This measure directs the Secretary of Commerce, through NOAA, to set up a grant program within 180 days to support projects that conserve, restore, and manage kelp forest ecosystems. Grants may go to fishing industry members, colleges and universities, nonprofit organizations, Indian Tribes, State agencies, and local governments that collaborate with others. Eligible projects include work on regional kelp declines, long-term ecological and socioeconomic resilience, kelp seeding and connectivity, restoring food-web relationships (for example targeted urchin removal and supporting sunflower sea star recovery), monitoring, and integrating Indigenous knowledge or tribal co-management.
If you are part of the fishing industry, an academic institution, a nonprofit, an Indian Tribe, a State agency, or a local government, you can apply for a grant if you collaborate with other eligible partners and describe how you will monitor and evaluate the project. The program will rank projects using criteria based on best practices, best available science, and community engagement. NOAA will set application guidelines and may prioritize areas identified by Tribes or existing restoration plans.
The measure authorizes $5,000,000 per year for fiscal years 2026 through 2030 to carry out the grant program. At least $750,000 of each year’s authorization must be available for grants to Indian Tribes; if no Tribe receives a grant in a year, that tribal amount can be used for other eligible recipients and NOAA must do outreach to Tribes. Federal grants generally may not exceed 85 percent of a project’s total cost; the non-Federal share can be in-kind. The Secretary may waive the matching requirement in certain cases, including when a project is on lands owned by or held in trust for an Indian Tribe.
No publicly available information.
No publicly available information.