Our First Ever 'Step Up Fund' Recipients Announced

We created our new Step Up Fund to back projects that have already proven their value for UK seas and communities, but now need a bigger boost to reach their full potential. Over the years we have supported more than 500 marine conservation projects. Our grants of up to £2,500 through our Main Grants fund have often been truly transformational. We were, for example, one of the very first funders of Project Seagrass back in 2014, before they were even a registered charity. Likewise, we funded the pilot re-introduction of native oysters to Loch Craignish, in order to improve water quality and increase biodiversity through community-led regeneration. The original grant recipients CROMACH went on to give birth to the remarkable charity Seawilding, with a much broader and wider impact.

What is the Step Up Fund?

The Step Up Fund is a new invitation-only programme created to help high-potential projects scale their work, replicate successful models and strengthen their long-term sustainability. It provides larger grants than our Main Grants stream, specifically to enable transformational growth rather than one-off activities.​​ You can find out more about how the fund works and the kinds of projects it supports on our Step Up Fund page: https://www.sea-changers.org.uk/step-up-fund.​

So, we are delighted to announce the three projects receiving support from our 2025 Step Up Fund: Seaful, Operation Seabird and Hastings Kelp Project. These outstanding initiatives are all previous Sea-Changers grant recipients, now ready to take a significant “step up” in their impact for UK seas and coastal communities.​​ You can find out more about each of them below.

Seaful

Seaful is a UK charity founded in 2020 to help people – especially those from under-represented communities – build meaningful, life-enhancing connections with the ocean and waterways. Its work spans in-person “Vitamin Sea” experiences such as snorkelling, stand-up paddleboarding and “land snorkelling”, alongside ocean literacy, films and the “Our Ocean” podcast, all designed to nurture ocean citizenship and amplify a diverse range of voices in marine conservation.​

The charity already has a strong track record, from snorkelling trips for young carers and Ukrainian refugees, to collaborations with community groups and marine NGOs around the UK. With Step Up funding, Seaful will bring together its projects into a clear journey from first ocean connection through to empowered ocean citizens, supported by a new advisory group, enhanced digital route map and resources, and dedicated communications and volunteer support so that more people can access, benefit from and stay engaged in blue-space stewardship.​​

The Coastal, Marine & Estuarine Habitat and Wildlife Alliance CIC (Operation Seabird)

Operation Seabird began in 2020 at RSPB Bempton Cliffs as a collaborative response to increasing seabird disturbance, bringing together government agencies, NGOs and local custodians to change behaviour through education and shared stewardship of blue spaces. Since then it has rapidly evolved into a nationally recognised model for tackling disturbance to marine, coastal and estuarine wildlife, contributing to the DEFRA Marine and Coastal Wildlife Code and being highlighted in the Welsh Government’s Wildlife and Rural Crime Strategy.​

In 2025 the work was formally embedded within the Coastal, Marine & Estuarine Habitat and Wildlife Alliance CIC to provide stronger governance and long-term sustainability. Step Up funding will help Operation Seabird move from ad-hoc events to a resilient, community-led CIC by strengthening its brand identity, investing in coordination roles, and developing shared resource kits that support custodians and volunteers to deliver consistent wildlife-friendly messaging at events and sites around the UK.​​

Hastings Kelp Project

Hastings Kelp Project CIC is a pioneering community-led initiative working to restore and protect vital marine ecosystems, including kelp forests, oyster reefs and mussel beds, off the south coast of England. In a region where an estimated 96% of kelp has been lost from Sussex waters, the project brings together science, community action and education to reverse habitat decline and build climate resilience.​

With Step Up funding, Hastings Kelp Project will fully establish a modular marine research lab in Hastings, expand diving-based ecological surveys, and deliver ambitious schools and public outreach – laying the groundwork for a national blueprint for kelp, oyster and mussel restoration linked to aquariums and coastal communities across the UK.​