Dear Virginia congressional delegation:
We, the undersigned constituents from Virginia are writing to
urge your support for federal funding for the Sea Grant Program in fiscal year (FY) 2026. Sea Grant is funded in the Commerce-Justice-Science (CJS) appropriations bill and is in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)’s Operations, Research, and Facilities (ORF) Account within the Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research (OAR).
As one of the 34 Sea Grant programs, each year Virginia receives a portion of the annual appropriation to Sea Grant.
The Virginia Sea Grant (VASG) Program partners with local, state, regional, and national organizations to meet the legally required match of 1 dollar for every $2 federal dollars. The direct benefits of this investment include over 470 businesses created or retained, 15,637 jobs created or sustained, and $58.2 million in economic impact to the Commonwealth.
In addition, Virginia Sea Grant has been able to leverage this collaboration of federal and state funding to bring in an additional $17,892,440 to the state over the last six years. In addition to the direct impact of our programming, VASG and Federal funds are directly leveraged by our partners to multiply the impact and benefits to the nation and the Commonwealth. Some examples include:
- Fight the Flood (FTF), a program supporting the growing water adaptation industry cluster in Virginia has invested over $50M connecting property owners with contractors, providing access to loans and grants to fund flood protection projects. Businesses supported through VASG are active in the FTF program.
- The City of Hampton and non-profit Wetlands Watch leveraged community-based resilience planning support from VASG to secure a $20M EPA grant for a project that will support community cooperation and strengthen local ties through environmental education, green infrastructure improvements, and workforce development.
- RISE, a non-profit resilience business development organization, has partnered with VASG to bring resilience solutions and businesses to the Middle Peninsula. The RISE program has awarded $8M to business challenge winners, created or retained over 175 jobs, and funded over 40 pilot projects in the Commonwealth. RISE business challenge winners have secured an additional $48+M in private investment.
- A briefing on blue catfish science and economics for VA General Assembly members and Governor’s staff enabled by VASG led to the creation of a Blue Catfish Infrastructure Grant Program to enhance processing and market development in the state. VASG partner Amory Seafood was awarded $247k to enhance processing capacity and improve quality and marketability of products. The award benefits Amory Seafood, the city of Hampton, and the local watermen who currently limit their catches due to limited processing availability.
As constituents and beneficiaries of VASG, we cannot overstate the value Sea Grant brings to our state. In addition, coastal communities around the country are protected and supported thanks to the Sea Grant national network’s important activities around resilient communities and economies, sustainable fisheries and aquaculture, healthy coastal ecosystems, environmental literacy, and workforce development. I respectfully request you support funding the Sea Grant Program in FY 2026 appropriations.
Thank you for your consideration, and please reach out if we can be of further assistance.
Respectfully,
