The national oceanic and atmospheric administration (NOAA) is providing $3,476,716 in federal funding to the coastal states stewardship foundation, serving as fiscal sponsor for the mid-atlantic…

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) awarded $3.476 million to the Coastal States Stewardship Foundation on October 1, 2025, under the Office for Coastal Management program (CFDA 11.473) through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to support the Mid-Atlantic Regional Council on the Ocean (MARCO) as a Regional Ocean Partnership.

The Coastal States Stewardship Foundation serves as fiscal sponsor for MARCO and will use the funding to advance seafloor mapping and data needs for the Mid-Atlantic region; build understanding of coastal and ocean acidification concerns, research, and mitigation strategies; coordinate regional partners to prevent marine debris pollution; and advance data governance to improve management and availability of important data streams via the Mid-Atlantic Ocean Data Portal, which provides the public and decision-makers access to high-quality coastal and ocean data. These priorities will be carried out by experienced workgroups with strategic direction, coordination, and facilitation provided by the Mid-Atlantic Ocean Planning Committee.

The cooperative agreement runs through November 30, 2027, with place of performance in Washington, DC. The obligation amount is $4.201 million. The program funds established Regional Ocean Partnerships to coordinate interstate and intertribal management of ocean and coastal resources and to implement priority actions, including enhancement of federal and non-federal data sharing and integration.

The national oceanic and atmospheric administration (NOAA) is providing $3,476,716 in federal funding to the coastal states stewardship foundation, serving as fiscal sponsor for the mid-atlantic regional council on the ocean (marco) regional ocean partnership through the bipartisan infrastructure law. The bipartisan infrastructure law provides funding for established regional ocean partnerships (rops) to coordinate the interstate and intertribal management of ocean and coastal resources and to implement their priority actions, including to enhance associated sharing and integration of federal and non-federal data. Specifically the mid-atlantic regional council on the ocean will use these funds to advance seafloor mapping and data needs for the mid-atlantic region; build an understanding of coastal and ocean acidification concerns, research, and mitigation strategies; coordinate regional partners to prevent marine debris pollution; and advance data governance to improve the management and availability of important data streams via the mid-atlantic ocean data portal, which offers the public and decision-makers access to high-quality coastal and ocean data. These priorities will be carried out by experienced workgroups with strategic direction, coordination, and facilitation provided by the mid-atlantic ocean planning committee.