A: Grants in this round of the Sanctuary Community Fund will support community partner engagement serving sanctuaries designated by NOAA after June 1, 2024. Support will include grants to regionally and locally based organizations to advance science, stewardship, and outreach within the community. Scientific research projects will not be considered under this funding opportunity but interpreting science for the public benefit and building support with the use of tools such as surveys, polls, interviews and focus groups is allowed.

A: Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis. The deadline for community engagement grants for this cycle of the SCF will be January 9, 2026. 

A: Eligible applicants include formal or informal education institutions, non-profits, Indigenous or Indigenous-serving organizations, and/or a non-federal government entity (tribal, state, or local government). The applicant does not have a paid staff member serving on the Foundation’s Board of Trustees. The applicant is not a federal government agency, a foreign entity/organization, or an individual. Individuals are not eligible, but organizations applying may include individuals acting as independent contractors in their budgets. Project work is conducted in the United States or territories.

A: The National Marine Sanctuary Foundation will consider a broad range of expenses under this funding opportunity, with the intention of meeting the needs of sanctuary communities’ engagement with the designation process. 

• Capital expenses for equipment are allowed, but a strong justification for the need should be included in the ‘Budget Description’ area of the application, along with the reason that the item should be purchased and not leased. (Lease of equipment is preferred.)
  • Capital expenses should be limited to the proportion required for the proposed project. Please note that any funded requests for equipment will require a longer period of monitoring, typically beyond initial project completion. 

• Projects that propose profit for the applying organization are not allowed. 
  • For example, the Foundation cannot fund ticketed events, unless the ticket cost offsets the cost of the event, and the request to the Foundation covers a gap in expected revenue.
  • For programs, the Foundation cannot support costs that are otherwise covered by program fees but can cover additional materials that program fees do not cover. 

• Entertainment expenses are not allowed, including alcohol purchase or service.  

• The Foundation cannot support budget requests that benefit an individual, like scholarships.  

• Salary and fringe benefits are allowed, but only for the time attributable to the proposed project.  

• Independent contractor costs and consultant costs are allowed. 

• Indirect costs are allowed. If you are using an indirect cost rate or administrative fee, please upload in optional materials on the application your organization’s policy on administrative costs, if your organization has documented that process. 

• Supplies are an allowable expense. Please be as specific as possible about supplies needed to complete the project as proposed. 

• Travel is an allowable expense. Please be prepared to identify in the ‘Budget Description’ area of the application how many people the travel budget is intended to cover, and what type of travel is estimated, and why travel costs are needed. 

• • Mileage, please use 2025 IRS business rate of 70 cents per mile. If your organization has its own mileage reimbursement rate, please use that calculation. 

• • Rental cars, lodging, and per diem are allowable expenses. You can use GSA per diem rates as an estimate, found at this website. 

• • Travel beyond regular economy rates is not allowed. 

• • Include group travel needs, such as bus transportation, in the travel budget line. Please distinguish between employee travel needs and participant travel needs in your budget

• Rental costs for program or event venues, or storage are allowed, but cannot extend beyond the end date of the project. 

• Software costs are allowable and should be included in the Supplies budget line. Software costs may be included proportional to their use for the proposed project. 

If you are unsure if an expense is allowable as part of your budget, please reach out to Gina Digiantonio, Program Operations Manager at [email protected] with the email subject line: Sanctuary Community Fund: [Name of Organization]. 

A: Organizations that have never been a recipient of National Marine Sanctuary Foundation grants are strongly encouraged to apply if they meet the eligibility criteria.

A: No, federal employees or federal agencies cannot be the primary applicant or recipient but can and should be a partner in a proposal. 

A: The typical duration of grants is for a project period of 9 months. The project work must conclude by January 31, 2027.

A: Letters of support that demonstrate project capacity are encouraged and will help reviewers understand your ability to complete the project successfully and on time.  

Letters of commitment from project partners are required.  An example of a letter of commitment would be if your proposed project involves a school, then a letter of commitment should be provided from the school indicating the acknowledgement of their participation and enthusiasm for the project. This includes a letter of commitment from the superintendent of the sanctuary you are working in. 

A: There is a supplemental attachments section in the online application that will allow you to upload any additional documents, videos, photos, etc. that help you to illustrate your proposal. 

A: More information about the Sanctuary Community Fund and the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation can be found on the Foundation website. 

A: The official web site for the National Marine Sanctuary System, including links to individual sites, can be found at https://sanctuaries.noaa.gov