INFORMATION AND GUIDELINES
About Us
The Project AWARE Foundation, established in 1992, is the dive industry's leading non-profit organization committed to conserving the underwater environments through education, advocacy and action. Grant program funding is made possible by direct contributions from divers and water enthusiasts and operates on a quarterly funding cycle.
Project AWARE Foundation provides grants to a variety of nonprofit organizations, institutions and individuals involved in activities directly related to the conservation of underwater environments - both marine and freshwater. We work to accomplish our mission through support of programs in selected focus areas including:
- Coral reef conservation
- Shark protection
- Sustainable fisheries
- Ecotourism (as related to underwater environments)
- Aquatic education with a special interest in children
- Direct activities to conserve underwater resources such as shoreline and underwater cleanups, mooring buoy installations and maintenance.
Within these focus areas, projects may include:
- Public education (formal and informal)
- Grass roots conservation and enhancement projects
- Environmentally focused research that leads to conservation measures
- Public awareness initiatives
- Environmental assessment and monitoring projects
- Volunteer-support community activism
We do not fund:
- Legislative advocacy to influence policy; political campaigns
- Projects whose methods are not environmentally accepted
- Overhead expenses including salaries of any kind, stipends, benefits or tuition
- Capital expenses including computer hardware/software or office furnishings
- Travel and living expenses
- Dive equipment or instruction
- Products designed for resale
Funding Limitations
Funding requests will be accepted up to a maximum of US $10,000, AU $2,500 or UK £5000 depending on the location of your service area office. The average grant awarded ranges between US $500 and $3000. Project AWARE Foundation funding is limited and very competitive. Therefore, we cannot provide support for every project. Grant proposals requesting funds for projects falling outside the program focus areas will not be considered. The Board of Directors reserves the right to make all funding decisions at their discretion. In some instances, partial funding may be awarded.
APPLICATION PROCEDURES
To apply for a Project AWARE Foundation grant, please submit a completed Grant Application (available in MsWord or PDF), along with a proposal no longer than three pages. Proposals must include the following components in this order:
- Name of Applicant
- Title of Project
- A Summary of your project - use this section to elaborate on the information you provided in the grant application, if necessary.
- Project goals:
A. Specific goals of the project
B. Methods for accomplishing these goals
- Statement of specific environmental benefit - use this section to elaborate on the information you provided in the grant application, if necessary.
- Significance of the project
- Time frame of the project
- Budget:
A. Itemized project budget
B. Total amount requested from the Foundation
C. List any additional sources of funding (currently seeking or secured)
Submissions lacking the completed Grant Application form and the required three page proposal will not be considered for funding. Proposals must be emailed to the Board of Directors of the Project AWARE Foundation office in the service area in which your project/research occurs. For verification of the correct office click here. Faxed or mailed proposals will not be accepted. Please do not submit duplicate proposals.
Applications will be acknowledged via email within 2 weeks of receipt. If an acknowledgement is not received within this period please contact us to ensure your proposal will be reviewed.
The Board of Directors meets quarterly to consider grant proposals. The meetings are typically scheduled during the third week of the month. To be considered at an upcoming quarterly meeting, proposals must be received at our office by the following deadlines:
Americas, Asia Pacific & UK Offices |
15 December for the January meeting
15 March for the April meeting
15 June for the July meeting
15 September for the October meeting |
Proposals received after these deadlines will be considered at the next quarterly meeting. If you are applying for funds to be used for International Cleanup Day, held the third Saturday in September, you must submit your application by 15 May. In most cases applicants will be notified by email immediately following the meeting. Projects awarded funds will not be eligible for repeat funding for twelve months from the date of initial funding. Due to our lean staff, inquiries on the status of your proposal are discouraged.
All funding recipients must submit a report on the results of their project. Click here to download the required report form (available in MS Word or PDF).
To view recent Project AWARE Foundation grant profiles, click here. |
