Grants for Individuals - Business and Commerce

This funding opportunity supports nonprofit organizations and educational institutions in Algeria to foster U.S.-Algerian partnerships in innovation, commerce, and English language development through various collaborative projects.

This initiative provides $10,000 grants to over 100 LGBTQ small businesses in the U.S. that are owned by and serve LGBTQ people of color, women, and the transgender community, particularly those facing financial challenges due to COVID-19.

This funding opportunity provides financial support for projects that conserve and improve natural resources, targeting municipalities, nonprofits, schools, and private property owners in Hennepin County.

This funding opportunity provides financial support for public diplomacy projects that strengthen U.S.-Slovenian relations and enhance community safety, prosperity, and resilience through initiatives involving both American and Slovenian participants.

This program provides financial support to agricultural producers and cooperatives to create new products and improve market access, ultimately increasing their income and competitiveness.

This funding opportunity supports alumni of U.S. government-sponsored exchange programs in Zimbabwe to implement innovative projects that address local challenges while promoting U.S. foreign policy goals, particularly in celebration of the 250th anniversary of U.S. independence.

This funding opportunity provides $2,500 to U.S. small business owners and entrepreneurs to help them grow their ventures through various initiatives, marketing, or operational improvements.

This program provides financial support to established dairy farms in Missouri for projects that improve production capacity and operational efficiency.

This initiative provides financial support to women-owned small businesses in San Francisco to help them grow through various improvement projects, such as marketing and equipment upgrades.

This funding opportunity supports alumni-led projects in Malaysia that promote U.S. foreign policy priorities, celebrate the 250th anniversary of the United States, and strengthen international partnerships.

The National Sea Grant College Program was enacted by the U.S. Congress in 1966 (amended in 2020, Public Law 116-221) to support leveraged federal and state partnerships that harness the intellectual capacity of the nations universities and research institutions to solve problems and generate opportunities in coastal communities. The American lobster (Homarus americanus) and its fishery continue to face significant environmental complexity and socio-economic uncertainty with far-reaching impacts for resource management and community resiliency. In 2022, the American lobster fishery landed approximately 119 million pounds of lobster worth $516 million dollars. This stands in stark contrast to the 2021 commercial harvest that landed 134 million pounds of lobster worth a record setting $924 million dollars. Recent surveys have detected a nearly 40% decline in young lobster recruitment from the important fishing areas of Georges Bank and the Gulf of Maine, signaling concern for the fisherys future and challenges for resource managers and lobster fishermen alike. While there are fluctuations each year that reflect environmental factors such as water temperature and economic conditions such as operational costs, the degree of volatility and uncertainty is without precedent. These impacts are particularly acute in the state of Maine, where approximately eighty percent of American Lobsters are landed each year and the lobster fishery is a major driver of the states marine economy and cultural identity. The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commissions 2020 stock assessment indicated record high stock abundance for American Lobster in the Gulf of Maine and Georges Bank and continued declines in southern New England. Additional analyses of landing data from the state of Maine show a downward trend from a high in 2016 of 132 million pounds to an annual average of 102 million pounds between 2019 and 2021. As ecosystem changes persist and the Gulf of Maine continues to warm, it is imperative that research, data, and observations document change, inform gaps, and help communities prepare for the future state of the American Lobster fishery. The American Lobster fisherys sustainability relies not only on the ecological understanding of the species in the face of environmental change but also the economic resiliency of the industry and the communities supported by the fishery. Expanding uses of the marine environment and anticipated management changes will have significant implications for future harvests, alter business models and shift how and where the lobster industry operates. Understanding the economic and social systems impacted by these changes can enhance the industry and communities capacity for resilience to impending environmental and resource management changes by mitigating negative impacts and supporting emerging opportunities. Research approaches that examine social systems and economic implications of regulatory/management changes are needed to fill a critical knowledge gap and inform integrated approaches to these complex issues impacting the lobster fishery. These include economic impact assessments, policy analyses, dimensions of community well-being, workforce diversification, as well as informal and formal governance structures. In FY24, consistent with its mission to enhance practical use and conservation in order to create a sustainable economy and environment, Sea Grants American Lobster Research Program will fund projects that address priority research needs to enhance our understanding of and address impacts to this significant, complex and dynamic fishery. Projects that involve partnerships among industry, State agencies, and/or academia, including but not limited to cooperative research or co-production, are strongly encouraged. Topics suitable for investigation on American lobster and its fishery under this Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) should have a geographic focus on the Gulf of Maine, Georges Bank, and/or southern New England and address one or more of the following funding priorities: Life history parameters under changing climate conditions, including but not limited to temperature, growth, and mortality Species distribution and abundance in response to environmental change, including but not limited to deep water settlement Impacts of environmental change and/or economic uncertainty on social systems, including but not limited to dimensions of community well-being, formal and informal governance structures, and workforce diversification Economic implications of policy and potential regulatory changes and/or other future resource management actions Sea Grant anticipates having up to $2 million dollars to fund a diversity of projects with funding requests up to $600,000 dollars in FY24. Projects may be one or two years in duration with a maximum of two years. All projects must take place within the United States or territories or their respective waterways. Applicant organizations must complete and maintain three registrations to be eligible to apply for or receive an award. These registrations include SAM.gov, Grants.gov, and eRA Commons. All registrations must be completed prior to the application being submitted. The complete registration process for all three systems can take 4 to 6 weeks, so applicants should begin this activity as soon as possible. If an eligible applicant does not have access to the internet, please contact the Agency Contacts listed in Section VII for submission instructions. Prior to registering with eRA Commons, applicant organizations must first obtain a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) from SAM.gov, if needed (refer to Section IV. Applications and Submission Information, Section C). Organizations can register with eRA Commons in tandem with completing their full SAM and Grants.gov registrations; however, all registrations must be in place by time of application submission. eRA Commons requires organizations to identify at least one Signing Official (SO) and at least one Program Director/Principal Investigator (PD/PI) account in order to submit an application. This document sets out requirements for submitting to NOAA-OAR-SG-2024-25871.

This program provides financial support to new farmers in Minnesota for purchasing essential equipment and developing infrastructure to enhance their farming operations.

This funding opportunity supports projects that foster educational, cultural, and technological collaborations between the U.S. and Qatar, targeting nonprofits, educational institutions, and individuals focused on youth leadership, entrepreneurship, and innovation.

This opportunity allows Vermont-based businesses to showcase and sell their products at a major annual fair in Massachusetts, promoting local goods and enhancing brand visibility while adhering to specific guidelines and requirements.

This funding opportunity provides financial support for Kuwaiti non-profits, educational institutions, and individuals to create projects that strengthen cultural and educational ties between the United States and Kuwait.

This grant provides funding and mentorship to interdisciplinary teams developing innovative solutions for drug use and substance use disorders, aiming to support the formation of early-stage biotech startups in the U.S.

This program provides financial support and resources to small businesses in select U.S. cities that are dedicated to community upliftment and have been impacted by COVID-19.

This grant provides funding to individuals and organizations in Hyattsville to create community-driven initiatives that promote healthy lifestyles, such as healthy eating, active living, and public awareness campaigns.

This competition provides funding and support for teams developing innovative high-temperature seismic sensors to improve geothermal energy monitoring and enhance the understanding of subsurface conditions.

This funding opportunity provides financial support for projects that strengthen cultural, educational, and professional ties between the United States and Bolivia, targeting nonprofit organizations, educational institutions, and individuals engaged in initiatives that promote mutual understanding and cooperation.