The webinar brought together over 60 attendees from across the United States, of which nearly half were first time applicants to a NOAA Marine Debris funding opportunity. The webinar was intended to reach applicants from a variety of sectors including state and local agencies, non-profit organizations, academia, as well as other groups. Participants learned about the various application components, the evaluation criteria, the online accounts needed to submit the application, and the steps taken by NOAA between proposal submission and award notifications.  

The success of this webinar was truly a team effort, with valuable support and ideas provided by many MDP Team members. The webinar itself was presented by Amanda Dwyer (MDP Grant Specialist), and MDP Program Officers Tom Barry, Sarah Lowe, and Christy Kehoe participated in the following panel question and answer discussion. 

Providing this webinar to applicants, to address some of the common challenges with the application process for both first time and repeat applicants, is one of many steps the MDP is taking to better support diversity and inclusion in its grant programs. Additional actions include adding new justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion language to the FY2022 MDP Notices of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) and creating a NOFO guidance document. Promoting justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion improves the creativity, productivity, and vitality of the communities in which the program engages. NOAA is strongly committed to broadening the participation of veterans, minority-serving institutions, and entities that work in underserved areas. 

For more information, please contact Amanda.Dwyer@noaa.gov.