Rapid Ocean Conservation (ROC) Grant

The Rapid Ocean Conservation (ROC) Grant, initiated by the Waitt Foundation, offers swift funding for innovative solutions to conservation challenges affecting island nations. This program prioritizes projects that support sustainable fishing and marine protection, emphasizing scientific research, policy advocacy, management, and communication efforts. ROC Grants are especially aimed at local NGOs and projects aligned with Blue Prosperity Coalition partnerships, ensuring impactful conservation initiatives with a focus on urgent needs in marine ecosystems.

The Rapid Ocean Conservation (ROC) Grants Program is a project of the Waitt Foundation. ROC Grants provide small grants with a quick turnaround time for solutions to emerging conservation issues and ocean protection in support of island nations.
This complements the Waitt Foundation’s existing major grants program and is responsive to conservation opportunities, supports higher-risk ideas at a low financial cost, and engages with small, local NGOs on a global scale.
Grants will fund projects related to the Waitt Foundation's mission of supporting sustainable fishing and marine protected areas (MPAs). This includes sub-themes of:

• Scientific Research – Includes natural science or social science projects.

Policy – Includes opportunistic projects around unique public policy windows, such as preparation of policy analysis and support of experts’ efforts to inform decision makers on upcoming government actions.
Management – Includes enforcement and infrastructure support.
Communications – Includes raising public awareness and engaging stakeholders, including advertising by a 501(c)3 group around a public policy moment.
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Please see FAQs for additional guidelines.

Eligibility

The ROC Grants program only funds projects in support of island nations.The ROC Grants program only provides grants to applicants that have a public charity status.Experience – Applicant must possess commensurate level of experience and expertise with respect to the proposed project.Affiliation – Applicant must maintain affiliation with an academic institution or NGO for the duration of the grant project.ROC Grants should constitute the sole or primary source of funding for the proposed project, not serve as complementary funding for larger, more costly projects.

Ineligibility

We do not provide emergency funding through the ROC Grants program. This program has a standard review period (~6 weeks) that cannot accommodate emergency grants.Generally, the Waitt Foundation does NOT fund the following categories:For-profit organizationsIndividualsCapital campaignsEndowmentsConferences / Meetings / WorkshopsLobbying of any kindThe Waitt Foundation does not fund indirect costs/administrative feesIndirect costs/administrative fees.

Funding is currently restricted to projects in countries with Blue Prosperity Coalition partnerships (Azores, Bermuda, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Samoa, Tonga, Vanuatu). Applicants must maintain an affiliation with an academic institution or NGO for the project's duration; projects must support sustainable fishing and/or marine protected areas.