Assistance Listing 11.999
Marine Debris Program
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration · Department of Commerce
The verdict for a small nonprofit
Worth applying, even as a first-time applicant. 62% of awards go to organizations new to this program, and nonprofits win 52% of them.
Based on 47 new awards in FY2023–25. Organizations under $1M in revenue won 12% of the awards that went to nonprofits. The median award is $1,852,824. Expect about 191 days between posting and deadline.
- First-time winners
- 62%
- of new awards, last 3 FYs
- Nonprofit share
- 52%
- 19% higher ed · 22% gov't
- Under-$1M orgs
- 12%
- of nonprofit awards
- Median award
- $1.9M
- $809K – $2.5M middle half
- New awards, FY2025
- 15
- $29M committed to them
- Usually posts
- Jul
- annual · 191-day window
Open right now under this program
Nothing open · from Grants.gov, checked every 10 minutes
Who won in FY2025
Largest recipients by dollars. From USAspending.
| Recipient | Type | State | Awards | Awarded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ocean Conservancy INC | Nonprofit | DC | 5 | $7,452,257 |
| National Fish and Wildlife Foundation | Nonprofit | DC | 3 | $15,100,000 |
| Parley Foundation | Nonprofit | NY | 3 | $1,286,684 |
| National Marine Sanctuary Foundation | Nonprofit | MD | 2 | $15,224,407 |
| Pacific Coastal Research & Planning | Business | MP | 2 | $8,937,010 |
| Washington State Department of Natural Resources | Government | WA | 2 | $4,558,236 |
| California Department of Parks & Recreation | Government | CA | 2 | $2,901,981 |
| Center for Coastal Studies, INC. | Nonprofit | MA | 2 | $2,895,021 |
| Executive Office of the Government of the Virgin Islands | Government | VI | 2 | $2,043,877 |
| Rochester Institute of Technology | Higher ed | NY | 2 | $1,245,111 |
New awards by fiscal year
Awards first made in each fiscal year; dollars are the total committed to that year's new awards over their life.
| FY | New awards | Committed | Median | Middle half |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 25 | $7.4M | $235K | $167K – $368K |
| 2022 | 16 | $12M | $255K | $192K – $396K |
| 2023 | 17 | $68M | $2.9M | $600K – $5.8M |
| 2024 | 15 | $32M | $1.0M | $880K – $3.1M |
| 2025 | 15 | $29M | $1.9M | $809K – $2.5M |
Past rounds
Every announcement under this listing that Grants.gov still lists. Use it to plan next year.
| Posted | Closed | Window | Announcement |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-07-24 | 2025-02-07 | 198 d | NOAA-NOS-ORR-2025-25572 · FY25 NOAA Marine Debris Interception Technologies under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law |
| 2024-07-24 | 2025-01-31 | 191 d | NOAA-NOS-ORR-2025-25974 · FY25 NOAA Marine Debris Removal under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law |
| 2023-08-28 | 2024-02-23 | 179 d | NOAA-NOS-ORR-2024-2007993 · FY24 NOAA Marine Debris Removal under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law |
| 2023-08-28 | 2024-03-15 | 200 d | NOAA-NOS-ORR-2024-2007991 · FY24 NOAA Marine Debris Interception Technologies under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law |
| 2022-06-28 | 2022-10-14 | 108 d | NOAA-NOS-ORR-2022-2007199 · FY22 NOAA Marine Debris Removal under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) |
| 2021-09-13 | 2022-02-11 | 151 d | NOAA-NOS-ORR-2022-2007022 · FY2022 Marine Debris Prevention |
| 2021-08-02 | 2022-01-14 | 165 d | NOAA-NOS-ORR-2022-2006974 · FY2022 Marine Debris Removal |
| 2020-11-09 | 2021-01-29 | 81 d | NOAA-NOS-ORR-2021-2006716 · FY2021 North America Marine Debris Prevention and Removal |
| 2020-09-15 | 2021-02-08 | 146 d | NOAA-NOS-ORR-2021-2006620 · FY2021 Marine Debris Research |
| 2020-07-15 | 2020-12-04 | 142 d | NOAA-NOS-ORR-2021-2006587 · FY2021 Marine Debris Removal |
| 2019-09-17 | 2020-02-07 | 143 d | NOAA-NOS-ORR-2020-2006200 · FY2020 Marine Debris Prevention |
| 2019-07-15 | 2019-12-04 | 142 d | NOAA-NOS-ORR-2020-2006162 · FY2020 Marine Debris Removal |
| 2018-09-17 | 2018-12-14 | 88 d | NOAA-NOS-ORR-2019-2005817 · FY2019 Marine Debris Research |
| 2018-08-20 | 2018-10-29 | 70 d | NOAA-NOS-ORR-2019-2005796 · FY2019 Marine Debris Removal |
| 2017-08-23 | 2017-11-01 | 70 d | NOAA-NOS-ORR-2018-2005335 · FY18 Marine Debris Removal |
| 2017-08-23 | 2017-12-16 | 115 d | NOAA-NOS-ORR-2018-2005333 · FY2018 Marine Debris Prevention |
| 2016-09-20 | 2016-12-19 | 90 d | NOAA-NOS-ORR-2017-2005063 · FY2017 Marine Debris Research |
| 2016-08-11 | 2016-10-20 | 70 d | NOAA-NOS-ORR-2017-2004997 · FY2017 Community-based Marine Debris Removal |
| 2015-09-22 | 2016-01-19 | 119 d | NOAA-NOS-ORR-2016-2004627 · FY2016 Marine Debris Prevention through Education and Outreach Federal Funding Opportunity |
Common questions
How hard is it to win a grant under 11.999?
Worth applying, even as a first-time applicant. 62% of awards go to organizations new to this program, and nonprofits win 52% of them. Based on 47 new awards in FY2023–25. Organizations under $1M in revenue won 12% of the awards that went to nonprofits. The median award is $1,852,824. Expect about 191 days between posting and deadline.
How much does Marine Debris Program award?
In FY2025 the median new award was $1.9M; the middle half ran from $809K to $2.5M. 15 new awards were made, with $29M committed to them.
When does 11.999 usually post?
Over the last several years, new rounds most often posted in Jul with about 191 days to apply. The most recent round posted Jul 24, 2024.
Who runs this program?
Department of Commerce (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration). Assistance Listing 11.999 on SAM.gov describes the authorizing statute and standard terms.
Sources: USAspending FY2021–25 award archive (2026-10-06); Grants.gov Search2 (fetched 2026-10-28); IRS EO BMF (fetched 2026-10-28). Award counts are new awards by fiscal year of first action. Shares are computed from award counts, not dollars; the under-$1M share covers the 85% of nonprofit awards that matched an IRS revenue record. Recipient type comes from the award record's business-type codes. Always confirm details in the official announcement.