FCDO Blue Planet Fund — OCEAN Grants Programme

Enriched government · Found: 2026-03-14 20:33

UK GBP 500M ocean ODA. OCEAN programme: waste management systems, circular economy for ocean plastics. Small grants GBP 250K, large grants GBP 3M. Runs to 2029. All developing country regions covered.

Source: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/blue-planet-fund/blue-planet-fund

Funding Details

Funder

UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) / Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra)

Funding Goal

Support local in-country projects delivering lasting change to the marine environment and coastal communities in ODA-eligible countries, with a focus on marine pollution reduction, solid waste management, circular economy approaches, marine protected areas, sustainable fisheries, coastal habitat restoration, aquaculture, and climate resilience for coastal communities.

Funding Amount

Two pathways: community grants up to £250,000 for small local organisations; partnership grants up to £3 million for large-scale activities. Total Blue Planet Fund envelope: £500 million (ODA). (up to 3.000.000 €)

Deadline

Annual, next call due January 2025 (per November 2024 update) (periodic)

How to Apply

Annual competitive call for proposals submitted via the OCEAN grants website (oceangrants.org.uk). First call opened February 2024. Applications submitted for two separate funding pathways (community vs. partnership grants). An expert committee scores proposals.

Target Region

ODA-eligible coastal countries across six regions: South and Southeast Asia, West Africa, East Africa, Latin America, Caribbean Small Island Developing States, Pacific Small Island Developing States

Contact

OCEAN grants website: https://oceangrants.org.uk/

Official Page

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/blue-planet-fund/ocean-community-empowerment-and-nature-ocean-grants-programme

Last Checked

2026-04-21 06:54

Application Checklist

Eligibility

• Applicant must be a CSO or NGO
• Project must be implemented in an ODA-eligible coastal developing country
• Community grant applicants must be small-scale, local, in-country organisations (for the £250K pathway)
• Partnership grant applicants must demonstrate ability to deliver large-scale activities and partner with local communities (for the £3M pathway)

Project Scope

• Project must address at least one of OCEAN's thematic priorities: marine pollution/waste, MPAs, fisheries, or coastal resilience
• Must operate in one of the six priority regions: South/SE Asia, West Africa, East Africa, Latin America, Caribbean SIDS, or Pacific SIDS

Required Documents

• Application submitted via OCEAN grants portal (oceangrants.org.uk) during annual open call window
• Proposals scored by independent OCEAN Expert Committee against published criteria

Constraints

• Co-funding requirements not specified on main page — check full call guidelines
• Community grants capped at £250,000; partnership grants capped at £3,000,000

Summary

The Ocean Community Empowerment and Nature (OCEAN) Grants Programme is a competitive grants scheme funded by the UK Government through the Blue Planet Fund, a £500 million ODA programme managed jointly by FCDO and Defra. OCEAN aims to deliver lasting, community-level change to marine environments and coastal communities in developing countries, directly supporting the localisation principles of the UK International Development Strategy. Thematic priorities include four integrated areas: marine biodiversity and protected areas, solid waste and marine pollution (including circular economy approaches and ghost gear reduction), sustainable seafood and fisheries management, and climate change adaptation for coastal communities. The programme also covers cross-cutting themes such as gender equality, human rights, and nature-based solutions. Eligible activities include waste management system strengthening, circular economy transitions to reduce solid waste entering the marine environment, management of marine protected areas, illegal fishing deterrence, sustainable aquaculture, habitat restoration for coastal resilience, and capacity building for local community management of fisheries. Geographic scope is restricted to ODA-eligible coastal developing countries across six priority regions: South and Southeast Asia, West Africa, East Africa, Latin America, Caribbean Small Island Developing States (SIDS), and Pacific SIDS. Eligible applicants include Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) and Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs). Two funding pathways are available: community grants of up to £250,000 targeted at small-scale, local, in-country organisations; and partnership grants of up to £3 million for organisations delivering large-scale activities and scaling up effective solutions in partnership with local communities. There is no explicit restriction preventing non-UK NGOs from applying. The programme operates on an annual call cycle. The first call opened in February 2024, and subsequent calls are published annually at the OCEAN grants portal (oceangrants.org.uk). An independent OCEAN Expert Committee of marine and development experts reviews and scores all applications. The total Blue Planet Fund envelope is £500 million over five years, with OCEAN as one of its flagship bilateral programmes.

Historical Context

Part of the UK's £500 million Blue Planet Fund launched under the 2019-2022 Johnson government. OCEAN programme first call for proposals opened February 2024. Annual call structure; next call announced for January 2025 (per November 2024 page update). Financed from Official Development Assistance (ODA) budget.

Why it was added

grant-scan-2026-03-14-government

Sources

• https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/blue-planet-fund/blue-planet-fund
• https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/blue-planet-fund/ocean-community-empowerment-and-nature-ocean-grants-programme

Similar Programs

← Back to list