The Saltonstall-Kennedy Program began in 1954 when the Saltonstall-Kennedy Act was signed into law. It established a fund used by the Secretary of Commerce to provide grants and cooperative agreements for fisheries research and development projects addressing any aspect of U.S. fisheries including but not limited to harvesting, processing and marketing. This fund is delegated to NOAA Fisheries and Congress directs funding be used for activities related to marine fisheries research, promotion, development and marketing.
About the Program
The objective S-K Program, is to promote U.S. fisheries by assisting the fishing community to address marketing and research needs. The program facilitates this goal through the annual Saltonstall-Kennedy Grant Competition. NOAA Fisheries awards grants in marine fishery projects through this grant competition ranging from a minimum of $25,000 to a maximum of $500,000.
American Fisheries Advisory Committee
The American Fisheries Advisory Committee was established by the American Fisheries Advisory Committee Act in May 2022 to make recommendations for Saltonstall-Kennedy priorities and grant award funding.
Learn more about the American Fisheries Advisory Committee
Grant Competition
NOAA Fisheries seeks applications that demonstrate direct benefits to U.S. fisheries and meaningful participation of fishing communities. U.S. marine fisheries include any commercial fishery, recreational fishery, or aquaculture operation that is, or may be, engaged in by citizens or nationals of the United States or other eligible applicants. The competition is open to applicants from a variety of sectors, including individuals, industry, academia, and state, local and tribal governments. NOAA Fisheries seeks applications under the following three priorities:
- Priority 1: Promotion and Marketing
- Priority 2: Development, Infrastructure, and Capacity Building
- Priority 3: Science or Technology that Enhances Sustainable U.S. Fisheries
FY25 Notice of Funding Opportunity for Full Proposals is now open
Projects recommended for funding as part of the FY24 competition
New Requirements for FY25 Funding Opportunity
The next Saltonstall-Kennedy funding opportunity will be announced in late May 2024, but anyone interested in submitting a proposal can—and should—start preparing now. This year, all applicants must complete and maintain registrations on SAM.gov, Grants.gov, and eRA Commons prior to submitting their funding proposal. Registration can take 4 to 6 weeks, so applicants should begin this process as soon as possible.
- Sam.gov: All applicant organizations and individuals must first register in SAM.gov to obtain a Unique Entity Identifier. Registration can take 2 or more weeks to process. If your organization is already registered, renewal is required annually and the UEI must be active when you submit your proposal.
- Grants.gov: Applicants must register in Grants.gov after receiving the UEI from SAM.gov, but can register before or after registering in eRA Commons. Registration can take 2-4 weeks.
- eRA Commons: The eRA registration can start while an applicant is waiting for their final SAM.gov approval of their UEI. However, the organization must have a complete SAM.gov registration in order to submit an application. Registration can take up to 4 weeks. eRA Commons registration must be completed by the Signing Official (SO). An SO is someone in the organization with signatory authority such as a President, Executive Director, Owner, etc. The SO will receive 4-5 emails throughout the registration process. In addition, a Project Director/Principal Investigator (PD/PI) account must be created and linked on the SF-424 for a successful submission.
Learn more about NOAA Fisheries' new grant application process
Projects in the Spotlight
- Dive In with NOAA Fisheries | Why You Should Try Monkfish
- Dive In with NOAA Fisheries | From Collapse to Sustainability: West Coast Groundfish Are Back
- Dive In with NOAA Fisheries | Fishadelphia: Connecting Communities with Fresh Seafood
- Dive In with NOAA Fisheries | Partnership Profiles: A Queen Conch Hatchery and the Local Fish Initiative
- Groundbreaking Aquaculture Research
Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement
- Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (PDF, 250 pages)
- Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement Record Of Decision (PDF, 8 pages)
