The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is accepting applications for $17.6 million in funding through four established Regional Ocean Partnerships and five Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS) Regional Associations as part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. This funding aims to advance regional ocean and coastal management priorities, including addressing the climate crisis and fostering engagement with underserved communities.
Regional ocean partnerships are regional organizations voluntarily convened by coastal states and Indian tribes, and designated by NOAA per the James M. Inhofe National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2023, to coordinate the management of ocean, coastal and Great Lakes resources.
These partnerships work in collaboration with other governments, (including tribal, federal and local) and stakeholders to address ocean and coastal issues of common concern in that region. These partnerships, along with IOOS Regional Associations, serve to enhance associated sharing between organizations and the integration of federal and non-federal ocean data.
“These partnerships support NOAA’s mission to collaboratively manage and protect our nation’s ocean and coastal resources,” said Nicole R. LeBoeuf, director of NOAA’s National Ocean Service. “This funding empowers regional alliances to address climate challenges, enhance data sharing and engage underserved communities, ensuring the benefits of our work are widely distributed.”
The majority of the funds — approximately $14 million — will be awarded non-competitively to the four established regional ocean partnerships:
- The Gulf of Mexico Alliance
- The Northeast Regional Ocean Council
- The Mid-Atlantic Regional Council on the Ocean
- The West Coast Ocean Alliance
The remaining $3.6 million will be distributed equally across all nine U.S. coastal regions, including five IOOS Regional Associations:
- Great Lakes Observing System
- Caribbean Coastal Ocean Observing System
- Southeast Coastal Ocean Observing Regional Association
- Pacific Islands Ocean Observing System
- Alaska Ocean Observing System
These funds will address critical data-sharing and integration needs to inform pressing coastal management challenges, such as climate change, and incorporate information and perspectives from the public, including underserved communities and tribes. In regions without established partnerships, IOOS regional associations will act as the equivalent lead.
Applications for established Regional Ocean Partnerships are due April 7, 2025, and applications for Integrated Ocean Observing System Regional Associations will be due this summer.
