National Ocean Service Intern Program

The Department of Commerce National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration funds the National Ocean Service Intern Program (CFDA 11.480) to provide work-learning experiences for college students and recent graduates in ocean service roles, with the most recent grant award disbursed on September 1, 2018.

The program is dormant from a current-opportunity perspective. Only four awards have been disbursed since the program's inception in 2001, with the most recent award now eight years old. No recent grant opportunities are posted. Award activity was concentrated in the early 2000s (two awards in 2001, one in 2002) with a single outlier award in 2018; the program has not made awards in the intervening fifteen years.

Funded activity centers on providing professional work-learning experiences to college students and recent graduates at the National Ocean Service, with awards supporting internship program administration and coordination. The portfolio is predominantly Cooperative Agreements (75% of awards) with a smaller share of Project Grants (25%).

The Department of Commerce National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is the sole funding agency under this program, obligating $6.8 million in combined federal dollars across four awards. Award magnitudes are modest: the 2018 Project Grant obligated $79,956.72, while the three Cooperative Agreements ranged from $605,200 to $5.378 million, with the largest award (Cooperative Agreement NA17OI2818, $5.378 million) funding professional work-learning experience for college students and recent graduates in 2002–2005.

Given the eight-year gap since the last award and the absence of any posted opportunity, this program does not warrant active pursuit at this time. Interested parties should monitor the NOAA grants portal for any future reopening of solicitation.