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Grants / Natural resources

F26AS00023 FY2026 Prescott Marine Mammal Rescue and Response Grant Program

Fish and Wildlife Service, Department of the Interior

Deadline
November 30, 2026Electronically submitted applications must be submitted no later than 11:59 PM., ET, on the listed application due date.
Award size
Up to $150,000About 21 awards
Matching funds
RequiredYou must contribute some of the cost
Fit for small groups
Better for larger organizations

In plain language

This grant helps pay for the care and response to sick, injured, or stranded marine mammals. It also supports data collection and training for marine mammal rescue. The money can be used for facilities and emergency help.

The money can pay for

  • Care for sick or injured marine mammals
  • Response to marine mammal strandings
  • Data collection for research
  • Training for emergency response

Who can apply

Eligible applicants include governments, nonprofits with or without 501(c)(3) status, and others who are authorized to respond to marine mammal strandings.

Is it a fit for a small group?

Better for larger organizations. This grant is mainly for organizations that are authorized to respond to marine mammal strandings, which may not include most small community nonprofits.

Before you apply

  • Matching funds are required
  • Applicants must be authorized under the MMPA
  • Eligibility depends on being a marine mammal stranding participant
  • Federal applicants need an active registration at SAM.gov and a Grants.gov account. Registration can take several weeks, so start early.

This summary was written by GrantGather with AI, based on the official listing. It can contain mistakes. Check the official listing on Grants.gov before you apply.

From the official listing

The John H. Prescott Marine Mammal Rescue and Response Grant Program (Prescott program) provides financial assistance to eligible marine mammal stranding participants and stranding network collaborators to provide (A) the recovery, care, or treatment of sick, injured, or entangled marine mammals; (B) responses to marine mammal stranding events that require emergency assistance; (C) the collection of data and samples from living or dead stranded marine mammals for scientific research or assessments regarding marine mammal health; (D) facility operating costs that are directly related to activities described in (A), (B), or (C); and (E) development of stranding network capacity, including training for emergency response, where facilities do not exist or are sparse. Successful applications will be those aimed at helping support these actions. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s (FWS)…

Read the full description

The John H. Prescott Marine Mammal Rescue and Response Grant Program (Prescott program) provides financial assistance to eligible marine mammal stranding participants and stranding network collaborators to provide (A) the recovery, care, or treatment of sick, injured, or entangled marine mammals; (B) responses to marine mammal stranding events that require emergency assistance; (C) the collection of data and samples from living or dead stranded marine mammals for scientific research or assessments regarding marine mammal health; (D) facility operating costs that are directly related to activities described in (A), (B), or (C); and (E) development of stranding network capacity, including training for emergency response, where facilities do not exist or are sparse. Successful applications will be those aimed at helping support these actions. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s (FWS) Prescott Grant Program will provide support for response to the stranding of wild populations of species under the Department of the Interior’s management authority per section 3(12) of the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA). Under this Funding Opportunity, FWS will recommend projects for funding based on how well and to what extent they support the species-specific priority activities, which are listed below under Species-Specific Funding Priorities. For the purposes of this program, priority is to be given to applications focusing on marine mammal strandings.

Opportunity number
F26AS00023
Posted
September 29, 2026
Total funding
$2.4 million
Eligible applicants
City or township governments
Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education
State governments
Special district governments
Private institutions of higher education
Nonprofits that do not have a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education
Public and State controlled institutions of higher education
Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments)
Others (see eligibility details)
Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized)
County governments
Eligibility details
Eligible applicants must be a U.S. eligible marine mammal stranding participant or stranding network collaborator that is not an employee of the Department of the Interior or Department of Commerce. The term "eligible marine mammal stranding participant" means a person who is authorized by the FWS under MMPA section 104(c) for response to injured or distressed marine mammals or for scientific research regarding marine mammal health, or under MMPA section 112(c) to take marine mammals as described in MMPA section 109(h) in response to a stranding. Eligible entities also include Federal, state, or local government employees operating in the course of their official duties as indicated under MMPA section 109(h). Applicants may reach out to the FWS for technical assistance to clarify and/or document applicability of the exemption under MMPA section 109(h). For marine mammals that are listed under the Endangered Species Act (ESA), eligibility includes authorization under ESA section 10(a)(1)(A) (except for polar bears as long as authorization has been provided under the MMPA), or exemptions to take prohibitions under 50 CFR 17.21 or 50 CFR 17.31. Applicants may be eligible without the MMPA or ESA authorizations detailed above depending on the nature of the project (see 1. f. below).Specifically, applicants must satisfy either #1 or #2 below1.A participant in a marine mammal stranding network (which is not an entity of a state, local, or eligible federal government employee) and…
Assistance listing
15.683 Prescott Marine Mammal Rescue Assistance
Agency contact
Fish and Wildlife Service
kelly_niland@fws.gov
22041-3803
Open the official listing on Grants.gov