The application period for the 2025 Dr. Nancy Foster Scholarship Program has closed. While we are unable to onboard new scholars this fiscal year, we are pleased to share that the highest ranked applications from the FY2025 competition will remain eligible for consideration during the FY2026 selection process pending next year's appropriations. As a result, there will not be an open Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for FY2026, since the top applicants from last year’s competition will be carried forward for consideration in the next selection cycle.
In order to have a competitive application for the Dr. Nancy Foster Scholarship Program, it is recommended that you review the following bullets to assess whether or not you should apply for this scholarship.
Each year a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) is published in the Federal Register announcing the federal funding opportunity for the Dr. Nancy Foster Scholarship Program. Please be advised that the NOFO is the official document for the scholarship opportunity and it is highly recommended that you download it as your guide for applying for the scholarship.
We encourage all Grants.gov applicants to begin the application process at least several days before the application deadline. All applicants should be aware that adequate time must be factored into applicant schedules for delivery of the application. It may take Grants.gov up to two (2) business days to validate or reject the application. Please keep this in mind in developing your submission timeline. Electronic applicants are advised that volume on Grants.gov can be extremely heavy resulting in further delays.
You will receive an official notice from Grants.gov if you have uploaded your application correctly. It is not the responsibility of the NOAA Office of National Marine Sanctuaries to verify receipt of any application.
Paper applications are only allowable for the following reasons: 1) Grants.gov is unable to accept applications electronically in a timely fashion; 2) if the applicant does not have access to the internet; or 3) if the person providing the letter of recommendation does not wish for the applicant to see the contents of the letter. Otherwise, all applications must be submitted via Grants.gov. Paper applications and other information in hard copy may be requested from:
NOAA Office of National Marine Sanctuaries
Attn: Seaberry Nachbar
99 Pacific Street
Monterey, CA 93940
Each application package must be included within the single Adobe PDF document in the correct order as outlined in the official Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO). Failure to submit any items as described in the NOFO will disqualify the application from consideration. All detailed information is included in the NOFO, yet a summary of what is required to be considered a complete application package is briefly listed below. The NOFO contains the official instructions for applying to the Dr. Nancy Foster Scholarship Program.
The Dr. Nancy Foster Scholarship Program is administered through the NOAA Office of National Marine Sanctuaries and subject to appropriations. It is funded annually with 1% of the amount appropriated each fiscal year to the NOAA Office of National Marine Sanctuaries to carry out the National Marine Sanctuaries Act.
There will not be an open Notice of Funding Opportunity for FY2026, since the top applicants from the FY2025 competition will be carried forward for consideration in this next selection cycle.