The N.C. Aquarium at Fort Fisher is a "critical step" closer to funding a more than $56 million expansion project.

The New Hanover Community Endowment announced Thursday a $7.5 million grant to the N.C. Aquarium Society that will support the Fort Fisher project to upgrade, improve and refresh the popular attraction.

As of 2023, the aquarium’s conceptual expansion plans, which had accumulated about $50 million in state support, were set to include a new 350,000-gallon tank (about 115,000 gallons bigger than the existing one), a 4,000-square-foot rooftop deck and new educational facilities to accommodate more school children. In a Greater Wilmington Business Journal article at the time, aquarium officials said the project also included sand tiger sharks in the new tank roaming a reproduced shipwreck habitat. 

The latest specific details of the more than $56 million project are expected to be unveiled this summer, according to an endowment news release.

According to the release, "The $7.5 million grant, to be distributed over the next three years, represents a critical step in securing both public and private funding to make the expansion a reality. This project reflects the endowment’s dedication to advancing educational programs and enhancing local economic development, while also recognizing the aquarium’s lasting impact as both an educational hub and a key contributor to the region's economy."

Endowment President and CEO Dan Winslow said the grant is "a good example of the endowment’s preference for late-stage funding of major capital projects, when we know the project will actually be built. This grant will also demonstrate how the endowment’s investments can be magnified by participation of other funders.”

The funding announced Thursday "will play a pivotal role in enhancing the aquarium’s educational programs, introducing new opportunities for visitors, and supporting the first major renovation of the aquarium in more than two decades," the release stated.

The Fort Fisher aquarium sees at least 500,000 guests each year, including more than 5,000 K-12 students from New Hanover County schools, according to the release.

“The endowment’s support will fund a more innovative and immersive on-site educational experience at the North Carolina Aquarium at Fort Fisher,” said Joanna Zazzali, director of the N.C. Aquarium at Fort Fisher. “Thousands of New Hanover County students each year will benefit from expanded indoor and outdoor educational opportunities that create a deeper connection to our aquatic environments and foster greater scientific understanding.”

As a result of the project, New Hanover County students will have access to expanded indoor and outdoor spaces designed to enhance their learning experience and bring them closer to marine ecosystems, according to the release. The expansion could also boost the local economy by attracting more tourists and creating new economic opportunities, the release stated.