Public–Private Partnership Will Invest in Sanctuary Communities to Protect More of the Ocean and Great Lakes
Silver Spring, Md. – September 4, 2024 – The National Marine Sanctuary Foundation announced the creation of the Sanctuary Community Fund to support communities in the creation and stewardship of national marine sanctuaries and protecting the ocean and Great Lakes.
Through the Sanctuary Community Fund, the Foundation will deliver $2 million in funding over the next two years to local communities that will support the discovery, testing, piloting, nurturing, capacity, and spread of the best ideas to protect our ocean and Great Lakes.
The investments made through the Fund aim to expand and strengthen the National Marine Sanctuary System. Sanctuaries offer protection of wildlife, habitats, histories, legacies, and coastal communities within U.S. waters. Communities working hand-in-hand with sanctuary and monument managers promote conservation, stewardship, restoration, visitation, recreation, preservation of history, and celebration of cultures.
Our national marine sanctuaries and marine national monuments are ideal places to focus attention and efforts to improve ocean access for all, advancing health and prosperity for communities connected to the ocean, coasts, and Great Lakes and for the whole country. As our nation’s network of protected waters centered in community-based, comprehensive ecosystem management, these are key opportunities to support connecting historically underrepresented communities to our ocean and Great Lakes.
Joel R. Johnson, president and CEO of the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation, said, “Marine sanctuaries are people-powered, local, and community-driven. The Sanctuary Community Fund will directly strengthen U.S. coastal economies, our natural environment, and maritime heritage. The fund aims to increase access and equity by making capacity-building investments at the community level. This pioneering Fund for marine protected areas makes great use of the Biden-Harris administration’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act funds to amplify community voices on behalf of conserving their marine resources and strengthening sanctuaries.”
Susanna Kondracki and Mark McDade, co-Chairs of the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation Board of Trustees, said, “Supportive communities are essential to the success of each of our National Marine Sanctuaries, so helping to build strong local community support is a core component of the Foundation’s work. Each sanctuary is local and unique and can serve to nurture communities in diverse ways. Yet each of these sanctuaries serve a common purpose of protecting and preserving our nation’s precious marine and Great Lakes environments, so we’re excited to establish this new fund to collaborate with more people driving positive change through the protection of the most special places in our waters.”
“These grants represent the collaborative work that NOAA and the Foundation are committed to pursuing, ensuring our ocean and Great Lakes are protected for current and future generations with the most innovative and inclusive ideas available,” said John Armor, director of NOAA’s Office of National Marine Sanctuaries. “As our nation’s first stewards, NOAA recognizes the fundamental role that Indigenous Peoples, governments, and organizations continue to play in conserving National Marine Sanctuaries, and appreciate the Biden-Harris Administration for supporting this initiative.”
The initial funds are included as part of a 2023 announcement from the Biden-Harris Administration of investments through NOAA to address coastal climate resilience and protect marine resources through the Inflation Reduction Act. The Foundation will leverage that funding to seek complementary private investment in the Sanctuary Community Fund, to create a collaborative impact model that utilizes the power of public-private partnership to solve the biggest challenges facing our National Marine Sanctuary System and its watersheds.
The first round of grants will support community partners who want to advocate and advance the sites currently in and recently completing the sanctuary designation process but do not have the resources to do so. Specific outreach will encourage the participation of diverse sectors of the community, particularly inclusion of the Indigenous governments, organizations, and peoples, and underrepresented groups who are intrinsically linked to our waters. A request for proposals will be published on October 7, 2024, on marinesanctuary.org.
As the official national charitable partner for the National Marine Sanctuary System, the Foundation will use the Sanctuary Community Fund to directly invest in sanctuary communities, starting with the newly created designations and those underway to help wavemakers who spark change that leads to big protections. Future iterations of this grant program are intended to expand beyond Designations in Progress to the entire National Marine Sanctuary System.
Supporting Designations
The inclusive Sanctuary Designation Process provides a voice to historically marginalized communities who are highly invested caretakers of their local resources and have deep connections and ways of knowing these special places. The process recommends and requires the support of Indigenous communities and the involvement of people whose livelihoods and homes are impacted by climate change.
The National Marine Sanctuary System includes 16 national marine sanctuaries and two marine national monuments. These unique waters sustain critical, breathtaking marine habitats that provide homes to endangered and threatened species. They preserve America’s rich maritime and cultural heritage and are living laboratories for science, research, education and conservation. Sanctuaries also offer world-class outdoor recreation experiences for all ages and support local communities. Communities across the nation look to sanctuaries to protect nationally significant areas of our ocean, coasts, and Great Lakes.
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The National Marine Sanctuary Foundation, established in 2000, is the official non-profit partner of the National Marine Sanctuary System. The Foundation directly supports America’s national marine sanctuaries through our mission to protect species, conserve ecosystems and preserve cultural and maritime heritage. We accomplish our mission through community stewardship and engagement programs, on-the-water conservation projects, public education and outreach programs, and scientific research and exploration. The Foundation fosters innovative projects that are solution-oriented, scalable and transferable, and develop strategic partnerships that promote the conservation and recovery of species and their habitats. Learn more at marinesanctuary.org.
Contact: Chip Weiskotten
Director of Strategic Communications
301-754-6134
chip@marinesanctuary.org