Grants
The Euphotic foundation is committed to best-practices fishing and thoughtful stewardship of the Pacific Ocean, along the California coast from Crescent City to San Diego and, at some point in the foundation’s future, the entire West Coast. We offer two types of support programs to assist California’s independent fishermen and aquaculture companies: Expenditure Responsibility Grants (ERGs) and Hardship Grants (HGs).
Expenditure Responsibility Grants
What is an Expediture Responsibility Grant (ERG)?
An ERG is a grant to an organization that is not a charity, but is used for a charitable purpose. These grants must be used in accordance with the foundation’s charitable criteria, or they must be repaid.
Here is a list of commercial fishing expenses covered by an ERG (i.e., an approved use of funds):
- Fishing bait and tackle
- Boat repairs and maintenance
- Engine repairs and maintenance
- New equipment and/or fishing gear
- Labor (first mate, deckboss, deckhands)
- Permits and licenses
- Fuel
Who can apply for an ERG?
Any small scale commercial fishing or aquaculture company based in California can apply. We are focusing on companies sharing the same values of sustainability and traceability.
We hope to open the application to the Pacific West Coast in the future.
When to apply?
ERG applications are accepted during the following four-month periods each calendar year:
- January 1 through April 30
- September 1 through December 31
When the ERG application is complete with all supporting documentation, ERGs shall be approved or denied within 30 days. Following the approval and site visit, ERGs will be funded within 15 days.
How to apply:
Euphotic offers an online (preferred) or paper application that is required of all fishermen (Grantees) that wish to be considered for an ERG.
Grantees will be assigned a specific identification number for logging into the Euphotic website using a password. ERGs are based on actual demonstrated need and limited to $10k per Grantee per year. Grantees may reapply each calendar year contingent upon remaining in good standing and completing an ERG application update.
Contact us for more information
Hardship Grants
What is a Hardship Grant (HG)?
The Euphotic Foundation offers Hardship Grants (HGs) to identify needs in the fishing communities and rapidly deliver help precisely where and when it is needed if the request meets the needy or distressed test criteria.
Who can apply for an HG?
A Grantee must have already received an ERG from Euphotic in the current calendar year to qualify for an HG.
When to apply?
HG applications are accepted at any time during the calendar year from current ERG Grantees. However, HG applications will not be accepted or processed within 90 days of receiving ERG funds. HGs will be reviewed and approved within 7 days and paid within 3 days of approval.
How to apply:
Grantees may use their previous ERG login info to begin the HG process (preferred) or submit a paper application. HGs are limited to $2k or 20% of the Grantee’s ERG amount. Grantees are limited to one HG per year.