FY 25 MARFIN | NOAA NMFS SE 2025 28271

Opportunity Information: Apply for NOAA NMFS SE 2025 28271

The FY 25 MARFIN opportunity is a discretionary federal grant program run by the Department of Commerce, NOAA, through the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) Southeast Region. It falls under the Marine Fisheries Initiative Program (MARFIN) and is focused on funding research and development projects that improve and optimize how marine fisheries are used and managed in specific U.S. waters. The program is explicitly tied to NOAA's mission goal of "Healthy Oceans," so proposals should clearly connect their work to maintaining sustainable fisheries, improving conservation outcomes, and supporting responsible use of marine resources.

Geographically, the solicitation targets projects relevant to the Gulf of Mexico, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the U.S. South Atlantic off North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida. In practical terms, strong proposals will be those grounded in the fisheries and management needs of these regions and designed to generate results that can be used by managers and the fishing community in these areas.

Programmatically, MARFIN is broad in the types of topics it will support as long as they advance fisheries optimization and are connected to the U.S. fishing industry, including both recreational and commercial sectors. The solicitation highlights several major areas of interest: fishery biology (such as life history, stock structure, habitat use, or ecosystem relationships), resource assessment (for example, improving data inputs, indices, or assessment methods), socio-economic assessment (including community impacts, fleet behavior, and economic performance), management and conservation (work that supports practical decision-making, compliance, and long-term sustainability), selected harvesting methods (such as gear performance, bycatch reduction, or efficiency and safety improvements), and fish handling and processing (post-harvest practices that improve product quality, reduce waste, or increase value). A recurring theme is applied value: projects are expected to produce usable knowledge, tools, methods, or practices that directly benefit fisheries in the covered regions, rather than purely theoretical research.

A key feature of the program is its emphasis on involving the U.S. fishing industry. That means proposals are generally expected to show meaningful participation from industry partners, which could include collaboration on study design, providing vessels or access for field work, contributing operational knowledge, participating in testing new methods, or helping ensure that deliverables can be adopted in real-world conditions. The intent is to ensure the research translates into benefits for fisheries and fishing communities and helps align scientific outputs with on-the-water realities.

In terms of who can apply, eligibility includes institutions of higher education, nonprofit organizations, individuals, and state, local, and Indian tribal governments. Federal agencies and federal institutions are not eligible to apply under this solicitation. For-profit organizations are also ineligible. In addition, foreign governments, organizations under the jurisdiction of foreign governments, and international organizations are excluded, reflecting that the program is designed to optimize research and development benefits from U.S. marine fishery resources. The funding is offered as a grant (rather than a contract), which typically signals an assistance relationship focused on public-purpose outcomes rather than procurement of a specific service.

Administrative details provided in the notice include the funding opportunity title "FY 25 MARFIN" and the opportunity number NOAA NMFS SE 2025 28271. The CFDA (assistance listing) number is 11.433. The opportunity was created on 2024-10-22, and the listed original closing date is 2024-12-31. The maximum award amount (award ceiling) is $525,000. The notice does not specify an expected number of awards in the provided text, so applicants should plan around the stated ceiling and design a scope of work that is realistic and well-justified for the budget level they request.

Overall, this opportunity is best suited for applicants proposing applied fisheries R&D that can measurably improve assessment, management, conservation outcomes, harvesting practices, or post-harvest handling in the Gulf of Mexico, U.S. Caribbean territories, or the South Atlantic states listed, with clear industry engagement and deliverables that support sustainable and economically viable U.S. fisheries.

• The DOC NOAA - ERA Production in the environment, natural resources, science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "FY 25 MARFIN" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 11.433.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2024-10-22.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2024-12-31. (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 $525,000.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: Others.

Apply for NOAA NMFS SE 2025 28271

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