Marine Protected Area Outreach and Education Small Grants Program, Round 3

The third round of the MPA Outreach and Education Small Grants Program built on the success of Rounds 1 and 2 by distributing over $1 million to organizations across California to enhance MPA compliance and stewardship.

This round of funding was competitive. Local, state, and federal public agencies; public and private universities; non-profits; for-profit entities; and California Native American Tribes or tribal organizations were eligible to apply. Additional private funds supported increased outreach, technical support, and capacity for organizations located in and serving Environmental Justice Communities.

This third round of funding provided grants between $25,000 and $100,000 to projects that engaged or conducted outreach with:

• Recreational and commercial fishing communities.
• Communities of color that have been underserved in MPA management (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 were available to support projects that maintained momentum for programs that were either funded in Rounds 1 or 2 of the MPA Outreach and Education Small Grants Program, or that were already established, especially those focused on K-12 education.