The NOAA Office of National Marine Sanctuaries is seeking applications for the Dr. Nancy Foster Scholarship Program from individuals, particularly women and members of minority groups, who, due to financial constraints, may otherwise not be able to pursue an advanced degree in the scientific disciplines supported by this program.
Donor Name: Office of National Marine Sanctuaries
State: All States
County: All Counties
Type of Grant: Scholarship
Deadline: 02/14/2025
Size of the Grant: $10,000 to $100,000
Grant Duration: 2 Years
Details:
The NOAA Office of National Marine Sanctuaries conducts, sponsors, and facilitates research to better understand ecosystems and cultural resources in national marine sanctuaries, their changing condition, and the significance of threats. The National Marine Sanctuary System uses conservation science to support policy decisions, develop effective response capabilities, evaluate management practices, and support broader, NOAA-wide responsibilities for marine conservation and management. Science priorities are identified through assessments of threats and resource conditions within national marine sanctuaries and management plans and are necessary to protect and conserve sanctuary resources, manage risks, reduce threats and respond to unexpected events. Strong partnerships, expert scientific content and judgment, and peer review enhances the accuracy and credibility of monitoring and research. In addition, science, education, outreach, and policy development work together to raise awareness and prompt effective action that will address ocean problems.
NOAA recognizes the student’s need to ensure that scholarly research, which is often hypothesis based, addresses critical gaps in knowledge about ecological processes, physiological mechanisms, evolutionary underpinnings, human behaviors, preferences and values, and related areas. The nature of the NOAA Office of National Marine Sanctuaries’ research, as well as interactions with sanctuary staff and partners with similar goals, can help students fulfill their degree requirements through work benefiting not only national marine sanctuaries, but marine conservation more broadly and ecosystem science as a whole. In addition to natural resource studies, scholars may investigate socioeconomic, maritime archaeological and maritime heritage resource studies in national marine sanctuaries.
Funding Information
Subject to appropriations, approximately $500,000 may be available for awards under this program during fiscal year (FY) 2025. The Dr. Nancy Foster Scholarship Program anticipates that each year approximately 2-5 scholarships will be awarded. The Dr. Nancy Foster Scholarship Program provides yearly support of approximately $47,000 per student (a 12- month stipend of about $35,000 in addition to a tuition allowance of about $12,000) and $10,000 support for one 4-6 week program collaboration at a field office of the National Marine Sanctuary System or other NOAA facility. Additionally, travel support of up to $3,000 may be provided to all scholars to attend the Foster Scholar Orientation and Communication Training and up to $3,000 for doctoral level scholars to attend the Capitol Hill Ocean Week. An aggregate amount of approximately $110,000 may be provided to master’s degree level students (up to two years of support, one program collaboration opportunity, and travel support for the Foster Scholar Orientation and Communication Training) and approximately $213,00 may be provided to doctoral level students (up to four (4) years of support, one (1) program collaboration opportunity, and travel support for the Foster Scholar Orientation and Communication Training and Capitol Hill Ocean Week). It is important to note that Foster Scholarship funds cannot be used toward research costs.
Grant Period
The award periods are up to two (2) years for a student in a master’s level program and up to four (4) years for a doctoral level candidate, to be funded one year at a time.
Eligibility Criteria
To apply, each applicant must:
- be a U.S. citizen, permanent resident or a citizen of a U.S. territory (as defined by 16 U.S.C. 6602(9));
- pursue or intend to pursue a masters or doctoral level degree in oceanography, maritime archaeology or marine biology, including all science, engineering and resource management of ocean and coastal areas (or related areas), at a U.S. accredited graduate institution;
- have and maintain a minimum cumulative and term grade point average of 3.30 or higher; and
- maintain full-time student status, as defined by the university that the scholar is attending, for the duration of the scholarship award.
For more information, visit Grants.gov.
