Mariculture Incentive Grant Program

To facilitate the development of Alaska’s mariculture industry Governor Dunleavy worked with Alaska Legislature to appropriate $5 million to help realize the vision of what mariculture can mean to the people of Alaska. The grant was made to the Department of Commerce, Community, and Economic Development (DCCED) for the Alaska Mariculture Alliance (AMA) to administer the Economic Recovery Mariculture Incentive Grant Program (MIGP). The objective of this project is for AMA to establish a grant process to distribute funding to mariculture businesses throughout Alaska. The MIGP is also designed to:

• -Aid with investments that expand existing or start new farming operations;
• -Aid with the expansion of existing hatcheries or development of new hatcheries.
• -Facilitate the purchase of new mariculture processing equipment.

Application Period

Fully completed applications, with all required accompanying documentation, may be submitted on or after October 1st, 2025, and must be submitted by no later than 11:59 p.m. on December 15, 2025.  Incomplete or untimely applications will not be considered

Projected Timeline

• -Applications published online – October 1st, 2025.
• -Application period closes – December 15th, 2025 @ 11:59 p.m.
• -Grant award announcements: February, 15th, 2026.
• -All approved projects must be completed by August 15th, 2027.

Applicant Eligibility

• -Applicants must have a permitted mariculture farm, hatchery, nursery, processing facility, or other mariculture-related business located in Alaska.
• -Nonprofits are not eligible to apply, with the exception of nonprofit shellfish and/or aquatic plant hatcheries.
• -Applicants may only apply for one grant per round – micro or standard.
• -Applicants may apply for grants during all application rounds but are limited to a cumulative total of $300,000 during the full MIGP period.

Project Eligibility

• -Grants may be issued for projects that are necessary and reasonable for the efficient operation and/or expansion of the permitted mariculture farm, processor, or hatchery.
• -The proposal must clearly demonstrate how the project will benefit the operation.
• -Only one grant will be issued per project and/or business in each round.
• -Only eligible expenses will be reimbursed (List of Eligible and Ineligible Expenses)

Match Requirement

Grant recipients will be required to meet a 1-to-1, dollar-for-dollar, match requirement. The recipient must provide verification of the matching funds. Verification of matching funds can be in the form of a:

• -Loan approval;
• -Bank statement;
• -Credit card statement indicating available funds; or
• -Receipts of allowable expenses that were incurred since October 1, 2025.