Ocean Community Empowerment and Nature

The OCEAN Grants Programme is a new competitive grants scheme, supporting innovative proposals from local coastal communities that aim to deliver marine protection and reduce poverty worldwide. We know community-led initiatives have huge potential to make a positive impact. Yet up until now, there has been insufficient competitive funding for programming that tackles marine issues and specifically focuses on reaching local communities and local organisations. Despite 10% of the global population having high dependence on the nutritional, economic, and coastal protection benefits the ocean provides and it contributing US$1.5 trillion to the global economy, less than 1% (US$13 billion) of this total value was invested in the ocean economy through sustainable projects in the past decade. The OCEAN Grants Programme seeks to redress these imbalances by supporting people and communities most acutely impacted by climate change.