Funding

Like any conservation strategy, Marine Conservation Agreements (MCAs) require funding for up-front and long-term implementation costs (for more on costs, see Valuation, Endowments, Sub-step 1.7 of the MCA Field Guide on Costs, and Phase 4: Implementation of the Field Guide). To help practitioners who are considering applying MCAs, information is provided below regarding funding sources and sample funding proposals for Field Projects, general grant databases and funding directories, and grant email updates.

Field Project Funding

Specific funding sources are identified for several Field Projects within this toolkit. Practitioners may access the funding sources by going to the individual field projects through the navigation menu or by opening the table below (using the blue arrows), which is a composite listing of the funding sources for all the field projects. These funding sources illustrate the types of grants available for MCA projects and may also serve as a place to start looking for funding.

Field Projects Funding Table: Click the arrows on the right to open or close the Field Projects Funding Table.

Funder	Funded Project	Country	Locality

Funder	Funded Project	Country	Locality
Agriculture Viability Grant	Connecticut Oyster Restoration	United States	Connecticut
California Coastal Conservancy	California Sanctuary	United States	California
Chicago Zoological Society	Tanzania Coral Park	Tanzania	Zanzibar
Coastal Protection Fund	Woodard Bay Oyster Restoration	United States	Washington State
Deutsche Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit	Tanzania Coral Park	Tanzania	Zanzibar
Flora and Fauna International	Tanzania Coral Park	Tanzania	Zanzibar
Galveston Bay Estuary Program	Galveston Bay Restoration	United States	Texas
Harborwalk, LTD	Galveston Bay Restoration	United States	Texas
International Coral Reef Action Network	Tanzania Coral Park	Tanzania	Zanzibar
J. M. Long Foundation	California Sanctuary	United States	California
Marin Community Foundation	California Sanctuary	United States	California
Marin County Open Space District	California Sanctuary	United States	California
Marin County Wildlife and Fisheries Advisory Committee	California Sanctuary	United States	California
Mary Flagler Cary Charitable Trust	Virginia Coast Reserve	United States	Virginia
National Estuarine Research Reserve Fellowships	California Sanctuary	United States	California
National Fish and Wildlife Foundation	Tanzania Coral Park	Tanzania	Zanzibar
Natural Resources Conservation Service	Narragansett Bay Restoration	United States	Rhode Island
Netherlands Embassy - Kenya	Tanzania Coral Park	Tanzania	Zanzibar
Netherlands Embassy - Tanzania	Tanzania Coral Park	Tanzania	Zanzibar
NOAA Community-Based Restoration Program	Virginia Coast Reserve	United States	Virginia
NOAA Fisheries’ Community-based Restoration Program	Narragansett Bay Restoration	United States	Rhode Island
NOAA Community-Based Restoration Program	Woodard Bay Oyster Restoration	United States	Washington State
North American Wetlands Conservation Council	California Sanctuary	United States	California
Resources Legacy Fund	California Kelp Research	United States	California
Restore America's Estuaries – NOAA Partnership	Galveston Bay Restoration	United States	Texas
Rhode Island Habitat Incentive Program	Narragansett Bay Restoration	United States	Rhode Island
Russell Family Foundation	Woodard Bay Oyster Restoration	United States	Washington State
San Francisco Bay Keeper	California Sanctuary	United States	California
Southern African Development Community	Tanzania Coral Park	Tanzania	Zanzibar
The Nature Conservancy - Global Marine Team	Virginia Coast Reserve	United States	Virginia
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service San Francisco Bay Program	California Sanctuary	United States	California
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service	Galveston Bay Restoration	United States	Texas
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service	Port Susan Bay Preserve	United States	Washington State
Virginia Aquatic Resources Trust Fund	Virginia Coast Reserve	United States	Virginia
Virginia Coastal Zone Management Program	Virginia Coast Reserve	United States	Virginia
Virginia Marine Resources Commission	Virginia Coast Reserve	United States	Virginia
Wildlife and Environment Society of South Africa	Tanzania Coral Park	Tanzania	Zanzibar
World Wildlife Fund - Tanzania	Tanzania Coral Park	Tanzania	Zanzibar

Sample Funding Proposals

Sample funding proposals may help practitioners understand the types of information to include in new funding requests for MCAs. Examples of funding proposals are found within the individual Field Projects and can also be download directly from the listing below.

California Kelp Research and Leasing Proposal (download .pdf, 318k)
Connecticut Shellfish Restoration Grant Application Cover Sheet (download .pdf, 47k)
Connecticut Shellfish Restoration Grant Application Detailed Proposal (download .pdf, 31k)
Coral Triangle, Eastern Tropical Pacific, Gulf of California, and Gulf of Mexico MCA Feasibility Analysis Proposal (download .pdf, 240k)
Mexico - Gulf of California Legal Assessment Proposal (download .pdf, 99k)
Southern New England Legal Assessment Proposal (download .pdf, 358k)
Texas Shellfish Restoration Grant Application (download .pdf, 3,153k)
Washington Oyster Restoration Grant Application (download .pdf, 136k)
Washington Protection and Restoration Grant Proposal (download .pdf, 176k)

Grant Databases

Grants.gov is a central storehouse and search engine for information on over 1,000 grant programs and access to approximately $400 billion in annual awards. By registering once on this site, your organization can apply for grants from the 26 federal grant-making agencies.
The Restoration Center Funding Opportunities is the only office within NOAA solely devoted to restoring the coastal and marine habitats that support the nation’s fisheries and other trust resources.

Funding Directories

Directory of Watershed Resources is a searchable database of resources available to assist with a variety of environmental projects. The database includes information on federal, state, private, and other funding sources and assistance within the United States.
Environmental Grantmakers Association provides a complete list of EGA member foundations with current staff contacts.
The Foundation Directory Online claims to offer the most comprehensive, in-depth information available on private and corporate U.S. grantmakers and their grants, drawn from reliable sources, including IRS 990s, grantmaker web sites and annual reports, plus data provided directly by grantmakers. This is a subscription service but is available at certain public libraries for free.
The Land Trust Alliance identifies a number of grants, resources, trainings, and publications useful for nonprofit grant seekers.
National Sea Grant provides access to its own Requests for Proposals as well as access to the 32 State Sea Grant programs that provide project funding (often in association with an institution of higher education) on an annual a biennial basis.
The Philanthropy News Digest publishes up-to-date Requests for Proposals from numerous private, charitable organizations, some of which contribute to environmental projects.

Grant Email Updates

Several grant sites provide email updates regarding funding opportunities and application deadlines. These updates are an easy way to keep abreast of changes without having to go to specific sites and searching for new information. While the list below is far from exhaustive, it will be updated from time-to-time with new email alert web sites as they are discovered.

Foundation Center Newsletters (free service)
Land Trust Alliance Newsletter (free service)
Society for Non-profit Organizations Funding Alert Newsletter ($39/year subscription fee)
U.S. government Grants.gov email subscription (free service)

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