California Sea Grant Biennial Request for Proposals

California Sea Grant Biennial Request for Proposals

Status: ACTIVE
Funder: California Sea Grant
Last Updated: April 01, 2026

Summary

The California Sea Grant College Program invites proposals for applied research projects aligned with its 2024-2027 Strategic Plan, focusing on Sustainable Fisheries and Aquaculture (SFA) and Resilient Communities and Economies (RCE). With a funding pool of $2.8 million, the program aims to enhance California's coastal resilience and sustainability. Projects should exhibit significant benefits to coastal communities while addressing challenges like climate change and economic disruptions. Eligible applicants include public agencies, universities, and nonprofit organizations.

Overview

Funding Opportunity Overview California Sea Grant Administered by the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Sea Grant is a national network of 34 university-based programs in each of the U.S. coastal and Great Lakes states, Puerto Rico and Guam. The National Sea Grant College Program is a partnership between the nation’s universities and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce, and is authorized by the United States Congress. For over 50 years, California Sea Grant has delivered science, increased ocean literacy and engaged thousands of communities to ensure that they can enjoy and depend on California’s coastal resources, through research, education, extension and communications. California Sea Grant’s mission is to provide the information, tools, training and relationships needed to help California conserve and sustainably prosper from our coastal and marine environments. We accomplish this by collaborating with a range of local, state, regional, national, and international partners to further the generation and application of relevant scientific knowledge. Research projects supported by California Sea Grant must contribute to our eligible strategic focus areas and goals, which are listed below. For more context and example research topics, refer to our 2024 - 2027 Strategic Plan. California Sea Grant prioritizes innovative applied research on ocean and coastal resources and processes. Research that is based in or applicable to California coastal issues are of highest priority, but transferability to regional, national, and/or international contexts is welcomed. Sustainable Fisheries & Aquaculture (SFA) California’s 840-mile coastline is home to the largest ocean-based economy in the U.S. Here fishing has long played a key role in supplying healthy food, skilled jobs and other important economic and cultural benefits. An expanding aquaculture industry looking to create a steady supply of shellfish, seaweeds and finfish is now poised for growth, bringing with it skilled jobs and other benefits. The diverse bounty of seafood sustainably landed on the state’s coast, including tuna, Dungeness crab, Chinook salmon, rockfish, Pacific mackerel, market squid and Pacific oyster, provide an important source of highly nutritious protein for many of the state’s 39 million residents and helps sustain California’s commercial and recreational seafood industries. But significant challenges threaten these industries, including extreme changes in environmental conditions, ocean acidification and hypoxia, harmful algal blooms, financial and regulatory barriers to starting or expanding business ventures, supply chain disruptions and pressure from coastal and offshore development. California Sea Grant has identified the following goals for this focus area. SFA Goal 1: California's fisheries, aquaculture, seafood systems and the environments that support them are environmentally, economically and socially more sustainable and resilient to future change through the facilitation of partnerships and the (co-) production of knowledge.SFA Goal 2: California’s fishing, aquaculture and seafood industries have evidence-based information, partnerships and tools needed to support decision-making and a sustainable path forward through community engagement, collaboration and education. Key SFA topics of priority in California from 2024-2027 include: Enhancing emerging and existing fisheries and aquaculture ventures, such as:Feasibility of emerging species for harvest and production Basic economic, social and natural scientific information  Effects of stressors on species of interestFacilitating permitting of new and expanding venturesInnovative approaches and applications in fisheries and aquaculture, such as: Conservation and restorative aquacultureNew technologies and modeling approaches for fisheries management Techniques to adapt fisheries and aquaculture to a changing environment Ecosystem services and impacts of aquaculture and fisheriesResilient and safe seafood systems, such as: Seafood availability and accessibilitySeafood quality, safety and supply chain transparency Fishing and aquaculture infrastructure and resources Producer to public connections and education Resilient Communities and Economies (RCE) People throughout California, both rural and urban, are intimately linked to the health and sustainability of the state’s coastal and marine resources. How we respond to increasing threats from changing environmental conditions and other stressors will shape the health and welfare of the coast and the people and economies that depend on it. California Sea Grant is committed to helping coastal communities increase their natural and socioeconomic resilience by supporting sea level rise/coastal hazards science and planning; exploring new ways to balance economic and natural resource sustainability; and addressing harmful activities and pollutants. Access to knowledge and the opportunity to engage in solutions are emphasized to foster sustainable coastal communities. California Sea Grant has identified the following goals for this focus area. RCE Goal 1: California’s coastal communities are better prepared for extreme and chronic weather and coastal hazards, economic disruptions and other threats to community health and well-being with support from science partnerships and the (co-) production of knowledge.RCE Goal 2: California’s coastal communities have the information, partnerships and tools needed to support planning, policy and actions for emerging marine and coastal industries and resource management that ensure an equitable and resilient path forward. Key RCE topics of priority in California from 2024-2027 include: Understanding coastal hazards and risks, such as:Projections of sea level rise and extreme weather events Coastal erosion, flooding and inundation impacts and trends Water quality hazards (e.g., contamination, sedimentation, saltwater intrusion) Increasing compound risks to coastal habitats, communities and economiesCoastal adaptation, hazard mitigation and resilience approaches, such as:Coastal and watershed adaptation and resilience science, strategies and assessmentsNature-based solutions (e.g., green/natural infrastructure, hybrid infrastructure, blue carbon restoration/ mitigation)Socioeconomic and cultural connections to risks, adaptive capacity and adaptation pathwaysAdaptation strategies that draw from broad knowledges and meet the needs of Native American tribes, under-resourced and frontline communities.Habitat protection, migration and transition approaches for sustaining ecosystem functions and servicesBalancing coastal and ocean uses, sustainability and conservation, such as: Emerging ocean and coastal uses (e.g., offshore/marine renewable energy, marine technologies) Sustainable futures for historic and current coastal uses (e.g.,working waterfronts, coastal tourism and recreation, cultural heritage sites)Coastal access, livelihood, health and wellbeing Award Information and Priority Topics There are three research tracks that applicants may submit a proposal to: Indigenous Fisheries and Aquaculture, Graduate Research Fellowships, and Cultivate Awards. Read detailed descriptions of the three research tracks here.

Eligibility

You can learn more about this opportunity by visiting the funder's website. Eligible applicants for this competitive grant program include California-based public agencies, Native American tribes and tribally-led entities, public or private universities, or nonprofit corporations. Projects must benefit the state of California. All submitting institutions will need to be able to receive federal funds, and be able to fulfill the award conditions of the Cal Model Agreement to be eligible to apply. California Sea Grant is the final arbiter of decisions regarding eligibility. Eligibility specific to research tracks will be listed in the relevant sections below.Project leads (i.e., principal investigators) must have principal investigator (or equivalent) status at their institution. Applicants may submit more than one letter of intent/full proposal but if selected, only one award will be made to the principal investigator (PI). In addition, PIs may be listed as co-PIs on other projects even if they are lead PI on their own project. Only applicants who have submitted a letter of intent may submit a full proposal.