MD Sea Grant: Program Development Funds

The Maryland Sea Grant program provides essential funding for innovative research, outreach, and educational projects that enhance coastal and marine science in Maryland. With awards typically under $10,000, the program supports small-scale projects that demonstrate clear links to conservation and restoration efforts. Applicants must align their proposals with the Maryland Sea Grant Strategic Plan and show relevance to broader audiences beyond academia, making the funding competitive and highly sought after.

The Maryland Sea Grant program focuses on supporting translational watershed, coastal, and marine science that can inform broad audiences in the Chesapeake Bay region and in Maryland's coastal areas. Maryland Sea Grant has the ability to support small, targeted grants that come under the general category of program development awards.
We award these funds to help support important new research, outreach, or education efforts or to offer strategic support to emerging areas of importance. The awards often stimulate and foster small-scale innovative projects that will eventually lead to submissions for larger grants from a variety of sources. These funds also may be used to support workshops and educational opportunities that connect marine and coastal science to diverse audiences.
To be successful in receiving Program Development funding, all proposal requests must be consistent with the current Maryland Sea Grant Strategic Plan and demonstrate a clear link between coastal and marine science and conservation and restoration efforts in Maryland. Demonstrating an outreach component or illuminating how the proposal is relevant to audiences beyond academia is an important consideration. Program Development funds are highly limited and judiciously distributed. We have many more requests for funding than we can support.
Funding Guidelines
Program Development awards cannot exceed, and are typically less, than $10,000. These funds come to us from several sources including our Omnibus award (NOAA) and our allocation from the state of Maryland. Maryland Sea Grant does not require matching funds be contributed by grantees and covers this cost by forgoing indirect charges on your award. Hence, Maryland Sea Grant requests indirect charges not be charged to Program Development requests.

Eligibility

Program Development awards for research projects are available to faculty and researchers affiliated with an academic institution or research laboratory in Maryland or the District of Columbia. Graduate students interested in grant funds should apply with their research advisor as PI.Awards for non-research projects (e.g., workshops and conferences, education and extension projects) are available to PIs affiliated with academic and research institutions, non-profit organizations, State of Maryland agencies, tribes, and other professional organizations.

Ineligibility

Federal agencies are not eligible to apply.