GrantRadar

The Seafarers' Charity

International Fund for Fishing Safety (IFFS)

Grants for not-for-profit organisations, in the UK or anywhere in the world, running practical projects that improve safety and health for people working in commercial fishing, such as safety training, lifejacket schemes, vessel audits and safety management systems. Projects must be compliant with, or working towards, international standards and be owned by and for the benefit of fishers; joint and partnership applications are prioritised. The fund was started by Lloyd's Register Foundation, is managed by The Seafarers' Charity with the FISH Platform, and has funded projects in 12 countries.

Apply on the funder’s site
You could get
Amount not specified
no fixed round
Deadline
Rolling
apply any time
Effort
Heavy
budgets, references, often several stages

Who can apply

  • Organisations with charitable aims operating on a not-for-profit basis, anywhere in the world (UK organisations included), delivering a fishing safety project that is owned by, and for the benefit of, people working in commercial fishing; delivers an outcome focused on safety and health for fishers; is delivered on a not-for-profit and/or charitable basis; and is compliant with, or working towards compliance with, international standards (e.g. ILO C188, STCW-F, Cape Town Agreement)
  • Grants primarily benefit people working in commercial fishing
  • The organisation needs a bank account in its own name with transactions authorised by two unrelated signatories, financial statements, a governing document and suitable policies, and must have no undisclosed pending legal actions
  • Partnerships are encouraged

What it funds

Aim: fishing safety projects compliant with, or working towards compliance with, international maritime standards, delivering:

  • Behavioural and cultural change
  • Introduction or enhancement of safety management practices
  • Auditing of safety management systems
  • Training in safety management and risk mitigation

examples include lifejacket rental schemes, emergency and first aid training, vessel audits, hazard reporting systems and emergency communications

projects can be local or international but must directly benefit people working in commercial fishing; joint applications that use local networks are encouraged and prioritised

What it will not fund

  • Services or items being provided by Government
  • Services or items that are the responsibility of individual companies for their employees
  • Services or items to be provided by legally responsible parties, e.g. ship owners, governments and/or crewing agencies
  • Work that duplicates or overlaps existing services from maritime charities or Government

How to apply

  1. Contact the IFFS Fund Coordinator (alan.mcculla@theseafarerscharity.org) to discuss your project before starting an application
  2. Read the Step By Step Guidance for IFFS Applications 2026 and prepare your answers in advance
  3. Register on The Seafarers' Charity's Benefactor online grants system (seafarerscharity.benefactorcloud.co.uk), confirm your email and log in
  4. Start a new application under the '2026 International Fund for Fishing Safety (IFFS)' programme (applying through the wrong programme may mean redoing it) and pass the eligibility quiz
  5. Complete the form, including baseline community and safety context (fisher numbers, previous year's accidents, injuries and fatalities, use of safety management systems and drills, awareness of international standards), budget, beneficiaries and impact deliverables
  6. Submit, then respond to the IFFS due diligence request sent through Benefactor messaging

Have ready

  • Budget for the project and supporting information (.pdf or .xls)
  • Latest financial statements
  • Evidence of legal status
  • Governing document showing how long a trustee can serve and how often the board meets
  • Policies on financial reporting, confidentiality, anti-fraud and corruption, working with beneficiaries, grievance procedure and safety
  • Recent (within 3 months) redacted bank statement showing organisation name, address and account details (IBAN/SWIFT where relevant)
  • Evidence that transactions are authorised by two unrelated signatories
  • Auditor's name and contact details if accounts are independently audited
  • Finance contact name, email and mobile number

the governance and finance items are requested at due diligence after submission; if a policy or record does not exist, give a written explanation and the application will still be processed

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