Our Biggest Ever Wave of Main Grants!

.... 28 new projects funded

Sea-Changers is proud to announce our largest-ever spring Main Grants round, with £59,000 passed to projects making bigger waves than ever for our seas.

Thanks to a significant increase in both the number of applications we received and the investment from our funders, we have been able to award grants to 28 new marine conservation projects this season, including five being funded under the BMT Next Wave Fund.

These projects offer a diverse approach to helping our seas, from youth led citizen science projects and species protection, to engaging coastal communities in conservation, and even showcasing marine environments in virtual reality.

As the number of high-quality applications continues to grow, competition for funding has never been stronger. This makes it more important than ever for applications to clearly demonstrate how they meet the assessment criteria used by our grants panel.

This season, we're presenting a selection of our funded projects referencing our assessment criteria, highlighting the particular strengths of projects which contributed to their success.

Strong evidenced-based conservation impact

Liverpool University Sub-Aqua Club will be running their North West Marine Ghost Gear Recovery, Survey & Biosecurity Initiative. Funding will provide essential equipment for safe debris removal and biosecurity measures, while engaging student divers.

The University of Glasgow will use funds for PhD researcher Elizabeth Weldon's study into how habitat mosaics shape the distribution and nursery use of the critically endangered flapper skate around Scotland's coasts.

Humber Nature Partnership will carry out nocturnal monitoring of the Little Tern colony in the Humber Estuary using thermal imaging to detect predators and assess nighttime disturbances. They aim to improve breeding success, inform coastal management, and provide training for BSc and MSc students. 

Growing grassroots organisations

Action Seagrass and Kelp (ASK)’s project aims to enhance local involvement in marine conservation, focusing on seagrass and kelp ecosystems. Run in collaboration with the Cornwall Wildlife Trust, the ASK 2026 Programme and Group Growth initiative will survey and map ecosystems, utilising snorkelling equipment for educational events and citizen science, fostering awareness and sustainable marine practices. 

Big benefits to local communities

Happy Women of Belfast Limited’s The Girls & the Sea project, funded through the BMT Next Wave Fund, aims to engage children and vulnerable adults in marine conservation. The project will empower girls through workshops, beach cleans, and wildlife surveys, fostering leadership and community involvement in environmental advocacy.

GET OUT have organised a Youth Ocean Summit 2026 - a three day marine conservation program for 28 young people aged 10-14 from disadvantaged London boroughs. The project includes activities like beach cleans, microplastic sampling, and biodiversity surveys it is also funded through BMT Next Wave Fund.

George Street Primary School Coastal School Sessions aim to provide outdoor learning experiences for over 400 pupils, focusing on environmental education related to coastal ecosystems. The project will focus lessons on plastic pollution and coastal erosion and seeks to foster environmental stewardship among students, especially those from deprived backgrounds.

Incredible long-term impact

Adonis Blue Environmental Consultants Shark Tagging Project aims to gather data on local elasmobranch populations by training recreational anglers as citizen scientists to tag sharks, skates, and rays.

Wildlife Vets International, aim to establish a community-led rescue network for cold-stunned sea turtles affected by climate change. Their goal is to train at least 30 responders in the first year to enhance survival rates for stranded turtles. 

Humber Nature Partnership will carry out nocturnal monitoring of the Little Tern colony in the Humber Estuary using thermal imaging to detect predators and assess nighttime disturbances. They aim to improve breeding success, inform coastal management, and provide training for BSc and MSc students. (5 Years)

Innovation and creativity 

The Falmouth Harbour Blue Habitat Watch project aims to protect vulnerable maerl and seagrass habitats in Falmouth Harbour by installing seabed markers to create voluntary no-anchor zones. The project will utilize AI technology to monitor vessel anchoring behaviour and assess the effectiveness of these zones.

University of Plymouth will use funds for outreach workshops linked to The Whale's Tale, a touring puppetry and storytelling show engaging coastal communities with whale and dolphin science. Led by theatre maker Edie Edmundson alongside university researchers, the workshops will combine puppet-making from marine waste with creative writing inspired by real cetacean survey data, using whales and dolphins as a way in to talking about ocean health.

Blue Bubble Immersive is using funding, again from the BMT Next Wave Fund, to run a hospital pilot using real underwater virtual reality footage to enable children to experience diverse marine environments from their wards. This will provide children who face medical, social or economic barriers to access the ocean when it’s needed most, helping to inspire future ocean custodians no matter what their circumstances.