The 3^rd round of the MPA Outreach and Education Small Grants Program builds on the success of distributing over $1 million in funding to organizations across California to enhance MPA compliance and stewardship.

This round of funding is competitive. Local, state and federal public agencies, public or private universities, non-profits, for-profit entities, and California Native American Tribes or tribal organizations are eligible to apply. Additional private funds  support increased outreach, technical support, and capacity to be given to organizations located in and serving Environmental Justice Communities and to encourage these organizations to submit proposals.

This third round of funding provides grants between $25,000 and $100,000 to proposals that engage or conduct outreach targeting:

• Recreational and commercial fishing communities.
• Communities of color that have been underserved in MPA management and education, i.e. Black, Latinx, and Asian users/potential users of MPA spaces and resources.
• California Native American Tribes or tribal organizations.

Smaller grants of $5,000 – $25,000 are also be available to support projects that maintain momentum for programs that were either funded in Rounds 1 or 2 of the MPA Outreach and Education Small Grants Program, or programs that are already established, especially those focused on K-12 education.

Proposals for Round 3 are now closed.  Follow Coastal Quest for news about future funding opportunities!

The Marine Protected Area (MPA) Outreach and Education Small Grants Program is a program funded by the Ocean Protection Council (OPC) through the Once-Through Cooling Mitigation Fund. Additional matching funds for Round 3 of this Program are provided by The Marisla Foundation and Maxwell/Hanrahan Foundation.

The goal of this Program is to increase outreach and education efforts to improve compliance with MPA regulations statewide and increase marine life associated with MPAs in the geographic region of Once-Through Cooling facilities and statewide, with a small amount of funds provided by matching philanthropic donors for projects north of Big Sur, with a priority given to Environmental Justice Communities.

Funded projects help produce the following outcomes:

• Increased ocean stewardship, engagement, compliance, and leadership
• Increased docent and educator capacity
• Reduced illegal take of marine life in MPAs
• Increased diversity of stakeholders engaged, including both traditional and non-traditional audiences as well as underserved audiences (e.g., the recreational fishing community)

Additionally, projects funded through this grant program help meet the following objectives:

• Provide significant value for the state through replicable methods
• Increase local capacity through project implementation 
• Demonstrate a lasting impact on communities targeted through these projects.

The Small Grants Program has existed for three rounds of funding, the first round in 2017, the second round in 2019, and the third round in 2023.

Click on the images below to learn more about past rounds of funding.