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Fiscal Year 2027 National Sea Grant College Program Dean John A. Knauss Marine Policy Fellowship

ID: NOAA-OAR-SG-2027-32433 • Type: Posted
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Description

The National Sea Grant College Program was enacted by the U.S. Congress in 1966 (amended in 2020, Public Law 116-221) to support leveraged federal and state partnerships that harness the intellectual capacity of the nation's universities and research institutions to solve problems and generate opportunities in coastal communities.

This notice announces that applications may be submitted for the 2027 National Sea Grant College Program Dean John A. Knauss Marine Policy Fellowship (Sea Grant Knauss Fellowship Program). Pending the availability of federal funding, the National Sea Grant College Program (Sea Grant) anticipates funding not less than 35 applications. Application packages will each propose a total of $97,200 in funding. A detailed breakdown of this funding is described in Sections II.A and III.F of this announcement.

Student applicants are strongly encouraged to reach out to the Sea Grant program in their state/territory at least one to two months before the state application deadline to receive application support and provide notification of intent to apply. Following student application submission, the student should allow sufficient time to schedule an interview with the eligible Sea Grant program at the program's request.

Applicant organizations must complete and maintain three registrations to be eligible to apply for or receive an award. These registrations include SAM.gov, Grants.gov, and eRA Commons. All registrations must be completed before submitting the application. The complete registration process for all three systems can take 4 to 6 weeks, so applicants should begin this activity as soon as possible. If an eligible applicant does not have access to the internet, please contact the Agency Contacts listed in Section VII for submission instructions. NOAA has created a guide to aid applicants in formatting application packages to eRA, linked here.

Prior to registering with eRA Commons, applicant organizations must first obtain a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) from SAM.gov, if needed (refer to Section IV. Applications and Submission Information, Section C). Organizations can register with eRA Commons in tandem with completing their full SAM and Grants.gov registrations; however, all registrations must be in place by the time of application submission. eRA Commons requires organizations to identify at least one Signing Official (SO) and at least one Program Director/Principal Investigator (PD/PI) account to submit an application.

This document sets out requirements for submitting to NOAA-OAR-SG-2027-32433

Background
The National Sea Grant College Program was enacted by the U.S. Congress in 1966 (amended in 2020, Public Law 116-221) to support leveraged federal and state partnerships that harness the intellectual capacity of the nation’s universities and research institutions to solve problems and generate opportunities in coastal communities.

This notice announces that applications may be submitted for the 2027 National Sea Grant College Program Dean John A. Knauss Marine Policy Fellowship (Sea Grant Knauss Fellowship Program). The goal of this fellowship is to provide an educational experience in the policies and processes of the legislative and executive branches of the federal government for students enrolled in graduate or professional programs with an interest in ocean, coastal, and Great Lakes resources.

Grant Details
Pending the availability of federal funding, the National Sea Grant College Program anticipates funding not less than 35 applications. Each application package will propose a total of $97,200 in funding, which includes base funding for each award at $79,700. Of this amount, $74,700 is allocated for the fellow's salary/stipend and personnel expenses for twelve months, while $5,000 is designated for allowable expenses.

Allowable expenses may include academic tuition, journal publication fees, travel costs related to fellowship activities totaling $17,500 (with $15,000 for optional host office-related travel), and relocation costs compliant with university policy. The fellowship will take place in the National Capital Region with a project period starting no earlier than February 1, 2027, and ending no later than June 30, 2028.

Eligibility Requirements
Eligible applicants must be U.S. Citizens or lawful permanent residents enrolled towards a degree in a graduate program between Fall 2025 and June 3, 2026. They must have an interest in ocean, coastal, and Great Lakes resources.

Student applicants are encouraged to contact their state/territory Sea Grant program at least one to two months before the application deadline for support. Organizations applying must complete registrations with SAM.gov, Grants.gov, and eRA Commons prior to submission.

Period of Performance
The anticipated start date for the fellowship is between February 1 and June 1, 2027. The project must be completed by June 30, 2028.

Grant Value
The total value of each grant is $97,200. Each application package proposes this amount with specific allocations detailed above.

Place of Performance
The fellowship will take place in the National Capital Region.
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Overview

Agency
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) [DOC]
Category of Funding
Natural Resources
Science and Technology and other Research and Development
Funding Instruments
Cooperative Agreement
Grant Program (CFDA)
11.417 - Sea Grant Support
Grant Category
Discretionary
Cost Sharing / Matching Requirement
False
Source
Grants.gov
On 3/2/26 National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration posted grant opportunity NOAA-OAR-SG-2027-32433 for Fiscal Year 2027 National Sea Grant College Program Dean John A. Knauss Marine Policy Fellowship with funding of $3.4 million. The grant will be issued under grant program 11.417 Sea Grant Support. It is expected that 35 total grants will be made worth between $97,200 and $97,200.

Timing

Posted Date
March 2, 2026, 12:00 a.m. EST
Closing Date
July 22, 2026, 12:00 a.m. EDT Due in 130 Days
Last Updated
March 2, 2026, 6:37 p.m. EST
Version
1
Archive Date
Aug. 21, 2026

Eligibility

Eligible Applicants
Others (see text field entitled "Additional Information on Eligibility" for clarification)
Additional Info
A student is eligible to submit application materials listed in Section IV.B.3.b.1-4 of this NOFO to an eligible Sea Grant program if: (1) The student is a U.S. Citizen (born or naturalized), a U.S. Lawful Permanent Resident (Green Card holder), or a dual national with at least one citizenship as the U.S.; (2) The student is enrolled towards a degree in a graduate program at any point between the onset of the 2025 Fall Term (quarter, trimester, semester, etc.) and June 3, 2026; (3) The graduate degree will be awarded through an accredited institution of higher education in the United States or U.S. Territories, and; (4) The student has an interest in ocean, coastal, and Great Lakes resources and in the national policy decisions affecting those resources. Student application submission is through an application to the Sea Grant program in the state in which the student is earning their degree. If there is no Sea Grant program in a student’s state, a Sea Grant program will be assigned (see Section IV.D.). A written statement from the National Sea Grant Knauss Fellowship Program Manager referring the student to the most appropriate eligible Sea Grant program will be provided to the student and must be submitted to the State Sea Grant program through which they are applying. Students are not eligible to submit full application materials to Grants.gov. The following entities are eligible to submit full proposals to this NOFO opportunity via Grants.gov: Sea Grant College Programs, Sea Grant Institutional Programs, and Sea Grant Coherent Area Programs. To be eligible to apply or receive an award, applicant organizations must complete and maintain three registrations: SAM.gov, Grants.gov, and eRA Commons. For each, the complete registration process can take 4 to 6 weeks, so applicants must begin this activity as soon as possible and well before the proposal due date. For more information on how to meet these registration and application submission requirements without errors, we advise all to carefully review relevant Applicant and Grantee Training modules: https://www.commerce.gov/ocio/programs/gems/applicant-and-grantee-training. Additionally, we advise that all carefully read ‘Additional Application Package Forms’ within the ‘Full Proposal Required Elements’ section below.

Award Sizing

Ceiling
$97,200
Floor
$97,200
Estimated Program Funding
$3,402,000
Estimated Number of Grants
35

Contacts

Contact
Brandi L Franklin Grantor
Contact Email
oar.sg.fellows@noaa.gov   Profile
Email Description
Work
Contact Phone
(301) 683-0496

Documents

Posted documents for NOAA-OAR-SG-2027-32433

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