The Marine Debris Foundation (MDF) is launching the Clean Oceans Innovation Hub, a funding and partnership initiative that catalyzes innovative, scalable solutions to prevent, remove, and reduce marine debris and plastic pollution.
As an innovation marketplace, the Hub connects promising solutions with funding, expertise, partnerships, and networks needed to move them from ideas to implementation. By bringing together change-makers, philanthropists, industry leaders, and technology experts, the Hub can make bold strides toward building a world where marine debris is no longer a threat to ecosystems, economies, and the well-being of future generations.
Powering Innovation. Funding Solutions. Protecting Our Waters.
Chartered by Congress as an official nonprofit partner of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Marine Debris Program, MDF is uniquely positioned to host the Clean Oceans Innovation Hub as a vehicle to match public commitment and private capital The Innovation Hub is supported in part by a 2025 award from the NOAA Marine Debris Program.
Each year, millions of marine animals are harmed by debris, while microplastics enter the food web threatening both wildlife and human health. Marine debris harms fishing and tourism, causing millions in losses and leaving coastal communities to shoulder clean up and lost revenue. By aligning federal and private investments, we can accelerate scalable solutions to one of the world’s most urgent environmental challenges.
A Bold Response to a Global Crisis
The Clean Oceans Innovation Hub will identify and provide financial support to innovative and high-impact solutions that are grounded in local knowledge and experience and have potential for replication and scale. Innovations will take the form of breakthroughs in technology, strategy, or practice, including use of traditional and tribal approaches.
In addition to financial support, MDF will connect grantees through peer learning, expert guidance, and opportunities for collaboration so that projects can benefit from shared knowledge, stronger networks, and greater collective impact.
Categories of Action the Hub will fund
- Protect coasts and ocean waters from plastic and debris
- Support clean cities and working waterfronts
- Educate the next generation for debris-free waters
- Mitigate microplastics in our waters
Invitation to Participate
MDF invites potential grantees to submit a brief concept note (see form below) for initial consideration, indicating the relevant category of action. Concepts will be evaluated for alignment with MDF and NOAA priorities (34%), potential for innovation and positive impact (33%), and match funding and/or partner support (33%). Selected applicants will receive an invitation to participate in the next stage of the funding process, in which they will be expected to submit a full proposal with a summary of the project, its scalability, performance indicators and targets, partners, match funding, and a budget.
For the first phase of the Clean Oceans Innovation Hub, MDF is only accepting applications for programs operating in the United States or U.S. waters (which encompasses coastal habitats, rivers and other waterways, and marine and Great Lake resources) and projects that fall within one of the four categories listed above. MDF expects proposed projects to be no more than one year in duration with most funding requests below $30,000.
For more details on eligible organizations, ineligible use of grant funds, terms and conditions of the award, cost share and match requirement, award administration and evaluation criteria, please see this RFP link. Note that MDF will not be funding construction nor health-related research on microplastics.