Schmidt Marine Technology Partners Grantmaking

Enriched International · Found: 2026-03-10 22:10

Schmidt Marine Technology Partners grants to launch new ocean technology. USD 3M awarded to date for marine tech innovation.

Source: https://schmidtmarine.org/category/grantmaking

Funding Details

Funder

Schmidt Marine Technology Partners (a programme of the Schmidt Family Foundation)

Funding Goal

Support the development of promising ocean technology innovations from early concept through to commercialisation and scale. Focus areas include sustainable fisheries, ocean observing, habitat health, and network/ecosystem support. Aims to fill the gap in early-stage support for ocean technology development that typical grants do not address.

Funding Amount

Past grant rounds have awarded USD 1 million to USD 3 million per cycle, distributed across multiple grantees (individual grants typically USD 25,000 to USD 300,000 based on project stage).

Deadline

Rolling basis — proposals can be submitted via the online portal at any time. (Rolling)

How to Apply

Submit proposals via the online portal at https://schmidtmarine.secure-platform.com/a/. SMTP sources projects globally and reviews submissions on a rolling basis. Both financial and non-financial (strategic, IP, business model) support are offered. Grant selection is highly competitive.

Target Region

Global

Contact

Contact via schmidtmarine.org/contact-us/

Official Page

https://schmidtmarine.org/

Last Checked

2026-03-15 12:52

Application Checklist

Eligibility

• Applicant can be academic institution, non-profit, or start-up
• No geographic restrictions — global applications welcome

Project Scope

• Project must involve development of ocean technology or innovation (not field conservation without technology component)
• Technology must be at TRL 2-7 — early concept through pilot/prototype stage
• Project must address ocean conservation challenges with potential for commercial scale or large-scale impact

Required Documents

• Submit via online proposal portal at schmidtmarine.secure-platform.com

Constraints

• Highly selective — only 10% of reviewed proposals are funded. Strong commercialisation potential required.
• Rolling submissions — no fixed deadline, but funding cycles determine actual award timing

Summary

Schmidt Marine Technology Partners (SMTP) is a venture philanthropy programme of the Schmidt Family Foundation that supports early-stage ocean technology development from concept through to commercial scale. Founded in 2015, SMTP has funded over 60 projects globally with multiple grant rounds per year across its four focus areas. The thematic scope covers four priority areas: (1) Sustainable Fisheries — technologies to reduce bycatch, improve fisheries monitoring, and promote sustainable seafood sourcing; (2) Ocean Observing — sensors, autonomous vehicles, and data systems for ocean monitoring; (3) Habitat Health — technologies to protect, restore, and monitor coral reefs, kelp forests, seagrass, and oyster reefs; and (4) Network Support / Ecosystem — supporting complementary organisations and initiatives in the ocean technology ecosystem. Past grantees have included bubble barrier systems for plastic interception, underwater robotics, ocean carbon removal tools, and marine biodiversity data platforms. Eligible activities span technology concept formulation, proof-of-concept testing, technology validation in relevant environments, and scaling and piloting of prototypes (Technology Readiness Levels 2-7). Non-financial support including business model development, IP planning, and data infrastructure design is also provided alongside grants. The programme is global with no geographic restrictions. Grantees have come from North America, Europe, Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Projects addressing ocean challenges in any region are welcome. Eligible applicants include academic institutions, non-profit organisations, and start-up companies. The grant selection process is highly competitive — only 10% of reviewed proposals receive funding. Projects must demonstrate technology with strong commercialisation potential or the ability to achieve large-scale impact. Grant amounts are not publicly specified but past cycles have distributed USD 1 million to USD 3 million across multiple grantees per round. Proposals are accepted on a rolling basis via an online submission portal. SMTP provides ongoing, multi-year support to its best-performing grantees.

Historical Context

Schmidt Marine Technology Partners was founded in 2015. Since then, it has funded over 60 ocean technology projects globally. Grant cycles are typically run multiple times per year, with past rounds in 2021-2022 awarding USD 1 million to USD 3 million per cycle. The programme is part of the Eric and Wendy Schmidt philanthropic network including the Schmidt Family Foundation, Schmidt Futures, Schmidt Ocean Institute, and the 11th Hour Project.

Sources

• https://schmidtmarine.org/category/grantmaking
• https://schmidtmarine.org/our-approach/

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