Prescott Marine Mammal Rescue and Response Grant Program 2025

Deadline: 14 March 2025

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 of the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA).

Funding Information

Estimated Total Program Funding: $1,121,364
Award Ceiling: $150,000

Outcomes

The intended outcomes of this funding activity are to complete the goals listed below:
- Support the recovery, care, or treatment of sick, injured, or entangled marine mammals
- Respond to marine mammal stranding events that require emergency assistance
- Collect data and samples from living or dead stranded marine mammals for scientific research or assessments regarding marine mammal health
- Development of stranding network capacity, including training for emergency response, where facilities do not exist or are sparse.

Eligibility Criteria

A participant in a marine mammal stranding network (which is not an entity of a state, local, or eligible federal government employee) and in good standing. To be in good standing means:
- The applicant has authorization issued 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 stranded marine mammals (live or dead animal response). For marine mammals, other than polar bears, that are listed under the ESA, the applicant also has authorization under ESA section 10(a)(1)(A) or is otherwise exempt through 50 CFR 17.21 or 50 CFR 17.31.
- All the Principal Investigators associated with the Prescott Grant Program application who hold or have held authorizations under the MMPA and, if listed, the ESA have fulfilled all requirements, including but not limited to, reports and publications and have fulfilled the terms of any enforcement actions. Noncompliance with MMPA/ESA permit or MMPA cooperative agreement actions will be considered on a case-by-case basis in terms of meeting this requirement.
- All stranding participants have complied with the terms and conditions of any permit or cooperative agreement issued under the MMPA and, if listed, ESA.
- The responsible stranding participant cooperates with the FWS regarding the timely submission of data and materials collected, when requested.
- The stranding participant is not under current enforcement investigation for activities involving the take of marine mammals contrary to MMPA and ESA regulations and do not have a notice of violation pending resolution.
- If no take will occur from the actions (e.g., strictly training, education, outreach) and therefore authorization is not required under the MMPA and/or ESA (if listed) applicant must clearly state why take will not occur.
The entity is a state, local, or eligible federal government employee (but not an employee of the Department of the Interior or Department of Commerce) participating pursuant to MMPA section 109(h) (16 U.S.C. 1379(h)) and, if listed, exempt by 50 CFR 17.21 or 17.31.

Review Criteria