Core Funding
Core Funding supports university researchers and community partners in applied research, outreach, and education to address North Carolina’s coastal and inland needs and connect findings with users.
Funder: North Carolina Sea Grant
Due Dates: January 11, 2027 (Preproposal) | April 5, 2027 (Full proposal) | August 9, 2027 (Revised proposal)
Funding Amounts: Up to $150,000 per two-year project ($75,000 maximum annually), with $1 nonfederal match per $2 federal funding
Summary: Supports applied research, outreach, and education addressing North Carolina’s priority coastal and inland issues.
Key Information: Lead PIs must be affiliated with an accredited North Carolina higher education institution; a preproposal is mandatory.
Description
North Carolina Sea Grant’s biennial Core Funding program connects university research and outreach with communities to address critical, place-based coastal and inland needs. Part of NOAA’s National Sea Grant College Program, it supports multidisciplinary applied research, outreach, and education. Proposed work must align with the 2028–2031 Strategic Plan in one or more areas: Healthy Coastal Ecosystems, Resilient Communities and Economies, Sustainable Fisheries and Aquaculture, and Environmental Literacy and Workforce Development.
The 2028–2030 cycle also welcomes natural and social science research assessing ocean acidification impacts on North Carolina’s coastal and estuarine ecosystems. Offered with NOAA’s Ocean Acidification Program and Southeast Sea Grant programs, this opportunity seeks work helping coastal communities and ocean-dependent economies respond to current and future ocean chemistry changes. All projects must identify users of their results and explain how findings will reach them.
