The NOAA Marine Debris Program will award up to $47 million through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to support the removal of large marine debris throughout the coastal United States, Great Lakes, territories, and Freely Associated States. These removal projects should focus on large marine debris, including abandoned and derelict vessels, derelict fishing gear, and other debris that is generally unable to be collected by hand.
Important Application Deadlines:
Required Letter of Intent Deadline: September 27, 2024, 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time.
The letter of intent (LOI) deadline has passed for this competition and submissions are currently under review. Applicants who submitted an LOI can expect to receive notification following the LOI review process in November 2024. Only LOI applicants who are invited to submit a full proposal may submit a full application. Full applications are due January 31, 2025, and those invited to submit a full proposal may refer to this page for additional resources on writing and submitting your application.
Full Proposal Deadline: January 31, 2025*
*Full proposals will only be accepted from applicants that received an invitation to submit a full proposal following review of the letters of intent
The information below is intended to assist applicants in applying for funding through the Fiscal Year 2025 NOAA Marine Debris Removal under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. The NOAA Marine Debris Program recognizes applying for federal funding can be complex and has provided resources to support applicants in preparing to submit a strong proposal and understanding the requirements needed if an award is granted. Many of these documents are referenced in our Notice of Funding Opportunity.
Step 1: Review the Notice of Funding Opportunity
While it is important to read the entire Funding Opportunity before you submit your application to ensure you didn’t miss any important application and/or submission details, in your first review of the NOFO we suggest you review a few specific sections to ensure you will be able to submit a competitive application:
- Review the Program Objective and Program Priorities. These sections will help you understand if the idea you are proposing fits within the goals of this competition
- Review the evaluation criteria to ensure your project idea will be able to satisfy the criteria reviewers will use when evaluating your proposal. Proposals that strongly meet all of the evaluation criteria will be the most competition
- Review the eligibility criteria to ensure you are an eligible applicant
Please see our Notice of Funding Opportunity Guidance Document for more information.