The FY 2025 John H. Prescott Marine Mammal Rescue and Response Grant Program, administered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), supports efforts to rescue, treat, rehabilitate, and release stranded marine mammals. Additional goals include responding to stranding events requiring emergency assistance, collecting data from living or dead stranded marine mammals, and supporting facility operations tied to these efforts. Development of stranding network capacity, including training and infrastructure upgrades, is also prioritized. The program’s funding ceiling is $150,000 per award, with a total funding allocation of $1,121,364 anticipated for 12 awards. The program mandates a minimum cost share of 25% of the total project cost from non-federal sources.

Eligible applicants include U.S.-based marine mammal stranding network participants authorized under the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA). These include federal, state, or local government employees acting in an official capacity. Participants must be in good standing, with relevant permits and approvals in place. Activities must not overlap with ongoing projects funded by the program unless 75% of the prior award balance has been spent. Proposals should address one or more species-specific priorities for animals like West Indian manatees, sea otters, Pacific walruses, and polar bears.

Applications must be submitted through GrantSolutions.gov by March 14, 2025, 11:59 PM ET. The application package must include forms such as SF-424, project abstracts, a detailed narrative, and a budget narrative. Proposals should outline clear objectives, participant qualifications, project management plans, and detailed descriptions of methods, milestones, and expected outcomes. Environmental impact assessments, stakeholder coordination, and sustainability plans are also required. Supporting documents like permits, facility histories, and literature citations may be included in appendices.

Evaluation criteria focus on the project's importance to the program’s goals (40 points), technical soundness (20 points), applicant qualifications (20 points), budget adequacy (10 points), outreach and education efforts (5 points), and partnerships (5 points). The review process includes eligibility screening, merit review by subject-matter experts, and final selections based on regional distribution, conservation needs, and funding equity among stranding regions.

Grant awards are anticipated to begin on October 1, 2025, with performance periods of up to three years. Post-award requirements include compliance with federal policies, reporting on financial and performance metrics, and adherence to environmental and legal standards. Recipients must also manage funds and activities transparently, including adherence to Buy America requirements for infrastructure projects. Questions can be directed to program contacts provided in the funding opportunity documentation.