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.

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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.

The National Sea Grant Office mailing address is: NOAA Sea Grant 1315 East-West Highway Silver Spring, MD 20910 Contact the Sea Grant Knauss Fellowship Program Manager, National Sea Grant College Program; Tel: (240) 507-4825; E-mail: oar.sg.fellows@noaa.gov