Texas Sea Grant

What Texas Sea Grant does

Texas Sea Grant is a non-profit research and outreach program operating as part of the National Sea Grant College Program, hosted by Texas A&M University in College Station under the Division of Research. Established in 1968 under Congressional authorization, the program delivers science-based information, research funding, education, and extension services focused on the sustainable use, conservation, and resilience of Texas coastal and marine resources across all 18 Texas coastal counties.

Its product portfolio is institutional rather than commercial. Core offerings include a biennial competitive research grant program for Texas universities, an award-winning annual Texas Shores magazine, monthly Tidings and quarterly Get Hooked newsletters, and a portfolio of student-facing programs: the John A. Knauss Marine Policy Fellowship ($97,200 package), the NMFS-Sea Grant Joint Fellowship (up to three-year Ph.D. support), the NOAA Coastal Management and Digital Coast Fellowships (two-year postgraduate placements), the TXSG Community Engaged Internship ($6,000 stipend for 8-10 weeks), and the endowed Ralph Rayburn Scholarship for oceanography graduate students. Activity is organized around four focus areas: Healthy Coastal Ecosystems, Sustainable Fisheries and Aquaculture, Resilient Communities and Economies, and Environmental Literacy and Workforce Development.

Texas Sea Grant does not earn revenue in the conventional sense. Funding flows from NOAA cooperative agreements (e.g., NA18OAR4170088, NA22OAR4170092, NA24OARX417C0147-T1-01), State of Texas appropriations channeled through the Texas A&M University System, in-kind university infrastructure, and tax-deductible donations. Go-to-market is community-led: extension agents stationed along the coast conduct two-way knowledge transfer with stakeholders; publications and an active multi-platform social presence extend reach; and competitive research grants plus fellowships distribute funds to university researchers and students. The customer base is diversified across coastal communities, the fisheries and seafood industry, K-12 and graduate students, and local/state government decision-makers.

Name

Texas Sea Grant

Legal name

Texas Sea Grant College Program

Website

https://texasseagrant.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1968

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Texas Sea Grant is a federally and state-funded coastal research and outreach program at Texas A&M University that supports marine science, sustainable fisheries, community resilience, and STEM education across all 18 Texas coastal counties.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

College Station

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Federal Government Funding (NOAA): Primary funding from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) as part of the national Sea Grant program, providing grants for research, education, and outreach activities.
2. State of Texas Funding: State-level funding from the State of Texas to support coastal research and outreach programs benefiting Texas coastal communities.
3. University Partnership Resources: Resources and infrastructure provided by Texas A&M University and other partner universities across the state to support the program's research and educational activities.
4. Donations and Charitable Contributions: Tax-deductible donations from individuals and organizations to support research, outreach, education programs, the Ralph Rayburn Scholarship, or Texas Shores magazine.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Texas Sea Grant is a university-based research and outreach program that supports marine and coastal research through competitive grants, administers graduate fellowships and undergraduate internships, and delivers science-based education and extension services to coastal communities. It publishes Texas Shores Magazine and the Tidings and Get Hooked newsletters, and operates across four focus areas: Healthy Coastal Ecosystems, Sustainable Fisheries and Aquaculture, Resilient Communities and Economies, and Environmental Literacy and Workforce Development.

Product overview

Texas Sea Grant is a university-based research and outreach program (not a technology product company) that offers a portfolio of publications, funding programs, fellowships, scholarships, and focus-area programs. Its core offerings include Texas Shores Magazine (annual award-winning publication), Tidings and Get Hooked newsletters, competitive research grants through its Biennial Research Competition, and multiple fellowship programs (Knauss Marine Policy Fellowship, NMFS-Sea Grant Joint Fellowship, NOAA Coastal Management Fellowship, Community Engaged Internship). The program also administers the Ralph Rayburn Scholarship for oceanography graduate students. The four Focus Areas (Healthy Coastal Ecosystems, Sustainable Fisheries and Aquaculture, Resilient Communities and Economies, and Environmental Literacy and Workforce Development) organize its outreach, education, and research support activities across all 18 Texas coastal counties.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Texas Shores Magazine Award-winning annual publication of the Texas Sea Grant College Program at Texas A&M University exploring major issues affecting coastal Texas people, communities, industries, and natural resources; free to U.S. residents, postage charged for international subscribers.
• Tidings Newsletter Monthly newsletter from Texas Sea Grant providing program news, funding opportunities, and updates on coastal research, education, and outreach activities.
• Get Hooked Newsletter Quarterly newsletter focused on Fisheries, Aquaculture, and Seafood industry updates from Texas Sea Grant.
• Biennial Research Competition Competitive grant program supporting marine and coastal-related research at universities across Texas, issued every two years by Texas Sea Grant.
• John A. Knauss Marine Policy Fellowship Congressionally-established one-year paid policy fellowship matching graduate students with federal government hosts in Washington, D.C. to work on ocean, coastal, and Great Lakes resource policy; total package of $97,200 per fellow ($74,700 salary/stipend, $5,000 professional development, up to $17,500 travel).
• National Marine Fisheries Service-Sea Grant Joint Fellowship Program Ph.D. fellowship program in Population and Ecosystem Dynamics or Marine Resource Economics, supporting up to three years of research under NMFS mentors.
• NOAA Coastal Management Fellowship Two-year postgraduate fellowship matching students with state coastal resource agencies to work on coastal projects selected by NOAA.
• Community Engaged Internship (TXSG-CEI) Summer internship for undergraduate students providing 8-10 week mentored projects in coastal and marine sciences with extension staff; interns receive a $6,000 stipend paid in two equal installments with optional Texas A&M campus housing.
• Ralph Rayburn Texas Sea Grant Scholarship Endowed scholarship for outstanding graduate students in the oceanography program at Texas A&M University, honoring the late Associate Director and Extension Program Leader Ralph Rayburn.

Quantifiable outcome

• Supports research, education, and outreach across all 18 Texas coastal counties

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNOAA is the primary federal partner through the National Sea Grant Office, providing federal funding and programmatic oversight for the Sea Grant program. The partnership supports research, education, and outreach activities aligned with NOAA's coastal and marine resource missions.
• State of TexascoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe State of Texas provides state-level funding and institutional support for Texas Sea Grant programs. The partnership helps address coastal management challenges specific to Texas.
• Texas A&M UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTexas A&M University serves as the host institution for Texas Sea Grant College Program, providing administrative infrastructure, research facilities, and academic expertise through the Division of Research and College of Geosciences.
• Universities Across TexascoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTexas Sea Grant supports marine and coastal research at universities throughout the state through competitive grant programs, enabling broad geographic coverage of research activities.
• Gulf Sea Grant ProgramsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional collaboration with other Gulf Coast Sea Grant programs for shared research initiatives addressing regional marine and coastal challenges.
• Local, Government, Non-profit, Education, and Industry OrganizationsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerExtensive network of partnerships with various organizations supporting coastal communities, including local governments, non-profits, educational institutions, and industry stakeholders throughout the Texas coast.
• Digital Coast PartnershipminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership supporting the Digital Coast Fellowship program, which matches postgraduate students with organizations working to preserve coastal communities and natural resources using data, tools, training, and information from the Digital Coast platform.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative (GoMRI): A BP-funded research initiative funding independent Gulf of Mexico ecosystem and human-health research following the Deepwater Horizon spill. Comparable in funding of Gulf-coast science and stakeholder convening but narrowly scoped to spill-response research and not a permanent extension program.
• Harte Research Institute for Gulf of Mexico Studies: A Gulf of Mexico-focused marine research institute based in Corpus Christi, affiliated with Texas A&M University–Corpus Christi. Comparable in Gulf-coast research focus but oriented to deep research rather than extension and education delivery.

Broad incumbents

• NOAA National Sea Grant College Program: The federal parent network of all 34 Sea Grant programs, administered by NOAA. Texas Sea Grant operates under its cooperative agreement; the parent network sets program priorities, distributes federal appropriations, and convenes the national program, making it the umbrella incumbent rather than a competitor.
• National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management: The federal office managing coastal zone management programs and the Digital Coast platform that Texas Sea Grant channels into via the NOAA Coastal Management Fellowship. Comparable in mission (coastal resource management) but operates nationally and at a federal-policy level rather than state extension delivery.

Direct peers

• Mississippi–Alabama Sea Grant Consortium: A multi-state Sea Grant consortium serving Mississippi and Alabama through university-based research, education, and extension programs focused on Gulf Coast issues. Directly comparable in mandate, funding structure (NOAA + state + universities), and service delivery model to Texas Sea Grant.
• Florida Sea Grant: Florida's state Sea Grant program hosted at the University of Florida, administering NOAA-funded research, extension, and education programs along Florida's extensive coastline. Highly comparable program structure, fellow/cohort composition, and coastal/fisheries priorities.
• Louisiana Sea Grant: Louisiana Sea Grant is the sister state program within the National Sea Grant College Program, similarly hosted at LSU, providing research, education, and extension services across Louisiana's coastal parishes. It is the most direct peer given geographic adjacency on the Gulf Coast, overlapping federal funding mechanism, and shared fisheries and coastal-resilience focus areas.

Others

• The Nature Conservancy – Texas Chapter: A large non-profit conservation organization active across Texas coastal habitats, engaging in restoration, science, and policy work that parallels Texas Sea Grant's coastal ecosystem focus. Operates via private philanthropy rather than federal/state appropriations, making it an adjacent enabling organization rather than a direct competitor.

Regional players

• Texas Parks and Wildlife Department – Coastal Fisheries Division: State agency division responsible for managing Texas coastal fisheries resources, with which Texas Sea Grant closely partners on Sustainable Fisheries programming. Operates as the regulatory and management counterpart rather than a research/outreach peer, but overlaps significantly in stakeholder community and mission.
• Texas A&M University at Galveston (TAMUG): TAMUG is Texas A&M's dedicated marine and coastal campus in Galveston, offering degree programs, marine research, and fleet operations that overlap with Texas Sea Grant's coastal sciences focus. It is a regional academic peer sharing institutional ties via Texas A&M but is principally a degree-granting institution rather than an extension/outreach program.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/txseagrant
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCAqHdbqYbCqxg7Bv248iKKw
• Facebookfacebook.com/texasseagrant
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/texasseagrant
• Instagraminstagram.com/texasseagrant

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Texas Sea Grant