The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) is seeking applications for its Coral Reef Conservation Fund 2021 to improve the health of coral reef systems. Grants will be awarded to reduce land-based sources of pollution, advance coral reef fisheries management, increase capacity for reef-scale restoration and to support management in their efforts to increase the natural recovery and resiliency of coral reef systems.

The Coral Reef Conservation Fund is a partnership with the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Coral Reef Conservation Program (CRCP) and receives additional funding support from the USDA National Resource Conservation Service.

Priority Areas

• Threat Reduction to Priority Reef Sites
  • Establish Water Quality Targets
  • Reduce land-based pollution inputs to coral reef tracts
  • Increase fish stocks of key species along priority reef tracts
• Coral Reef Restoration
  • Increase Capacity for Coral Restoration at Scale
  • Support Out-planting Success
• Increase Management Capacity in Coral Conservation

Funding Information

• The Coral Conservation Fund offers one grant cycle per year and available funding is expected to be approximately $1,500,000.
• Average grant awards will range from $60,000 to $250,000; however there is no maximum or minimum requirement.
• Projects should be 12-24 months in duration.
• Matching funds from non-U.S. Federal cash or in-kind sources are required at a 1:1 ratio for all proposed projects.

Geographic Focus

• Projects proposing work in any U.S. coral jurisdictions (American Samoa, Northern Mariana Islands, Florida, Guam, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, or the U.S. Virgin Islands) are eligible to apply. Applications for projects in international jurisdictions will be accepted by invitation only.

Eligibility Criteria

• Eligible applicants include non-profit organizations, state government agencies, local governments, municipal governments, Tribal governments and organizations, and educational institutions, including parties within and outside of the United States.
• Ineligible applicants include U.S. Federal government agencies and for-profit entities.
• NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program staffs are available and encouraged to provide general information on programmatic goals and objectives, ongoing coral reef conservation programs/activities, and regional funding priorities; however, NOAA employees are not permitted to assist in the preparation of applications or write letters of support for any application. If NOAA employees will be a collaborator on a project, they may provide a statement verifying that they are collaborating with the project applicant, confirming the degree and nature of the collaboration, and acknowledging the utility of the proposed work. NOAA employee activities, including travel and salaries, are not allowable costs.

For more information, visit NFWF.