OpenChannels.org is one of the many arms of OCTO. To improve our value to you, we want to know how you use our programs (OpenChannels.org, MEAM, MPA News, and others), how they have helped you, and how they could be better. Please fill out this quick 5 minute survey. We would love to hear your thoughts. Thank you! (P.S. You could win an awesome OCTO tote bag.)
NOAA's B-WET program funds locally relevant, authentic experiential learning for K-12 audiences through Meaningful Watershed Educational Experiences which are multi‐stage activities that include learning both outdoors and in the classroom and aim to increase understanding and stewardship of watersheds.
All proposed projects should be bold, innovative, and potentially transformative and have a primary focus in conservation, education, research, storytelling, or technology. Projects should also align to one of our three focus areas.
Established in 1984, the Conservation Grants Fund (previously called the Conservation Endowment Fund, or CEF) supports the cooperative conservation-related scientific and educational initiatives of AZA, AZA-accredited zoos and aquariums, and their collaborators.
The Saltonstall-Kennedy Act established a fund (known as the S-K fund) used by the Secretary of Commerce to provide grants or cooperative agreements for fisheries research and development projects addressing aspects of U.S. fisheries, including, but not limited to, harvesting, processing, marketing, and associated business infrastructures. Under this authority, grants and cooperative agreements are made on a competitive basis (subject to availability of funding) to assist in carrying out projects related to U.S.
NOAA’s Office of Ocean Exploration & Research (OER) is soliciting proposals for ocean exploration in waters under U.S. jurisdiction, including the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), and areas mapped by, or of interest to, the U.S. Extended Continental Shelf (ECS) Project. Presently, important marine habitats and living and non-living resources are neither fully explored nor characterized. OER's intent is to address these knowledge gaps and support growth in the Nation's Blue Economy by soliciting ocean exploration proposals that focus on:
The NOAA Marine Debris Program (MDP), authorized in the Marine Debris Act (33 U.S.C. 1951-1958), provides funding to support eligible organizations to conduct research directly related to marine debris through field, laboratory, and modeling experiments.
The Marine Turtle Conservation Fund (MTCA) is soliciting proposals for the conservation of marine turtles (Chelonia mydas, Caretta caretta, Dermochelys coriacea, Eretmochelys imbricata, Lepidochelys olivacea, Lepidochelys kempii) throughout their range outside of the United States and its territories. The U.S. Government enacted the Marine Turtle Conservation Act of 2004 in response to the decline of many marine turtle populations worldwide and the serious threats to their long-term survival.
We will be looking at the creation of a new technology which is about bringing the 3 concepts of the Second Nature Initiative, Marine Plastic Pollution, Blue and Circular Economy and New Technologies, is considered by the panel as “industry changing”.
Eligibility information
International participants
Ages until 45
University affiliation is not a prerequisite
In accordance with the Marine Debris Act, eligible applicants are state, local, and tribal governments whose activities affect research or regulation of marine debris and any institution of higher education, nonprofit organization, or commercial (for-profit) organization with expertise in a field related to marine debris. Applications from federal agencies or employees of federal agencies will not be considered. Interested federal agencies may collaborate with eligible applicants but may not receive funds through this competition.
The Rapid Ocean Conservation (ROC) Grants Program is a project of the Waitt Foundation. ROC Grants provide small grants with a quick turnaround time for solutions to emerging conservation issues. This complements the Waitt Foundation’s existing major grants program and is responsive to conservation opportunities, supports higher-risk ideas at a low financial cost, and engages with small, local NGOs on a global scale.
IDEA WILD seeks to minimize the loss of biodiversity by empowering people on the front lines of conservation by awarding small equipment grants to conservation professionals around the world. These equipment grants advance biological research, conservation education, community outreach, conservation management, field training, and professional development in areas where it is needed most. By empowering both aspiring and veteran conservation professionals, IDEA WILD has been instrumental in establishing new protected areas, reversing the decline of species through innovative management plans, restoring damaged and critical habitat, and improving how local communities support and sustain their immediate natural resources. Each year, IDEA WILD distributes over $300,000 worth of equipment – including digital cameras, spotting scopes, mist nets, tents, binoculars, and GPS units – to over 400 conservation projects worldwide.
IDEA WILD focuses its support on professionals working in developing countries where other sources of support are limited or nonexistent, and where a $750 equipment grant is often equivalent to several months’ salary. IDEA WILD accepts proposals from ALL countries.