Grants for Sustainable Fisheries Available From National Fish and Wildlife Foundation

The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation has announced the third round of grants available from its Fisheries Innovation Fund.

The fund fosters the design and implementation of new and inventive approaches to ensure sustainable fisheries in the United States. The fund is made possible through a partnership with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and additional support from the Walton Family Foundation and the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation.

The fund will consider applications from all U.S. fisheries, commercial or recreational, looking to foster innovation as they strive to achieve sustainability. Successful proposals will develop innovative approaches to build capacity of fishing communities to improve their sustainability; promote full utilization of annual catch limits and minimize by catch of overfished and endangered species; or improve the quality, quantity, and timeliness of fisheries-dependent data used for science, management, and professional purposes.

NFWF is investigating the possibility of incorporating a loan-making component into the Fisheries Innovation Fund for future rounds so applicants can request capital to support activities or acquisitions that would lead to increased profitability for their sectors, with the understanding that these funds eventually will be paid back. To this end, project proposals to help NFWF develop this loan-making arm will be considered.

Applications may be submitted by individuals, organizations, and agencies (excluding employees of the U.S. Federal government) working on projects to ensure sustainable U.S. fisheries.

Applications for funding for land or easement acquisition, facility construction, political advocacy, lobbying, or litigation will not be considered.

In 2013, the fund expects to award $1.35 million to approximately fifteen projects. The majority of awards will fall in the range of $50,000 to $200,000. However, upper or lower limits to award size are not specified. Matching contributions (both cash and in-kind) are preferred but not required.

The complete Request for Proposals, application instructions, and information on previously funded projects are available at the NFWF Web site.

Contact:
Link to Complete RFP

Primary Subject: Environment