The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) ) is soliciting proposals for the Fishing for Energy 2021 program to facilitate the collection and proper disposal of retired and derelict commercial fishing gear for recycling and for energy conversion by supporting the placement of disposal bins at select ports across the U.S.

The Fishing for Energy bin program provides small awards to grantees to meet their disposal costs and then renew these awards as needed.

Program Priorities

• Bin Host: The Fishing for Energy Bin Program provides funding to maintain an existing port in the program or establish a new port opportunity for fishing communities to recycle and to convert to energy retired and/or derelict fishing gear. Applicants may also propose short-term event bins. 
• Capacity and Logistics Development:  Some communities need additional capacity or must confront other barriers to develop a logistics plan to host a Fishing for Energy bin.

Funding Information

• Under priority 1 for Bin Hosts, awards for existing or new ports will be on average $15,000 per port. Awards for event bins should not exceed $10,000.
• Under priority 2 for Capacity and Logistics Development, awards will range between $75,000 to $150,000 on average.
• The total amount of all awards made under this Request for Proposals is not expected to exceed $500,000. A 1:1 non-federal match in cash or in-kind services is strongly encouraged.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligible and Ineligible Entities:

• Eligible applicants include non-profit 501(c) organizations, state or territorial government agencies, local governments, municipal governments, Tribal governments and organizations, educational institutions, or ports. Port applicants: please note that this is a request for grant proposals, not a procurement of goods and services; see the Budget section below for specific cost considerations.
• Ineligible applicants include U.S. Federal government agencies or employees of Federal agencies, unincorporated individuals, foreign organizations and foreign public entities. Interested federal agencies may collaborate with eligible applicants but may not receive funds through this competition. All projects must take place within the United States or territories or their respective waterways.

For more information, visit NFWF.