NOAA’s National Sea Grant Program Grant for Marine Debris Community Action Coalitions

To strengthen efforts in prevention and mitigation of marine debris, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) has directed NOAA’s National Sea Grant College Program to execute $50 million over five years “for marine debris prevention and removal.” There are many types, sources, and causes of marine debris, defined for the purposes of this competition as “any persistent solid material that is manufactured or processed and directly or indirectly, intentionally or unintentionally, disposed of or abandoned into the marine environment or the Great Lakes” (15 C.F.R. § 909.1).

While marine debris is a global issue, it is also intensely local – the activities and attitudes of individuals, communities, and industries drive the global problem. It is important for marine debris prevention and removal to be addressed at the local scale, along with other efforts at larger scales, with the support of key players in the community. Community coalitions and local partnerships are essential to creating effective and long-lasting action on marine debris.

Due to lack of resources, entire segments of our society have not yet been able to invest funding and time into addressing challenges related to the prevention and removal of marine debris. This includes Tribes and Indigenous People who face additional institutional barriers in order to mitigate local marine debris and pollutants. Executive Order 14096, “Revitalizing Our Nation’s Commitment to Environmental Justice for All (https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2023/04/26/2023-08955/revitalizing-our-nations-commitment-to-environmental-justice-for-all), and E.O.13985 (https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2021/01/25/2021-01753/advancing-racial-equity-and-support-for-underserved-communities-through-the-federal-government), emphasize the need for Federal agencies to take actions to redress unfair disparities and remove barriers to government programs and services. E.O. 14096 places even greater urgency on the Federal Government to “. . . build upon and strengthen its commitment to deliver environmental justice to all communities across America. Our Nation needs . . . “. Executive Order 14008, “Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad”, also established the Justice40 Initiative, directing that 40% of the overall benefits from certain federal investments, such as climate, clean energy, and other areas, flow to disadvantaged communities and that such communities accrue the benefits of those investments. For more information, see E.O. 14008, Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad (Jan. 27, 2023), https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2021/02/01/2021-02177/tackling-the-climate-crisis-at-home-and-abroad; Justice40 Initiative, https://www.whitehouse.gov/environmentaljustice/justice40/. This funding opportunity will support the creation of coalitions and partnerships among communities, groups, and localities, especially those that have been traditionally underserved, to address various marine debris challenges.

Applicants and awardees from the FY22 National Sea Grant Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) Marine Debris Community Action Coalitions Competition are eligible to apply for these funds. Current awardees should make clear in their application how additional funds are additive to their original award and how these additional funds would advance outcomes beyond those committed as part of their originally funded project. These applicants can focus on scaling the impact of their original proposal or adding complementary activities that will improve outcomes. NOAA also encourages new applicants or previous applicants with new project ideas to apply.

This is one of two National Sea Grant federal funding opportunities in support of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) to address the prevention and removal of marine debris, focusing on bringing communities together to address local issues in marine debris. A second opportunity NOAA-OAR-SG-2024-23706., the “Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) Marine Debris Challenge Competition,” will support original, innovative, and transformational marine debris prevention and removal research that pushes the boundaries of existing technologies and approaches, changes the current landscape of marine debris mitigation, and ties that research to tangible outputs. The two Sea Grant BIL NOFOs complement two NOAA Marine Debris Program funding opportunities (NOAA-NOS-ORR-2024-2007993 “FY24 NOAA Marine Debris Removal under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law”; and NOAA-NOS-ORR-2024-2007991 “FY24 NOAA Marine Debris Interception Technologies under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law”) that will fund large scale marine debris removal and interception projects.

The National Sea Grant College Program champions diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) by recruiting, retaining, and preparing a diverse workforce, and proactively engaging and serving the diverse populations of coastal communities. Sea Grant is committed to building inclusive research, extension, communication, and education programs that serve people with unique backgrounds, circumstances, needs, perspectives, and ways of thinking. We encourage Sea Grant program applications to reflect diverse participation with regards to age, race, ethnicities, national origins, gender identities, sexual orientations, disabilities, cultures, religions, citizenship types, marital statuses, education levels, job classifications, veteran status types, income, and socioeconomic status.

To strengthen efforts in prevention and mitigation of marine debris, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) has directed NOAA’s National Sea Grant College Program to execute $50 million over five years “for marine debris prevention and removal.” There are many types, sources, and causes of marine debris, defined for the purposes of this competition as “any persistent solid material that is manufactured or processed and directly or indirectly, intentionally or unintentionally, disposed of or abandoned into the marine environment or the Great Lakes” (15 C.F.R. § 909.1).

While marine debris is a global issue, it is also intensely local – the activities and attitudes of individuals, communities, and industries drive the global problem. It is important for marine debris prevention and removal to be addressed at the local scale, along with other efforts at larger scales, with the support of key players in the community. Community coalitions and local partnerships are essential to creating effective and long-lasting action on marine debris.

Due to lack of resources, entire segments of our society have not yet been able to invest funding and time into addressing challenges related to the prevention and removal of marine debris. This includes Tribes and Indigenous People who face additional institutional barriers in order to mitigate local marine debris and pollutants. Executive Order 14096, “Revitalizing Our Nation’s Commitment to Environmental Justice for All (https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2023/04/26/2023-08955/revitalizing-our-nations-commitment-to-environmental-justice-for-all), and E.O.13985 (https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2021/01/25/2021-01753/advancing-racial-equity-and-support-for-underserved-communities-through-the-federal-government), emphasize the need for Federal agencies to take actions to redress unfair disparities and remove barriers to government programs and services. E.O. 14096 places even greater urgency on the Federal Government to “. . . build upon and strengthen its commitment to deliver environmental justice to all communities across America. Our Nation needs . . . “. Executive Order 14008, “Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad”, also established the Justice40 Initiative, directing that 40% of the overall benefits from certain federal investments, such as climate, clean energy, and other areas, flow to disadvantaged communities and that such communities accrue the benefits of those investments. For more information, see E.O. 14008, Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad (Jan. 27, 2023), https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2021/02/01/2021-02177/tackling-the-climate-crisis-at-home-and-abroad; Justice40 Initiative, https://www.whitehouse.gov/environmentaljustice/justice40/. This funding opportunity will support the creation of coalitions and partnerships among communities, groups, and localities, especially those that have been traditionally underserved, to address various marine debris challenges.

Applicants and awardees from the FY22 National Sea Grant Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) Marine Debris Community Action Coalitions Competition are eligible to apply for these funds. Current awardees should make clear in their application how additional funds are additive to their original award and how these additional funds would advance outcomes beyond those committed as part of their originally funded project. These applicants can focus on scaling the impact of their original proposal or adding complementary activities that will improve outcomes. NOAA also encourages new applicants or previous applicants with new project ideas to apply.

This is one of two National Sea Grant federal funding opportunities in support of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) to address the prevention and removal of marine debris, focusing on bringing communities together to address local issues in marine debris. A second opportunity NOAA-OAR-SG-XXX, the “Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) Marine Debris Challenge Competition,” will support original, innovative, and transformational marine debris prevention and removal research that pushes the boundaries of existing technologies and approaches, changes the current landscape of marine debris mitigation, and ties that research to tangible outputs. The two Sea Grant BIL NOFOs complement two NOAA Marine Debris Program funding opportunities (NOAA-NOS-ORR-2024-2007993 “FY24 NOAA Marine Debris Removal under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law”; and NOAA-NOS-ORR-2024-2007991 “FY24 NOAA Marine Debris Interception Technologies under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law”) that will fund large scale marine debris removal and interception projects.