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Coral Reef Conservation Funding Opportunities

CRCP supports projects through several financial assistance opportunities, in accordance with the Coral Reef Conservation Act (CRCA) of 2000, as reauthorized and amended by the James M. Inhofe National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2023 (Pub. L. 117-263, December 23, 2022, 136 Stat 2395; reauthorized CRCA). The general information about each grant program can be found below. Not all programs are available for open competition and the frequency of competitions will vary. However, information for past competitions may be found below and used as a general guide for the next competition. If a competition is "OPEN SOON!", please check back frequently here and on Grants.gov (search CFDA 11.482 for all opportunities except the Coral Reef Stewardship Fund and Coral Emergency Response Fund, which are administered by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation) or set up automatic notifications (see below). Please visit grants.gov for the full competition information once posted.

You can sign up for automated Grants.gov alerts of funding opportunities according to topics or federal agencies. For more information on the notification process, refer to: https://grants.gov/connect/manage-subscriptions/ and use CFDA 11.482.

Funding Opportunities Overview


Ruth D. Gates Coral Reef Conservation Grant Program
This competitive program is a tribute to the work and life of Dr. Ruth D. Gates with separate competitive grant opportunities available to promote the conservation and restoration of coral reef ecosystems. Projects will be prioritized by coral conservation and coral reef restoration priority areas identified in the National Coral Reef Resilience Strategy and consistent with any Federal and non-Federal coral reef action plans in effect covering a coral reef or ecologically significant reef unit of a coral reef affected by the project.

OPEN NOW! Local and National Capacity Building Support Grants and Cooperative Agreements
Awards will build capacity in States with coral reef ecosystems (defined as the states of Florida and Hawaii; territories of American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the United States Virgin Islands; or any other territory or possession of the United States or separate sovereign in free association with the United States that contains a coral reef ecosystem) by strengthening local nongovernmental organizations' and/or other interested stakeholder groups' ability to participate in future coral reef stewardship partnerships, as outlined in the reauthorized Coral Reef Conservation Act. Projects funded through this competition must address one of the following priorities: 1) Local Coral Community Group Support or 2) National Coral Conservation Support. Click here for competition information

  • Competition Information
  • Eligible Entities: Most applicant types are eligible. However, projects must build capacity in States with coral reef ecosystems (defined as the states of Florida and Hawaii; territories of American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the United States Virgin Islands; or any other territory or possession of the United States or separate sovereign in free association with the United States that contains a coral reef ecosystem). See the Notice of Funding Opportunity for more details.
  • Timeline: Full applications are due (via grants.gov) no later than 11:59 pm Eastern Time on February 15, 2024 to be considered for funding.
  • Award Amounts: Up to $50,000 total for Priority 1 and up to $150,000 per year ($600,000 total) for Priority 2.
  • Project Periods: Proposals may cover up to 24 months for Priority 1 and up to 48 months for Priority 2.
  • Matching Funds: Matching funds from non-U.S. Federal sources are required at a 1:1 ratio for all proposed projects.
  • Federal Funding Opportunity Number: NOAA-NOS-OCM-2024-2008253, available at grants.gov.
  • Point of Contact: Tori Barker, Victoria.Barker@noaa.gov

OPEN NOW! Coral Restoration Innovation Grants
$1 Million Available for Coral Restoration Projects in Honor of Coral Researcher Dr. Ruth D. Gates (Article)

This program supports research needed to apply interventions for restoration that promote and persistence of resilient, genetically diverse, and reproductively viable coral populations. This grant program is intended to promote long-term persistence of corals by not only supporting innovative research and restoration techniques, but also by increasing collaboration between research scientists and management entities to ensure these innovative techniques align with predicted needs of U.S. states and territories in the face of environmental changes and will get integrated into coral restoration activities. Projects funded are expected to have an overarching goal of bringing coral intervention research or techniques into restoration efforts. These projects should 1) advance the research and development of coral interventions to improve resilience to environmental stressors or 2) research innovations to improve coral restoration practices, survivorship of post larval settlers, and growth/survival of mid-sized corals. Click here for more information

  • Competition Information
  • Eligible Entities: Eligible applicants are nongovernmental organizations or research institutions that have demonstrated expertise in coral reef conservation or restoration and/or scientific research; U.S. states, territories, or local governments with authority over coral reefs; and Native entities with interests in a coral reef ecosystem.
  • Timeline: Full applications must be postmarked, provided to a delivery service or received via Grants.gov by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on February 14, 2024. See funding announcement for submission requirements.
  • Award Amounts: Applicants may request a minimum of $100,000 and no more than $1,000,000 total over three years. The average award size is expected to range from $100,000 to $250,000 per year for a total of $100,000 to $750,000 over one to three years.
  • Project Periods: Proposals may cover a 12 to 36-month period.
  • Matching Funds: Matching funds from non-U.S. Federal sources are required at a 1:1 ratio for all proposed projects.
  • Federal Funding Opportunity Number: NOAA-NMFS-HCPO-2024-2008273 Available at grants.gov.
  • Point of Contact: Liz Fairey, Liz.Fairey@noaa.gov

OPEN NOW! Supporting Hawaii's Sustainable Coral Reef Fisheries Management Plans
The purpose of this notice is to solicit financial assistance applications that will support state and national management goals through the creation of Sustainable Coral Reef Fisheries Management Plans (CR-FMPs) across the Hawaiian Islands. The applicant will work closely with partners at the State of Hawaii's Division of Aquatic Resources (DAR) and NOAA Pacific Island Regional Office (PIRO) to support development of CR-FMPs as part of the State's Holomua Initiative. The State will lead this process, driven by local, island-based Navigator Teams; this award will focus on providing technical support and creating decision making tools to aid this process. Click here for competition information

  • Competition Information
  • Eligible Entities: Eligible applicants are nongovernmental organizations or research institutions that have demonstrated expertise in coral reef conservation or restoration and/or scientific research.
  • Timeline: Full applications are due (via grants.gov) no later than 11:59 pm Eastern Time on March 1, 2024 to be considered for funding.
  • Award Amounts: Up to $200,000 per year for a total of $600,000 over three years.
  • Project Periods: Proposals may cover up to a 36-month period.
  • Matching Funds: Matching funds from non-U.S. Federal sources are required at a 1:1 ratio for all proposed projects.
  • Federal Funding Opportunity Number: NOAA-NOS-OCM-2024-2008301, available at grants.gov
  • Point of Contact: Craig Reid, Craig.A.Reid@noaa.gov

OPEN SOON! Coral Reef Stewardship Fund (formerly the Coral Reef Conservation Fund)
This competitive grant program, administered through a long-standing public-private partnership between the NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF), was created to support coral reef stewardship activities with funding provided by NOAA CRCP's public-private partnership agreement, non-Federal donations, and applicant matching funds Click here for competition information

  • Competition Information
  • Eligible Entities: Eligible applicants include all persons, organizations, and non-U.S. Federal agencies
  • Timeline: This is an annual competition occuring in the winter/spring of each year.
  • Award Amounts: Average grant awards range from $80,000 to $150,000.
  • Project Periods: Proposals may cover a 12-18 month period.
  • Matching Funds: Matching funds from non-U.S. Federal sources are required at a 1:1 ratio for all proposed projects.
  • More information: Program information is available on the NFWF Coral Reef website at: https://www.nfwf.org/coralreef/Pages/home.aspx

Emergency Assistance: The Coral Emergency Response Fund
Emergency assistance is available to respond to immediate harm to coral reefs or coral reef ecosystems arising from exigent circumstances. The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation has been selected to non-competitively award grants and contracts in coordination with NOAA CRCP under a public-private partnership agreement. Eligibility is limited (by statute) to the states and territories of American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Florida, Guam, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, and to coral reef stewardship partnerships as they are developed. The Coral Reef Emergency Fund is replenished annually by the CRCP (pending availability of funds) and available until expended. Non-Federal matching funds are not required from the recipient.
Point of Contact: Craig Reid, Craig.A.Reid@noaa.gov


Block Grants: State and Territorial Governments
Beginning in 2025, block grants and cooperative agreements will be awarded to designated resource management agencies in the states and territories of American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Florida, Guam, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands to support coral reef management and restoration activities and further the implementation of coral reef action plans in effect. The All Islands Committee of the U.S. Coral Reef Task Force is also eligible to apply for cooperative agreements to support its activities. These opportunities are non-competitive and do not require non-Federal matching funds.
Point of Contact: Craig Reid, Craig.A.Reid@noaa.gov