 to 2025$17.1 million
- Grant awards22
- Typical award$299,883
- Awarded in FY 2025$2.4 million
- Size rank1,362 of 1,823
- Type of assistanceCooperative agreements
Key findings
- Annual funding fell from $5.4 million in fiscal 2021 to $2.4 million in fiscal 2025.
- It is the 1362nd largest of 1,823 federal grant programs by five-year awards.
- The 13 largest recipients received 100% of the money.
- Awards went to recipients in 10 states and territories.
What the program funds
BOEM provides financial assistance to qualified partners to identify and evaluate OCS sediment for potential use in coastal restoration and beach nourishment projects or programs and to foster capacity building and working relationships with coastal States to address coastal erosion, coastal resilience, and regional sediment management. BOEM funds activities such as conducting state-based needs assessments; geophysical and geological data acquisition in specific areas on the OCS; analysis and interpretation of existing or new geophysical and geological data to delineate sediment resources or benthic habitat; development of regional stratigraphic interpretations or models; modeling to describe or understand geologic processes that affect sediment resources; feasibility and related technological or operations studies; and cultural resources or shallow hazards identification. BOEM also provides financial assistance to qualified partners to assist in the identification and assessment of other potential OCS mineral resources such as critical minerals (as defined by Executive Order 13817 "A Federal Strategy to Ensure Secure and Reliable Supplies of Critical Minerals"). BOEM funds activities such as geophysical and geological data acquisition in specific areas on the OCS, as well as analysis and interpretation of existing or new geophysical and geological data to delineate marine minerals.
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
State agencies, public universities, and non-profits in affected states may apply. More than one institution may collaborate in the preparation of an application for assistance. BOEM welcomes proposals from qualified partners to address resource demand, resource identification, regional sediment management, and other information needs related to OCS marine minerals.
What the money can and cannot pay for
The funds must be spent for OCS-related marine minerals activities. These cooperative agreements are awarded to assist States with research requirements and information needs related to beach nourishment, coastal protection, coastal restoration and management projects or programs, as well as other OCS marine mineral assessments and evaluations.
Matching requirements
This program has no statutory formula. The Leasing Division-Marine Minerals Program encourages a 1-to-1 match of each Federal dollar with a nonfederal dollar. MOE requirements are not applicable to this assistance listing.
Award range and average, in the agency's words
Range is $60,000 to $1,500,000: Average: $683,000.
Examples of funded projects
Fiscal Year2025: 1. M19AC00015 - University of Louisiana at Lafayette - Ecological Function and Recovery of Biological Communities within Sand Shoal Habitats within the Gulf of Mexico (MM-19-01) 2. M21AC00007 – LA CPRA - Inventory of Restoration Quality Sediment to Improve Coastal Resiliency in Louisiana 3. M24AC00005 – South Carolina Department of Natural Resources - Sand and gravel resource identification for multi-use conflict resolution in Long Bay, North and South Carolina, with additional attention to geotechnical characterizationFiscal Year2026: 1. M21AC00007 – LA CPRA - Inventory of Restoration Quality Sediment to Improve Coastal Resiliency in Louisiana 2. M23AC00014 – University of Delaware - Assessing future sand needs and supply in the coastal Mid-Atlantic 3. M21AC00008 – University of Delaware - Sandbridge Highly Migratory Species: Fish Distribution on a Dredged Shoal
Funding history and past recipients
From fiscal 2021 to 2025, Marine Minerals Activities (15.424) awarded $17.1 million across 22 grant awards, an average of $779,123 per award.
| Recipient | State | Awards | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Texas General Land Office | Texas | 4 | $7.0 million |
| Coastal Protection & Restoration Authority of Louisiana | Louisiana | 2 | $3.0 million |
| University of Louisiana at Lafayette | Louisiana | 1 | $2.6 million |
| University of Delaware | Delaware | 3 | $1.3 million |
| The University of Southern Mississippi | Mississippi | 3 | $1.1 million |
| Natural Resources South Carolina Department | South Carolina | 1 | $729,848 |
| New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection | New Jersey | 1 | $300,000 |
| University of Texas at Austin | Texas | 2 | $261,572 |
| The Virginia Department of Energy | Virginia | 1 | $250,000 |
| Geological Survey of Alabama | Alabama | 1 | $242,000 |
| The Research Foundation for the State University of New York | New York | 1 | $125,000 |
| University of Washington | Washington | 1 | $93,662 |
| University of Alabama | Alabama | 1 | $50,000 |
Who usually wins
State and local governments received 66% of the money, colleges and universities 33%.
| Recipient type | Awards | Amount | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| State and local governments | 9 | $11.3 million | 66% |
| Colleges and universities | 12 | $5.6 million | 33% |
| Other | 1 | $239,757 | 1.4% |
By state
4 states have a page for this program: those that received at least $1 million or 10 awards. They are Texas, Louisiana, Delaware and Mississippi.
| State | Awards | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Texas | 6 | $7.3 million |
| Louisiana | 3 | $5.6 million |
| Delaware | 3 | $1.3 million |
| Mississippi | 3 | $1.1 million |
| South Carolina | 1 | $729,848 |
| New Jersey | 1 | $300,000 |
| Alabama | 2 | $292,000 |
| Virginia | 1 | $250,000 |
| New York | 1 | $125,000 |
| Washington | 1 | $93,662 |