Sea Grant National Aquaculture Initiative

Sea Grant Aquaculture — Business Support

Funds aquaculture business development in the United States through competitive federal support.

⚠ This may reflect a past cycle — verify the current call on the funder's site.

NOAA Sea Grant's national aquaculture funding competition — titled 'Strengthening U.S. Aquaculture Through Business Support' for the FY2025 cycle — awards competitive federal grants to support sustainable marine and Great Lakes aquaculture across the United States. Sea Grant's average annual federal investment in aquaculture was $16.7 million over fiscal years 2018 through 2024, generating an estimated $86.3 million in annual economic impact, supporting 571 businesses, and sustaining 1,292 jobs. Round sizes have ranged from $3.3 million (2023 seafood workforce development) to $16 million (2019 National Aquaculture Initiative). The FY2025 round focused on four priority areas: aquaculture business development, production capacity enhancement, workforce internships, and legal, regulatory, and policy assistance. The letter-of-intent deadline was December 4, 2024, and the full application deadline was February 12, 2025.

Eligible applicants include for-profit businesses, non-profit organizations, universities, research institutions, Sea Grant programs, and other appropriate entities engaged in marine or Great Lakes aquaculture or aquaculture support services. Individuals and federal agencies cannot receive funds directly; federal scientists may serve as uncompensated co-investigators. Applications are submitted through Grants.gov and require active SAM.gov and eRA Commons registrations — applicants should allow four to six weeks for registration. The program is backed by a five-year Aquaculture Investment Plan (2024) and a ten-year Aquaculture Roadmap (2025–2035), signaling sustained multi-year commitment.

Sea Grant delivers aquaculture funding through a network of 34 university-based Sea Grant programs, including eleven national Aquaculture Hubs established under the 2019 National Aquaculture Initiative covering regions from the Great Lakes to Hawai'i. Competitive proposals must align with one of Sea Grant's stated priority categories and demonstrate capacity to deliver measurable outcomes for U.S. aquaculture producers. FY2026 aquaculture NOFO terms had not been published at time of catalog ingest; the annual program cycle typically opens in late fall.