What the new marine conservation fund wants to achieve

Enriched family-office · Found: 2026-03-11 08:12

The fund, endowed with €400 million, is designed to initiate long-term marine conservation projects and promote innovations for a more ...

Source: https://table.media/en/climate/news/german-federal-environmental-foundation-what-the-new-marine-conservation-fund-wants-to-achieve

Funding Details

Funder

Deutsche Bundesstiftung Umwelt (DBU) - German Federal Environmental Foundation

Funding Goal

Protect and restore marine ecosystems in the North Sea and Baltic Sea through nature conservation, habitat restoration, and sustainable offshore wind energy development

Funding Amount

Approximately EUR 10 million annually; individual projects in 2025 ranged from EUR 172,000 to EUR 1.16 million; total 2025 portfolio of approximately EUR 5 million across 8 projects (172.000 € – 1.160.000 €)

Deadline

Rolling — no fixed deadline; applications accepted continuously from 2025 onwards (Rolling)

How to Apply

Applications submitted directly to DBU via the dedicated Marine Nature Conservation Fund funding topic page at dbu.de. Inquiries directed to the DBU Marine fund contact page.

Target Region

North Sea and Baltic Sea (German waters)

Contact

Deutsche Bundesstiftung Umwelt (DBU), An der Bornau 2, 49090 Osnabrück, Germany. Funding topic page: dbu.de/en/topics/marine-nature-conservation-fund/

Official Page

https://www.dbu.de/en/jahresbericht/meeresnaturschutzfonds/

Last Checked

2026-03-15 13:23

Application Checklist

Eligibility

• Project must focus on North Sea or Baltic Sea (German waters)
• Eligible applicants include research institutes, universities, and conservation organisations

Project Scope

• Scope: species protection, habitat restoration, offshore wind nature compatibility, monitoring

Required Documents

• Applications submitted via DBU Marine fund topic page

Constraints

• No fixed deadline — rolling submissions accepted year-round
• German waters geographic constraint limits international applicants

Summary

The Marine Nature Conservation Fund (Meeresnaturschutzfonds) is a new funding instrument established in late 2024 by the German Federal Environmental Foundation (Deutsche Bundesstiftung Umwelt, DBU). The fund was capitalised with EUR 400 million by the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, with revenues derived from compensation payments for offshore wind turbine licences under the Offshore Wind Energy Act. This provides a stable, long-term funding base of approximately EUR 10 million per year available for marine conservation grants. The fund focuses exclusively on the North Sea and Baltic Sea, aiming to improve the ecological condition of these sea areas. Priority thematic areas include protection of endangered marine species (sturgeon, salmon, eel, sharks and rays), preservation and restoration of habitats such as reefs and seagrass meadows, improving water continuity in river catchment areas, and promoting nature-compatible offshore wind farm development, operation and decommissioning. The fund also supports innovative monitoring methods, stakeholder participation processes, and science communication. In its first year (2025), the fund supported eight projects with a combined budget of approximately EUR 5 million, with individual project sizes ranging from approximately EUR 172,000 to EUR 1.16 million. Applications can be submitted on a rolling basis throughout the year with no fixed deadline cycles. Funded entities have included universities, environmental research institutes, and conservation organisations operating in German maritime waters. The fund is administered by DBU, one of Europe's largest environmental foundations, which has operated since 1990 with an endowment of approximately EUR 2.8 billion. DBU broader portfolio covers environmental innovation, sustainable business, nature conservation, and environmental education across Germany and internationally. The Marine Nature Conservation Fund represents a dedicated, ring-fenced instrument within DBU specifically for the restoration and protection of the North and Baltic Seas. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis via the DBU website. The fund does not publish fixed grant rounds or competitive call deadlines, making it accessible year-round for eligible organisations working in North Sea or Baltic Sea contexts.

Historical Context

The fund was established in November 2024 and its first operational year was 2025. It is expected to disburse approximately EUR 10 million annually on an ongoing basis. No previous rounds exist as this is a newly created instrument funded from offshore wind compensation payments.

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