June 21, 2024 — In March 2024, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation announced new grant recipients awarded through their Sea Turtles Program. This is a partnership between NFWF, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and NOAA. It is one of the longest running programs at NFWF, with investments dating back more than three decades. It supports conservation capacity and threat reduction across regional networks. The Foundation has invested more than $3.4 million in awards through the program in just the past 5 years.
This year, the program awarded grants to organizations in the United States and its territories who provide stranding response and/or rehabilitate sick or injured sea turtles. Sea turtles face numerous threats, including:
- Habitat degradation due to climate change
- Disease and illness
- Entanglement and ingestion of marine debris
- Vessel strikes and fisheries interactions
These funds will be used to help our stranding network partners improve their ability to respond to and rehabilitate stranded and injured sea turtles.