Work > Ending Ocean Plastics > Cleanups & ICC > Large Marine Debris Removal Project

Large Marine Debris Removal Project

Supported by a 2024 award from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Marine Debris Program, Ocean Conservancy seeks applications to support the removal of large marine debris from coastal United States waters and the Great Lakes.

Ocean Conservancy’s competitive process will provide support to local entities to conduct at-sea or shoreline removals of ghost gear or large marine debris, as well as efforts to prevent reaccumulation in coastal United States waters and the Great Lakes. Efforts will focus on debris in remote, hard-to-reach marine environments; bulky debris requiring special resources to remove, such as boat parts (no vessels), construction materials and tires; and abandoned, lost or discarded fishing gear, also known as “ghost gear,” including large fishing nets and “gear balls” containing tangled masses of rope traps and other fishing equipment.

We expect the majority of Subawards to range from $75,000–$125,000 USD, with a minimum Subaward of $50,000 USD and a maximum Subaward of $200,000 USD. Projected start dates will be late summer 2026, with an average project duration of 18-20 months, which includes a mandatory environmental compliance review period prior to any field activity.

Eligibility and Geographic Scope:

As outlined in the Marine Debris Act, eligible applicants for projects taking place in the coastal United States, Great Lakes, territories, and freely associated states (or their adjacent waterways), are state, local, Tribal, and territory governments whose activities affect research or regulation of marine debris. Equally eligible are any institution of higher education, nonprofit organization, or commercial (for-profit) organization with expertise in a field related to marine debris. Applications from federal agencies or employees of federal agencies will not be considered. Interested federal agencies may collaborate with eligible applicants but may not receive funds through this competition. Foreign public entities (see 2 CFR 200.1) from outside of the freely associated states are not eligible to apply.

All portions of the completed application must be submitted to  [email protected] by the deadline of  5:00 P.M. EDT on May 31, 2026. No late applications will be accepted. Please contact  [email protected] with questions about this Subaward opportunity.

Please refer to the resources below for additional details on how to apply.

Additional Resources:

• Application FAQs (PDF)
• Budget Template Example (Excel)