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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.

  1. Your research proposal aligns closely with NOAA's mission, with particular emphasis on meeting the science priorities of the NOAA Office of National Marine Sanctuaries. This is worth up to 30 points of your application score.
  2. Your financial need statement documents a strong financial need due to challenges, hardships, or other information through a compelling personal narrative. This is worth up to 25 points of your application score.
  3. You have exceptional letters of recommendation. This is worth up to 10 points of your application score.
  4. Historically, proposals that do not support the science or education priorities of NOAA's National Marine Sanctuary System do not rank as high.
  5. If you are in the last year of your Masters or Ph.D. program, it is not advised to apply for this scholarship.

Application Process

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

Application Package

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.

  1. Standard Form 424 (SF-424), Application for Federal Assistance is located on the Grants.gov portal and must be completed with information pertinent to the applicant. View the detailed directions here to complete SF-424.
  2. Table of Contents
  3. General Information Sheet
    1. Personal Data
    2. Optional Personal Data
    3. Degree Sought
    4. Education
    5. Academic Honors
    6. Relevant Work Experience
    7. Knowledge of Scholarship
  4. Statement of Intent
    1. Academic, Research, Career Goals and Aspirations
    2. Communicating the Importance of Your Research
    3. Optional Outreach Letter of Support
  5. Transcripts
  6. Enrollment Verification or List of Graduate Schools Applied
  7. Research Proposal
  8. Two Letters of Recommendation
  9. Statement of Financial Need
    1. Department of Education's Expected Family Contribution (EFC) Determination
    2. Yearly Tuition Documentation
    3. Financial Need Information Questions
    4. Statement of Need Essay
  10. Declaration Statement

Submission Deadline

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.