FY22 NOAA Marine Debris Removal under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) | NOAA NOS ORR 2022 2007199

Opportunity Information: Apply for NOAA NOS ORR 2022 2007199

The FY22 NOAA Marine Debris Removal opportunity under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) is a federal discretionary funding program run by the NOAA Marine Debris Program (MDP) within NOAA's Office of Response and Restoration, U.S. Department of Commerce. Its core purpose is to fund on-the-ground marine debris removal efforts that produce clear, measurable environmental and community benefits in U.S. coastal and marine waters, including the Great Lakes and coastal river systems, and extending to U.S. territories and the Freely Associated States. NOAA frames marine debris broadly as persistent, manufactured or processed solid material that ends up in marine environments either intentionally or unintentionally (including the Great Lakes). The program emphasizes real-world outcomes: protecting coastal habitats, supporting local and regional coastal economies, and improving navigation safety by removing hazardous debris from the water.

This Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) is structured around two separate priorities, treated as parallel tracks with different application requirements. Priority 1 focuses on building large-scale, high-value debris removal programs (described as "partnerships") that can respond to local and regional needs, especially for large debris that cannot typically be removed by hand. NOAA explicitly highlights abandoned and derelict vessels (ADVs), derelict fishing gear (DFG), and similar large items as key targets. Under Priority 1, applicants can either propose to carry out a defined removal project themselves or propose to run a subaward competition, where the applicant acts as an administrator that selects and supports subawardees conducting removal projects. Priority 2 is aimed at projects that deploy proven interception technologies designed to capture debris at or near known sources or pathways, essentially stopping debris before it spreads further into marine ecosystems. Applicants wanting to pursue both priorities must submit separate applications, and NOAA expects to allocate more funding to Priority 1 overall, although the final split depends on the quality and merit of proposals received.

The opportunity is offered as a cooperative agreement, which usually indicates that NOAA expects to have substantial involvement during the period of performance (for example, coordination, technical input, or oversight beyond what is typical for a standard grant). NOAA indicates it is looking for organizations with strong technical capability and solid administrative systems, since projects may involve complex logistics, contracting, safety planning, permitting, disposal, and coordination across multiple stakeholders. Competitiveness is tied to how clearly a proposed effort supports NOAA's mission to prevent and mitigate the impacts of marine debris and how directly it benefits NOAA trust resources. In this context, trust resources include habitats and species NOAA has stewardship responsibilities for, such as areas connected to National Marine Sanctuaries, Marine Monuments, National Estuarine Research Reserves, and state coastal management areas (including Great Lakes Areas of Concern). NOAA also highlights commercial and recreational fisheries, endangered and threatened marine species, marine mammals and turtles, and priority habitats like marshes, mangroves, seagrass beds, coral reefs, Essential Fish Habitat (EFH), and Habitat Areas of Particular Concern (HAPCs). The NOFO also notes that, for this competition, trust resources may include foreign, transient, or transboundary marine species, reflecting the reality that marine debris and its ecological impacts do not respect jurisdictional boundaries.

Funding is substantial. NOAA anticipates up to $56,000,000 available across the solicitation, with an expected eight awards. Award sizes depend on the priority track. For Priority 1, the minimum federal request is $1,000,000 and the maximum is $15,000,000 (which aligns with the published award ceiling). For Priority 2, the minimum federal request is $100,000 and the maximum is $1,000,000. While a specific cost-share requirement is not stated in the text provided, NOAA makes clear that cost sharing, leveraged funds, and in-kind contributions will make applications more competitive and are considered in the evaluation criteria. Practically, this means proposals that bring committed partner funding, donated services, equipment time, volunteer support, or other documented contributions may score better, particularly if those contributions expand the geographic reach, increase the volume of debris removed or intercepted, or strengthen long-term maintenance and monitoring.

Eligibility is broad, spanning state, county, and local governments (including city or township governments), independent school districts, public and state-controlled institutions of higher education, federally recognized tribal governments, 501(c)(3) nonprofits (other than IHEs), for-profit organizations (including entities other than small businesses), small businesses, and other applicant types as described in the NOFO's additional eligibility language. This wide eligibility reflects NOAA's intent to fund both traditional public-sector removal efforts and innovative, partnership-driven approaches that may involve ports, marinas, fishing industry groups, waste management partners, technology providers, or multi-organization coalitions. NOAA also signals that successful projects will typically involve collaboration, listing potential partners such as community and watershed groups, anglers, boaters, industry (including commercial and recreational fishing and other marine industries), corporations, youth and student groups, landowners, academic institutions, tribal governments, and local and state agencies.

A notable feature of the solicitation is its explicit alignment with Executive Order 13985 on advancing racial equity and support for underserved communities. Applicants are asked to explain how their project will advance equity and inclusion, and NOAA encourages incorporating justice, equity, diversity, inclusion, and accessibility (often abbreviated as JEDI+A) into both proposal design and project implementation. The NOFO emphasizes attention to communities that are low-income, disproportionately burdened by pollution, lacking economic or social opportunity, or facing disenfranchisement, and it includes definitions for equity, underserved communities, and accessibility to clarify expectations. In practical terms, competitive projects would be expected to show meaningful community engagement, fair distribution of benefits (such as reduced hazards and cleaner shorelines in historically overburdened areas), accessible participation opportunities, and thoughtful partner roles rather than superficial outreach.

Administratively, the opportunity was posted June 28, 2022, under funding opportunity number NOAA NOS ORR 2022 2007199, with applications due via Grants.gov by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on September 30, 2022. Hardcopy submissions were not accepted. The CFDA listing is 11.999, and the activity category is tied to IIJA, signaling that NOAA is using infrastructure-focused federal investments to address marine debris as a problem that affects navigation, coastal resilience, habitat function, and economic activity. Overall, this NOFO is best understood as a large, outcomes-driven removal and interception program: it rewards proposals that can demonstrate strong project readiness, credible partners, measurable environmental and community impact, alignment with NOAA trust resources, and a plan that uses federal dollars in combination with matching and leveraged support to scale up marine debris solutions.

• The Department of Commerce in the infrastructure investment and jobs act (iija) sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "FY22 NOAA Marine Debris Removal under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 11.999.
• This funding opportunity was created on Jun 28, 2022.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Sep 30, 2022 Full proposals must be submitted through and validated by Grants.gov on or before 1159 p.m. ET, September 30, 2022. Due to limited staffing of federal offices, hardcopy applications will not be accepted.. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $15,000,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 8 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: State governments, County governments, City or township governments, Independent school districts, Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, For profit organizations other than small businesses, Small businesses, Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

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