Small Grants Program to Address Plastic Pollution | SFOP0009682

Opportunity Information: Apply for SFOP0009682

The Small Grants Program to Address Plastic Pollution (Funding Opportunity Number SFOP0009682) is a discretionary U.S. Department of State funding opportunity administered by the Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs. The program is designed to support the creation and management of a small grants mechanism that can fund and coordinate smaller, on-the-ground efforts aimed at reducing plastic pollution and improving plastic waste management. Rather than directly funding a wide range of independent projects through multiple awards, this opportunity is structured to select a single primary awardee that will operate the small grants program and use it to catalyze broader public participation and action.

This opportunity uses a cooperative agreement as the funding instrument, which typically means the government anticipates substantial involvement during implementation compared to a standard grant. In practice, that often translates into closer coordination with the Department of State on program design, priorities, reporting, and oversight of the downstream small grants. The core objective is to increase public participation in reducing plastic pollution and to improve management of plastic waste across the full lifecycle of plastics, from production and consumption choices to collection, sorting, recycling, disposal, and broader systems that prevent leakage into the environment.

The total funding listed for the award has a ceiling of $641,975, and the Department expects to make one award. This indicates the selected organization would function as the program manager and administrator, responsible for establishing the small grants process and then issuing smaller sub-awards or similar support to local partners, community groups, NGOs, or other stakeholders, depending on the eligibility and design spelled out in the full announcement. While the summary does not list the specific countries, regions, or thematic sub-priorities, the focus on public participation and lifecycle management suggests an emphasis on practical interventions that can change behaviors, improve local systems, and demonstrate scalable approaches to plastic waste reduction.

The activity category for the opportunity is Environment, and the CFDA (now commonly referenced as Assistance Listing) number provided is 19.017, which is commonly associated with Department of State public diplomacy and related assistance frameworks. Eligibility is listed as "Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification)," meaning the full solicitation likely defines which types of entities can apply (for example, NGOs, educational institutions, nonprofit organizations, or potentially for-profit entities under certain conditions). Because only a high-level data extract is provided here, the exact eligibility boundaries and required documentation would be found in the complete funding opportunity announcement.

Key timeline details show the opportunity was created on May 18, 2023, with an original closing date of June 30, 2023. The short open period suggests applicants were expected to already have relevant program management capacity, grantmaking systems, compliance procedures, and partner networks needed to stand up a small grants program quickly. Overall, the funding opportunity centers on building a structured, managed pipeline of small projects that collectively increase participation and improve plastic waste outcomes, with one lead implementer accountable for grant administration, monitoring, and results.

• The Department of State, Bureau of Oceans - Int. Environmental - Scientific in the environment sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Small Grants Program to Address Plastic Pollution" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 19.017.
• This funding opportunity was created on May 18, 2023.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Jun 30, 2023. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $641,975.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

Apply for SFOP0009682

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