Mote Marine Laboratory, Inc.

Mote Marine Laboratory, Inc. operates as a tax-exempt nonprofit marine research organization based in Sarasota, Florida, delivering specialized marine science research and restoration services to federal agencies primarily as a grant recipient and contract prime (87% of recent awards), with no SBA set-aside designations. The laboratory conducts field and laboratory work across marine conservation, fisheries science, coral reef restoration, marine mammal stranding response, and ecosystem monitoring — work grounded in advanced molecular and genetic techniques, aquaculture, and applied restoration technologies.

Mote's federal customer base concentrates heavily on NOAA, which funds 103 awards (66% of award count) valued at $1.7 million combined potential value, reflecting Mote's role as a leading research partner for the agency's fisheries, marine ecosystem, and coastal science priorities. The National Science Foundation ranks second by award count (19 awards), with a mix of research infrastructure and undergraduate education funding. The Environmental Protection Agency Region 4, the Department of the Interior Fish and Wildlife Service Region 4, and the National Park Service Southeast Region round out the top five funders. Unlike typical federal contractors, Mote's funding model emphasizes cooperative agreements and project grants over contract vehicles; the source names a single blanket purchase agreement ($250 thousand ceiling) with Fish and Wildlife Service Region 4 for animal care services at the Florida Keys Research and Interpretive Center in Miami, running through August 2028.

Recent prime work exemplifies Mote's capability portfolio. A $6.99 million cooperative agreement from NOAA spans five years of coral reef restoration at multiple Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary sites under the Mission: Iconic Reefs initiative, involving outplanting of endangered and reef-building coral species plus production of Caribbean king crabs and algae grazers. A $462.6 thousand NOAA cooperative agreement supports three years of research using advanced molecular techniques (fluorescent in-situ hybridization, single-cell PCR, and quantitative PCR) to identify and characterize Karenia brevis source populations in coastal waters, addressing harmful algal bloom dynamics. A $480.8 thousand Environmental Protection Agency project grant funds water quality monitoring across 11 restoration sites in Florida's coastal waters to assess ecosystem restoration effectiveness. NOAA also funds smaller contract awards including a $202 thousand sole-source purchase order for Close-Kin Mark-Recapture methods to estimate oceanic whitetip shark abundance, and a $249.1 thousand National Park Service contract for coral larval propagation services at Biscayne National Park, delivering up to 15,000 juvenile corals derived from wild Caribbean species.

Grant activity has remained stable to slightly declining in recent years — eleven awards in 2022, seventeen in 2023, fourteen in 2024, twelve in 2025, and five through June 2026. Fourteen awards with ultimate completion dates in the next twenty-four months carry combined potential value of $202 thousand, representing modest recompete exposure relative to Mote's overall portfolio. The organization acts as a subgrantee on work flowing through prime grantees including the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, National Marine Sanctuary Foundation, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, and state entities, performing specialized tasks such as electronic monitoring data integration for Gulf reef fish stock assessments, octocoral propagation for genetic banking, and coral restoration optimization studies.

Mote's federal work footprint spans marine ecosystem science (testing laboratories, environmental assessments, oceanological analysis) and applied conservation delivery. The organization maintains multiple research campuses in Florida — Sarasota, Key Largo, and Summerland Key — and operates specialized facilities for coral propagation, seagrass restoration, and marine mammal care. Award data reflects work undertaken across thirty-one distinct federal customer agencies, though concentration with NOAA and NSF is pronounced; the two agencies account for roughly 70% of recent awards by count. Combined dollars obligated across all awards ($75 million) substantially exceed combined potential value ($4.9 million), indicating that many grants have been fully funded and closed, while potential-value figures reflect remaining unfunded or estimated ceilings on active awards.