FY2021 North America Marine Debris Prevention and Removal | NOAA NOS ORR 2021 2006716

Opportunity Information: Apply for NOAA NOS ORR 2021 2006716

The FY2021 North America Marine Debris Prevention and Removal opportunity is a discretionary funding competition run by the NOAA Marine Debris Program (MDP) within the U.S. Department of Commerce. It is grounded in the Marine Debris Act (33 U.S.C. 1951-1958) and uses supplemental funding provided under the USMCA Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2019 (Public Law 116-113, Title IX) to support marine debris work in the North American region. The central aim is practical, on-the-ground action that reduces the harms marine debris causes to the U.S. economy, the marine and Great Lakes environment, and navigation safety, especially in areas where debris problems and solutions are shared across borders.

This competition is specifically designed to tackle marine debris issues of mutual interest in border and cross-border contexts involving the United States, Mexico, and Canada, with a clear preference for work that meaningfully engages Mexico. NOAA expects to fund projects through cooperative agreements, which generally means NOAA will stay involved during the project period rather than issuing a simple pass-through grant. Projects are intended to be time-limited and results-driven, with an award period of up to two years.

In terms of funding, NOAA anticipated up to $5,000,000 total available for FY2021 under this solicitation. Typical individual award sizes were expected to fall between $150,000 and $750,000, with a stated award ceiling of $750,000. NOAA projected making roughly 6 to 12 awards, depending on proposal quality, scope, and available funds. The application closing date listed for this opportunity was January 29, 2021 (Opportunity Number: NOAA NOS ORR 2021 2006716; CFDA: 11.999).

Programmatically, the solicitation emphasizes implementation rather than research. It is not intended to fund scientific research projects. Instead, it prioritizes two main categories of work. The first category is prevention: stopping land-based and sea-based debris from entering the marine and Great Lakes environment. This includes targeted engagement and outreach approaches that encourage more sustainable behaviors and practices, with an explicit goal of reducing waste generation upstream. The second category is removal: physically removing priority debris types from the environment and supporting alternative disposal pathways for what is collected (for example, diversion from landfill where feasible, or other responsible end-of-life solutions). NOAA also indicates it will consider proposals that combine prevention and removal in an integrated strategy, which can be attractive where removal activities are paired with actions that reduce future inputs from the same sources.

Eligibility depends on where the applicant is based. In the United States, eligible applicants include state, local, and tribal governments whose activities affect marine debris prevention or removal, as well as institutions of higher education, nonprofit organizations, and for-profit (commercial) organizations with relevant expertise. Federal agencies and federal employees cannot apply as recipients, and proposals from them are not considered; however, federal entities may participate as collaborators as long as they do not receive funds through the award. For U.S.-based applicants, NOAA states that engaging partners in Mexico and/or Canada will receive greater consideration during review, with partner engagement in Mexico receiving higher priority.

The opportunity also allows certain non-U.S. applicants to apply directly, but with important limits. Eligible applicants in Mexico or Canada are restricted to institutions of higher education, nonprofit organizations, or for-profit organizations with marine-debris-related expertise. The solicitation explicitly includes community-based organizations, business associations, and non-public foreign organizations within that eligible pool. At the same time, foreign public entities (as defined in 2 CFR 200.46) are not eligible to receive awards or subawards under the Marine Debris Act, meaning government agencies or similar public bodies in Mexico or Canada cannot be paid recipients or subrecipients through this program, though they may collaborate without receiving funds. For Mexico- or Canada-based applicants proposing work solely outside the United States, NOAA requires a clear justification that the work addresses marine debris that affects the United States economy, U.S. marine environment, or U.S. navigation safety, and it signals a higher priority for activities conducted in Mexico.

Finally, NOAA highlights an equity and inclusion focus. The agency states it is strongly committed to broadening participation by veterans, minority-serving institutions, and entities working in underserved areas, and it encourages proposals that come from or meaningfully involve those groups. The solicitation also notes that applications previously submitted to other NOAA grant programs may be considered here, but they will not receive any preferential treatment simply because they were submitted elsewhere.

• The Department of Commerce in the environment, natural resources, science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "FY2021 North America Marine Debris Prevention and Removal" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 11.999.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2020-11-09.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2021-01-29. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $750,000.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: Others.

Apply for NOAA NOS ORR 2021 2006716

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