Timeline
April 1 Applications open
May 31 Applications closed
June 12 Grantees notified
We award grants to projects led by Ocean Leaders and Ocean Solutions Hubs that address a key ocean issue in the greater context of addressing climate change, challenging unsustainable resource consumption, and uplifting the voices of a generation seeking a planetary paradigm shift.
Our goals are to drive ocean innovation, strengthen youth involvement in the ocean sector, increase ocean literacy, and identify models of financially stable ocean conservation.
Applications are accepted on a rolling basis from April 1- May 31.
Grants range from $500 to $2,000 USD.
Select grantees will be invited to attend the Ocean Leadership Deep Dive: Community Leadership, a virtual training taking place in October 2021, to broaden your leadership skillset and amplify your impact through further project funding.
All grantees will have the opportunity to receive 1:1 mentorship and access to the educational resources of our network.
April 1 Applications open
May 31 Applications closed
June 12 Grantees notified
November 15: Latest grant disbursement date for first 50%
December 1: 2021 Reports Due
April 1, 2022: Final Reports Due
August 1 Select grantees invited
October 4 Intensive start
November 15 Intensive end
We awarded funding to 93 projects in 40 countries, to leaders averaging 26 years of age.
Featured Projects
Mikoko Pamoja
Gazi Bay, Kenya
Mikoko Pamoja is a community-led project to protect and restore mangroves through the sale of carbon credits. Their project tests the Riley Encasement Technique, an innovative replanting method, in a bid to rehabilitate mangroves in the denuded high energy intertidal areas of Gazi bay.
Mikoko Pamoja plants 4,000 mangrove seedlings (Sonneratia Alba) annually, which capture carbon and serve as a carbon credit. Changes to the sites from human development and climate change have made it so that typical mangrove planting no longer works.
Leaders: Josphat Nguu, SOA Kenya
Project Tumbuh
Jakarta, Indonesia
CarbonEthics is a startup, not-profit organization running Project Tumbuh to directly sequester carbon through the conservation and restoration of coastal habitats (mangroves, seagrass, and coral) while also enhancing the livelihood of local communities. SOA is supporting them to conduct stakeholder mappings and assess carbon stock potential as well as gain formal government accreditation.
CarbonEthics aims to educate individuals and institutions about how to reduce and offset their carbon footprints. In less than 1 year since forming, CarbonEthics had offset >670 tons of CO2e through Blue Carbon Ecosystem Conservation with 6,230 of marine & estuarine mangrove trees planted, 1,325 seagrass seeds, 610 seaweed seeds and 247 coral polyps. Through this conservation, CarbonEthics had given direct economic contribution to 17 farmers partners and indirect socioeconomic contribution to coastal communities in Thousand Islands Marine National Park, Indonesia.
Go Zero Waste
Madrid, Spain
Go Zero Waste is an App (iOS and Android) that shows plastic-free alternatives for everyday items and then shows where to buy it in your area. The app challenges users to start a zero-waste lifestyle with new sustainable habits and rewarding them with a gamification feature.
Read more about Go Zero Waste on their website.
My Mizu
Tokyo, Japan
Mymizu (“mizu” is water in Japanese) provides a free water refill platform that connects people to 200,000+ locations globally where they can refill their water bottle, instead of buying bottled water. SOA is supporting them in developing materials for volunteers to carry out their own workshops across Japan, scaling their impact.
A large part of Mymizu's mission is education on the oceans & the plastic problem; they carry out workshops and awareness-raising activities at schools, universities & events (70+ times in the past 7 months to 5000+ people), as well as create digital content (e.g. infographics/videos) to engage people on social channels.
With SOA funds, they have developed fun, educational materials for Mymizu volunteers and community members to carry out their own workshops across Japan, enabling them to reach significantly more people through localized and volunteer-led workshops (both online and/or in-person).
Thresher Shark Champions
Alor, Indonesia
The Thresher Shark Champion Program trains local youths with leadership, communication, and conservation knowledge to undertake conservation initiatives that will stimulate behavior change of local communities who are targeting thresher sharks and support the transition to alternative livelihood solutions.
Thresher Shark Project Indonesia focuses on the conservation of Thresher Shark in Alor, East Tenggara Indonesia. The 3 main focuses of this project are (1) identifying critical habitat and migration patterns through satellite tagging and citizen science; (2) creating sustainable alternative livelihoods for the local shark fishing communities; and (3) conducting outreach, education to students, local youth communities, and other stakeholders. The project proposed with SOA microgrant is to specifically conduct the “Thresher Shark Champion Program”.
Watch the thresher Shark Project documentary.
Leaders: Putri Martosudarmo, Rafid Shidqi, Dewi Ratna Sari, Gisela Emanuela Nappoe, Primiaty Natalia, Ahmad Hilmy Mubarak,
Vivekananda Gitandjali
Saltwater Classroom
Washington, D.C., USA
Saltwater Classroom is a nonprofit that runs weeklong workshops focused on ocean science and conservation for young students. Through SOA support, Saltwater Classroom has pivoted their in-person programming to the virtual world, creating a unique opportunity for students across the world to connect with one another and learn from ocean experts. In November, Saltwater Classroom ran a three week virtual workshop that featured live sessions, encouraged hands-on activities, and fostered creative inquiry amongst its participants.
Check out their website.
Awareness into Action Programme
Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
Stop Trashing It is a network of youth helping people shift awareness into action when it comes to living lighter on the planet. They aim to ease these habit changes and encourage self-accountability through three action areas: Act Now Workshop Series, Digital Communications Program, and Action Campaigns.
This fall they teamed up with the Veith House Urban Garden to deliver a fermentation workshop where they learned how to make Kimchi using in-season produce grown locally (available on YouTube). Fermenting and pickling foods is a great way to make produce last longer at the end of growing season.
More info on the action area:
(1) Act Now Workshop Series: Hosting skill-building workshops and impact-driven events working with local partners.
(2) Digital Communications Program: Creating clear and engaging social media content to inspire action.
(3) Action Campaigns: Encouraging individual actions through pledges and challenges, and engaging political action by advocating for regulatory changes based on novel research.
Reproductive Ecology of Manta Rays
Nusa Penida Island, Indonesia
This project collects data on Manta Rays in The Nusa Penida Marine Protected Area (MPA), and couples this information with individual sightings data to understand their population demographics and dynamics. The information garnered from this study will provide data on manta ray life-history parameters and lend insights into whether sites repeatedly used by smaller individuals can be considered nurseries for this species, which is an understudied aspect of manta ray ecology. Information from this study will inform tourism management within the MPA.
Check out their website.
Virtual Diving Project
Maranhão, Brazil
Virtual Diving is an environmental education project inspired by Google Cardboard. Through virtual reality glasses made of recycled cardboard, students take a virtual tour in different marine ecosystems using the Google app "Expeditions". The Virtual Diving team knows that most people never have and probably never will have the opportunity to dive in their entire lives. They also know that this is a big problem for the oceans, because it is impossible to preserve what you do not know.
Through their virtual tours, they show people what exists beyond the waves. The main themes they explore are coral bleaching and marine pollution.
River clean-up and characterization of plastic pollution in a coastal protected area
Nerja and Almuñécar, Spain/ Cork, Ireland
This project carries out clean up activities and monitoring of litter and microplastics in the Sanguino River and streams near a protected coastline located in Maro-Cerro Gordo Cliffs Natural Area (Nerja and Almuñécar, Spain). Previous monitoring work by the organization associated with this grant (Hombre y Territorio) has identified heavily polluted sites due to intensive agriculture.
Primary activities include cleanup and litter characterization, analysis of water samples for microplastics by infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), training citizen scientists to maintain fieldwork, and communicating project impact with local policymakers and stakeholders.
Gambia Ocean Heroes
The Gambia
12 tonnes of trash along River Gambia (Barra to Kartong) were collected, as well as activities to sensitize community members (especially those who travel on the river ferry) about the effects of riverine and marine pollution through radio programs and surveys. Gambia Ocean Heroes is a service-learning project under the GREAT Institute created in 2018. Apart from clean up activities, the GOH supports local communities and organizations to take the lead in efforts towards promoting ocean health and reducing plastic pollution. Since 2018, GOH has collected 350 tonnes of trash along The Gambia’s coastline and is excited to expand this effort to rivers.
River Clean Up Operations (RECOVER)
Brunei-Muara, Brunei
River Clean-Up Operation (RECOVER) is a collaborative community service project conducted by SOA Brunei, YSEALI and Save Kampong Ayer to gather solid wastes found along the Brunei River in Kampong Ayer (Water Village). This project aims to provide immediate short-term relief to solid waste discarded in the environment by engaging volunteers and the local Kampong Ayer community through the collective effort of a mass river clean-up. To date, RECOVER has engaged 186 volunteers and successfully collected 270 bags of waste.
A-B-Seas
Guimaras Island, Philippines
A-B-Seas is a two-day experiential learning camp for children and teens to nurture interest in marine life and inspire pro-environmental behavior. This program introduces participants to basic concepts in marine ecology, conservation, and leadership, with special attention to the different roles and responsibilities humans have. Each lesson is accompanied with an activity or task, represented by a marine species. Each camp ends with an assignment for attendees to pursue in their own social circles (e.g., convince their parents to use reusable bags for groceries, write a letter to their principal about waste segregation in their school, etc.).
A-B-Seas was created in response to the concern of MPA (Marine Protected Areas) managers that most people involved in MPA management and coastal conservation belong to older age groups.
Project Mariknows
Philippines
Project MariKnows is a project that aims to empower Maritime professionals and students (Marine Engineering and Marine Transportation) in the Philippines as leaders in marine conservation by hosting a two-day seminar-workshop and creating an institutionalized Learning Kit. The Philippines is the 2nd largest producer of seafarers around the world, so it is essential that they understand the most pressing issues of their industry including ballasting, marine litter, noise pollution, eliminating carbon emissions in the shipping sector, and oil spills.
Read more about Project Mariknows on their website.
See Our Seas Docuseries
Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago
The Sea Our Seas Docuseries is a joint project between Ecovybz Environmental Creatives and 4 Change TT where six short documentaries will be created that highlight the oceans, marine resources, and problems and challenges facing effective ocean management in Trinidad and Tobago. The topics addressed include: fisheries, pollution, coral reefs, ghost gear, the Blue Economy, and climate change. This docuseries will educate on ocean resources and ocean problems, showcase solutions and mobilize actions, present stories from different stakeholders involved in ocean management, and aid in sharing information with schools and other interested bodies.
EpoXonomy: Curating The Science of Taxonomy through the Art of Epoxy Resins
Terengganu, Malaysia
The science of taxonomy and the art of biological specimen collections go hand in hand to illustrate and catalogue the importance of life on Earth, particularly where marine biodiversity loss is increasing at alarming rates. This project aims to: 1) Curate selective marine organisms and illustrated graphics to debunk misconceptions of taxonomy through the art of epoxy resin, 2) prepare information for resin specimens and blocks via QR codes, with video links from experts related to themes of acidification, aquatic invasives, destruction of habitat and pollution, 3) create awareness through advertising and create an educational toolkit and exhibition.
The project is expected to help youths engage the fundamental science of taxonomy with conservation and ecology in line with the themes of SOA and SDG 14, and aid experts by working towards establishing conservation priorities of our Malaysian marine biological heritage.
WindKart Beach Clean-Up
Fort-Mahon Plage, France
WindKart Beach Clean-up conducts regular beach cleanups using their own specific 'windkarts' that are suited to the wide, windy beach. They also sort the waste they collect and obtain data which will both inform sensitization projects and demonstrate the high amount of pollution generated by fishermen and mussel farmers who use and discard plastic gear. The team is engaging with corporates to have employees participate as part of CSR policies and in the future, they aim to offer consulting services to those companies so that they can reduce their impact.
Sawfish Project Indonesia
Bogort, Indonesia
Sawfish Project Indonesia is an interdisciplinary project that seeks to provide data about sawfish to local and national governments to implement legal protections for them. The project will conduct scientific research using Environmental DNA (E-DNA) and fisheries surveys to investigate the problem of sawfish bycatch, which is one of the major factors leading to the decline of sawfish populations in Merauke, Indonesia. Sawfish Project Indonesia ultimately aims to enhance the capacity of indigenous people in Merauke to continue the important work of sawfish conservation locally. This project will perform an incubator workshop to teach the youth of Merauke about sawfish conservation.
Let the Sea Turtle Live
Southwest Region, Cameroon
A project in partnership with the Cameroon Ministry of Environment, Nature, and Sustainable Development to raise awareness among fishermen to improve fishing practices with the aim of conserving the endangered sea turtles. Over 3,000 fishermen in 4 fishing communities took part, including 30 fishermen association leaders who agreed to serve as ambassadors for the project and to continue to spread awareness in their community. Volunteers from the University of Buea played key roles in door-to-door sensitization, which contributed to an estimated 75% increase in awareness amongst the fishing community on the ecological importance of sea turtles.
Journalism to Combat Marine Debris
Accra, Ghana
The ocean plays a critical role as a climate regulator by absorbing about 30% of human emissions of carbon dioxide, but increasing levels of plastic waste threatens this key ecosystem function. This project seeks to leverage data and storytelling tools to spotlight the challenge of marine pollution and its dangers to society. The project also deploys a digital campaign involving use of short videos and infographics to educate residents across West Africa on the dangers of marine pollution, and improve practices of waste management.
Read more about their project and read a recent article here.
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