BlueActionBANOS funds large, community-driven projects that contribute to the EU Mission “Restore Our Ocean and Waters by 2030” by protecting or restoring marine and freshwater ecosystems, preventing pollution, or advancing a sustainable blue economy in the Baltic and North Sea region. Eligible applicants are consortia of 2 to 12 entities in Belgium, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland and Sweden, and can include local/regional authorities, NGOs, research and educational institutions, SMEs, startups, cooperatives, knowledge brokers, and similar organisations. Selected projects receive €200 thousand to €2 million per action. The call is open until 16 March 2026. Call for Community-Led Actions
marine/coastal
Pulitzer Center — Ocean and Fisheries Reporting Grant
The Pulitzer Center provides short-term project support to journalists reporting in tropical forests. The Rainforest Reporting Grant supports journalists in three main rainforest regions—the Amazon, Congo Basin, and Southeast Asia. The supported journalism projects will focus on the tropical forests’ role in the overall climate equation and weather patterns, deforestation drivers, and solutions to halt deforestation. The Pulitzer Center will fund costs associated with reporting projects on tropical rainforests in the range of US$8 thousand to US$15 thousand. Grants are made to local journalists based in the tropical rainforest region. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis. More
Earth Journalism Network — Story Grants on Fisheries Transparency
The Earth Journalism Network (EJN) offers reporting grants to journalists to support the production of in-depth stories that will call attention to issues related to fisheries transparency. Applicants can be from any coastal country. For the purposes of this grant call, EJN will only be focusing on marine fisheries, not freshwater. The Earth Journalism Network expects to award 5 grants with a budget of US$1,500 each. The application deadline is 15 January 2026. Story Grants on Fisheries Transparency
Gadfly Project — Software for Environmental Protection and Climate Change Mitigation
The Gadfly Project makes in-kind grants for organizations seeking to implement a software initiative in the fields of environmental protection and climate change mitigation. The grant is available to organizations both international and domestic with a focus on environmental protection and sustainability. Software development efforts with a magnitude between US$5 thousand and US$100 thousand are preferred. Please note that this is an “in-kind” grant (not a cash grant). Grants are evaluated quarterly. The deadlines are 23 January, 24 April, 24 July, and 23 October 2026. Details here
Western Indian Ocean Marine Science Association — Online Seminar: Social Aspects of Marine Protected Areas
The Western Indian Ocean Marine Science Association (WIOMSA) invites applications for the Social Aspects of Marine Protected Areas online seminar. The program is designed to support MPA practitioners in strengthening the social aspects of their management work. The Blue Nature Alliance will be providing 20 scholarships for this edition of the program. Marine conservation practitioners, community leaders, people working in NGOs and grassroots organizations, Indigenous Peoples leading ocean conservation, and others working in the management of marine spaces are encouraged to apply. Applications are now open, and the deadline is 16 January 2026. Link to Online Seminar
Marisla Foundation — Marine Resources and Toxic Chemicals
The Marisla Foundation makes grants to projects that promote the conservation of biological diversity and advance sustainable ecosystem management in North America, Mexico, Hawaii, Chile, and the Western Pacific. The Foundation also supports the search for solutions to health and environmental threats caused by toxic chemicals. Eligibility for grants extends to charitable organizations and governmental entities. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis and reviewed four times each year. Link
Earth Journalism Network — Virtual Media Workshop: Marine Protected Areas
The Earth Journalism Network (EJN) hosts a three-day virtual media workshops for journalists in Ghana, Mexico and the Philippines to strengthen their knowledge of the 30×30 marine conservation target and initiatives being implemented to reach it. Applications are open to journalists working in any medium (online, print, television, radio) and other media practitioners with experience covering ocean issues. EJN seeks to award 25 grants to journalists to support in-depth reporting. The application deadline is 16 December 2025. Details here
United Nations — Local Pathways Fellowship
The UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network – Youth Initiative (SDSN Youth) recruits participants for its 2026 cohort of the Local Pathways Fellows. The 10-months fellowship program provides young leaders with a platform, capacity building, training opportunities and contacts of leading development experts and practitioners. The Local Pathways Fellowship is unpaid. Fellows will benefit from global visibility and exposure. Young candidates (18-30 years) working towards achieving any of the Sustainable Development Goals and representing any city or country in the world are encouraged to apply. Applications will be accepted until 21 December 2025. Link to Local Pathways
Yale University — Young Global Scholars Program
Yale Young Global Scholars (YYGS) offers two-week academic summer programs for high school students from all around the world. The program offers four interdisciplinary sessions on campus at Yale (USA), including sessions on Innovations in Science & Technology and Solving Global Challenges. YYGS offers the opportunity for students to apply for need-based financial aid. Furthermore, YYGS will waive the application fee if it constitutes a significant financial burden for the student’s family. The application deadline is 07 January 2026. About Yale Young Global Scholars
Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund — Biodiversity Conservation in the Caribbean Islands
The Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund (CEPF) makes small grants in support of biodiversity conservation in the Caribbean “Caribbean Islands Biodiversity Hotspot.” Grants support community-based sustainable small-scale fisheries, protection and conservation of endangered marine species, marine protected areas management, and activities that promote improved marine and coastal ecosystems. Grants are up to US$50 thousand. Eligibility for grants extends to NGOs, community groups, private enterprises, universities, and other civil society applicants. The deadline for letters of inquiry is 23 January 2026. Details here