Marine Megafauna Research Grants

Sea World Foundation’s Marine Megafauna Research Grants program offers funding and communication support to field-based research projects that generate measurable conservation outcomes for Australian wildlife. This program is designed to address significant knowledge gaps related to native marine megafauna, with a focus on key areas such as biology, ecology, health, rescue and rehabilitation, and mitigating human-wildlife conflict. Project Eligibility Grants are open to researchers or affiliates of Australian university or non-government research institutions who are GST-registered. Eligible applicants are invited to submit proposals of up to $50,000 for 1-2 year projects with a practical completion by 30 June 2027. Up to $10,000 in supplementary funding is available to develop photographic assets that support public communication of science. Only one application per research group will be accepted. However, more than one application per organisation can be submitted. Selection Process All applications will undergo a competitive evaluation. Eligible submissions will advance to an assessment by a panel consisting of both external and internal judges with relevant qualifications. The final score for each project will be the average of the panel's evaluations. Funding will be awarded to the highest-scoring projects based on this assessment.