Call summary :

The Ocean Community Empowerment and Nature (OCEAN) Grants Programme (hereinafter referred to as ‘OCEAN’) is a global competitive grants initiative that aims to support the people most impacted by declining ocean health and climate change through funding local solutions to local problems.
OCEAN Impact: Placing the ocean on a path to recovery, enabling local communities and nature to thrive.
OCEAN is funded by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), through the UK’s Blue Planet Fund (BPF) – a £500 million portfolio of programmes supporting developing countries to protect the marine environment and reduce poverty. Applications and grants are administered by NIRAS (referred to as the ‘OCEAN Grants Administrator’).

Community Grants

The Community Grants pathway has been designed to meet the needs of small- to mediumsized, locally-led, in-country organisations legally registered and working in an eligible coastal-country (further details in Annex A). All Community Grants applications must:
• support a reduction in multi-dimensional poverty;
• lead to improved protection, restoration, conservation or sustainable management of the marine environment;
• address the needs of and barriers for women, people with disabilities, and other marginalised groups, aiming to reduce gender and social inequalities (i.e., a GEDSI Responsive approach), though projects meeting or striving toward a higher GEDSI ambition (GEDSI Empowering) will be prioritised
• demonstrate how they contribute to climate adaption and/or climate mitigation;
• demonstrate a good understanding of the context in which the project will take place;
• increase the capability and capacity of local communities and/or organisations; and
• contribute to developing new ideas, providing local solutions to local problems, and empowering communities...