Great Lakes Restoration Initiative | F19AS00050

Opportunity Information: Apply for F19AS00050

The Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) grant opportunity is a competitive funding program run by the U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, designed to tackle the most serious environmental challenges affecting the Great Lakes ecosystem. The core purpose is to support on-the-ground projects that produce lasting benefits for Great Lakes fish and wildlife by protecting, restoring, or enhancing habitat, with a strong emphasis on outcomes that help native species thrive over the long term. While the initiative broadly addresses Great Lakes ecosystem problems, this particular opportunity is framed around habitat conservation that directly supports fish and wildlife populations, especially migratory birds that depend on the region during breeding, migration, and stopover periods.

A key feature of this funding is the partnership structure behind it. Two major bird habitat joint ventures operating within the Great Lakes watershed, the Upper Mississippi/Great Lakes Joint Venture and the Atlantic Coast Joint Venture, are coordinating with the Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration programs in the Midwest and Northeast regions of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Together, they will award grants to state agencies and other partner organizations through a competitive process. In practical terms, applicants are expected to propose well-defined habitat projects that can be implemented effectively and that align with established regional conservation priorities rather than stand-alone efforts disconnected from broader plans.

The program clearly signals what types of projects will rise to the top during review. Preference is given to proposals that advance the habitat objectives laid out in major planning documents, including the Upper Mississippi/Great Lakes Joint Venture Implementation Plan and the Lower Great Lakes/St. Lawrence Plain (Bird Conservation Region 13) Bird Conservation Region Plan. Proposals that support other recognized bird conservation plans and State Wildlife Action Plans are also favored. This means applicants are better positioned when they can directly map project actions to specific habitat goals, species needs, and priority geographies already identified by these plans, showing that the work fills a known gap and contributes to measurable regional outcomes.

The opportunity also includes two important geographic considerations that, while not mandatory, can strengthen an application when relevant. First, projects located within known migratory bird stopover sites should be highlighted wherever possible. To help applicants identify and document these areas, the notice points to the Great Lakes Migratory Bird Stopover Map Tool hosted by Point Blue. Second, applicants are encouraged to highlight projects occurring within watersheds connected to Great Lakes Areas of Concern (AOCs), which are locations recognized for significant environmental degradation and targeted for remedial action. Even though projects in stopover sites and/or AOCs are not required for eligibility, the emphasis suggests that proposals tied to these high-priority landscapes may be viewed as especially strategic because they concentrate benefits where needs and ecological returns are often highest.

From an administrative standpoint, this is a discretionary grant opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number F19AS00050) under CFDA 15.662. Eligible applicants include state governments as well as nonprofit organizations, including both 501(c)(3) nonprofits and nonprofits without 501(c)(3) status (with the note that these nonprofit categories are specified as other than institutions of higher education). The award ceiling is $300,000 per award, and the agency anticipated making about 10 awards under this announcement. The opportunity was created on November 26, 2018, with an original closing date of February 28, 2019. Overall, the grant is best understood as a targeted habitat investment tool within GLRI that prioritizes durable conservation actions, alignment with established Great Lakes and bird conservation plans, and clear relevance to migratory bird habitat needs across the watershed.

• The Department of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service in the natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Great Lakes Restoration Initiative" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.662.
• This funding opportunity was created on Nov 26, 2018.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Feb 28, 2019. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $300,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 10 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: State governments, Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Nonprofits that do not have a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education.

Apply for F19AS00050

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