Grants

It is the goal of the Protect Wild Dolphins Alliance to provide funding from each state specialty license plate to those authorized organizations who serve on the front lines to rescue, educate, conserve and Protect Marine Wildlife.

The formula is simple, the more specialty plates we sell, the more funding can be awarded.  

We’ve strived to keep the application process simple, and transparent as possible. 

Please note, funding from each plate can only be used in that State.   

If you wish to submit a small grants request, please follow the instructions to submit an application for the state you intend to work in.

Note: PWDA is unable to accept grant requests that include any Indirect Costs (IDC). 

Grant Application Forms

  • Florida

    ​The annual use fees from sales of the Florida 'Protect Marine Wildlife' license plate will be distributed to the Protect Wild Dolphins Alliance, Inc., to be used to fund its conservation, research, and educational programs that focus on the conservation of Florida’s threatened and protected marine wildlife species. 

    Download the Form Here 

  • Louisiana

    ​The monies received from the royalty fees from the Louisiana 'Protect Wild Dolphins' special plate shall be used solely for the support of scientific research, conservation, and educational programs that serve to restore and protect the ocean environment and freshwater systems and to protect wild dolphins. 

    Download the Form Here 

  • South Carolina

    Proceeds from the South Carolina 'Protect Wild Dolphins Alliance' specialty license plate will be used to provide research, conservation, and educational programs to protect wild dolphins.

    Download the Form Here 

PWDA Grant Award Recipients

Since 2023, the Protect Wild Dolphins Alliance has awarded over $377,000 in grants to support marine wildlife research, conservation, rescue, rehabilitation, and education programs throughout Florida, Louisiana, and South Carolina.

2025 Grants

13 grants totaling $153,023.00

Dolphins Plus Marine Mammal Responder (FL) - $30,000.00
Salary Support for Photo-ID Research and Stranding Response Program

Audubon Nature Institute (LA) - $25,000.00
Building Data Collection Capacity of Dolphins Inhabiting Coastal Louisiana

University of Florida UF Animal Rescue (FL) - $10,175.00
Veterinary support for NOAA Fisheries Marine Mammal Health and Stranding Response Network.

Marathon Wild Bird Center (FL) - $10,000.00
Support for Staff, Material and Supplies to Rescue, Rehabilitate and Release Sick and Injured Sea Birds

Key West Wildlife Center (FL) - $10,000.00
Support for Staff, Material and Supplies to Rescue, Rehabilitate and Release Sick and Injured Sea Birds

East Coast Zoological Foundation - Brevard Zoo (FL) - $10,000.00
Support for Staff, Material and Supplies to Rescue, Rehabilitate and Release Sick and Injured Sea Turtles

East Coast Zoological Foundation - Brevard Zoo (FL) - $10,000.00
Support for Staff, Material and Supplies to Rescue, Rehabilitate and Release Sick and Injured Manatee

Navarre Beach Sea Turtle Conservation (FL) - $2,998.00
Purchase of a Portable Ultrasound for Enhanced Diagnostics + Software for Public Education

Low Country Marine Mammal Stranding Network (SC) - $5,000.00
Monitoring Habitat Utilization and Movement Patterns of Bottlenose Dolphins in Charleston, SC

Dolphin Research Center (FL) - $10,000.00
Salary and operational support for Photo-ID Research Program

MOTE Marine Labs and Chicago Zoological Society Sarasota Dolphin Research Program (FL) - $10,000.00
Support for the Gulf of Mexico Dolphin Identification System (GoMDIS). In 2012, with the encouragement of the National Marine Fisheries Service, the Sarasota Dolphin Research Program established the Gulf of Mexico Dolphin Identification System (GoMDIS) as a collaborative system and centralized data repository for documenting the occurrence of thousands of individually identifiable dolphins at research sites around the Gulf of Mexico, including Mexico and Cuba.

Blue Worls Research Institute (FL) - $10,000.00
Support for an educational workshop to train members and volunteers of the NOAA Fisheries Marine Mammal Health and Stranding Network to collect and enhance capacity to acquire forensic images of deceased marine mammals in both the lab and field

Cedar Key Dolphin Research Project (FL) - $9,850.00
Salary and operational support for Photo-ID Research Program

2024 Grants

9 grants totaling $108,061.84

The Coastal Stewards (FL) - $7,625.00
Diagnostic Tools to aide treatment of sick and injured marine wildlife.

Dolphins Plus Marine Mammal Responder (FL) - $9,945.00
Bioacoustic Research Analysis and Comparison of Acoustic Monitoring between Wild Dolphin and Managed Care

University of Florida UF Animal Rescue (FL) - $15,681.84
Veterinary support for NOAA Fisheries Marine Mammal Health and Stranding Response Network.

Low Country Marine Mammal Stranding Network (SC) - $10,000.00
Monitoring Habitat Utilization and Movement Patterns of Bottlenose Dolphins in Charleston, SC

Clearwater Marine Aquarium (FL) - $25,000.00
Hurricane Relief and Disaster Recovery for Emergency Care of Threatened, Endangered and/or Protected Marine Wildlife

Dolphins Plus Marine Mammal Responder (FL) - $8,610.00
Enhancements to Regional Stranding Response Resources / Rescue Vessel

Isla Media Management (FL) - $11,500.00
Utilizing Social Media as an Educational Tool to Protect Marine Wildlife

Florida Keys Wild Bird Rehabilitation Center (FL) - $10,000.00
Wings of Support for Shorebird Enclosure Renovation

The Turtle Hospital (FL) - $9,700.00
Turtle Hospital - Cryogenic Sample Preservation for Retrospective Analysis and Advancement of Rehabilitative Care for Sea Turtles

2023 Grants

8 grants totaling $91,904.30

Dolphins Plus Marine Mammal Responder (FL) - $20,221.80
Acquisition of enhanced technologies to support ongoing dolphin population and behavioral ecology program in the Upper Florida Keys

Love Kathleen Productions, Inc. (LA) - $12,500.00
Development and Distribution of an Educational Protect Wild Dolphins Coloring Book

Love Kathleen Productions, Inc. (FL) - $12,500.00
Development and Distribution of an Educational Protect Wild Dolphins Coloring Book

Florida Institute of Technology (FL) - $402.50
Using Unmanned Aircraft Systems to Assess Body Condition of Common Bottlenose Dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) in the Indian River Lagoon Florida.

Low Country Marine Mammal Stranding Network (SC) - $10,000.00
Monitoring Habitat Utilization and Movement Patterns of Bottlenose Dolphins in Charleston, SC

Audubon Nature Institute (LA) - $25,000.00
Building Data Collection Capacity of Dolphins Inhabiting Coastal Louisiana

Dolphins Plus Marine Mammal Responder (FL) - $3,000.00
Match Funding to build a Necropsy Table

Dolphin Relief and Research (FL) - $8,280.00
Florida Bay Small Cetacean Remote Biopsy Sampling Capacity Building

Grants Under Review (December 2025)

Mote Marine Labs (FL) - $10,000.00
Support for Mote Marine Laboratories Stranding Investigations Program

Audubon Nature Institute (LA) - $15,000.00
Building Data Collection Capacity of Dolphins Inhabiting Coastal Louisiana