Great Lakes Restoration Initiative -Joint Venture Habitat Restoration and Protection
Closed Posted
- Opportunity number
- F26AS00094
- Agency
-
Fish and Wildlife Service
Department of the Interior
- Applications due
- Award size
- $25,000 to $300,000
Opportunity facts
- Assistance listings
- Funding instrument
- Grant
- Category
-
- Natural Resources
- Eligible applicants
-
- State Governments
- Non-501(c)(3) Nonprofits
- County Governments
- City/Township Governments
- Tribal Governments (Federally Recognized)
- Special District Governments
- 501(c)(3) Nonprofits
- Public or Indian Housing Auth.
- Tribal Organizations (Not Federally Recognized)
- Higher Education Inst. (Private)
- Independent School Districts
- Higher Education Inst. (Public)
- Points of contact
-
- Alex Coley alex_coley@fws.gov
Opportunity details come from Grants.gov. Updated .
About this opportunity
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is seeking competitive grant applications for habitat protection, restoration, and enhancement projects within the Great Lakes coastal zone. Eligible applicants include state and local governments, tribal organizations, nonprofits, and educational institutions that can demonstrate alignment with GLRI Action Plan IV Focus Area 4 and relevant bird conservation plans. Projects must address declining habitat types—specifically wetlands, grasslands, and forests—and clearly demonstrate benefits to migratory bird species while being located within the Great Lakes coastal zone or within 15 miles of Great Lakes coastal waters. The Service will employ a three-stage review process evaluating eligibility, merit scoring across six criteria (including bird species benefits, habitat acreage, cost-effectiveness, and partnership strength for a maximum of 100 points), and risk assessment. The application deadline is July 6, 2026, at 11:59 PM ET, with an anticipated project start date of October 1, 2026.
Applicants may request awards ranging from $25,000 to $300,000 per project, with approximately $800,000 in total funding available for an expected three awards. A mandatory 25% non-Federal cost share (in cash, goods, services, or land value) is required, and all projects must be completed within 24 months of award, with a target completion date of September 30, 2027. Projects will be performed within the Great Lakes coastal zone as defined by NOAA, and recipients must submit semi-annual progress reports and comply with Federal acquisition requirements, including Buy America provisions for infrastructure projects.
Synopsis
The goal of the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative is to target the most significant environmental problems in the Great Lakes ecosystem by funding and implementing projects that address these problems. As part of this initiative, the two bird habitat joint ventures that operate in the Great Lakes watershed - the Upper Mississippi / Great Lakes Joint Venture and the Atlantic Coast Joint Venture - will work with the Office of Conservation Investment program in the Midwest and Northeast Regions of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to competitively fund partner projects for long-term habitat protection, restoration, or enhancement, to conserve habitats that support native Great Lakes fish and wildlife populations, particularly migratory birds. Proposed activities must align with the operating principles of GLRI Action Plan IV and meet the objectives of GLRI Action Plan IV Focus Area 4 (https://www.glri.us/action-plan-iv/habitats-and-species). Proposed actions should address the habitat goals of the Upper Mississippi / Great Lakes Joint Venture Implementation Plan (https://umgljv.org/planning/joint-venture-plans/) or the Lower Great Lakes/St. Lawrence Plain (BCR 13) Bird Conservation Region Plan (https://acjv.org/planning/bird-conservation-regions/bcr-13/), and/or other relevant bird conservation plans including tribal plans and/or State Wildlife Action Plans (https://www.fishwildlife.org/afwa-informs/state-wildlife-action-plans and https://www.mlimidwest.org/midwest-regional-species-of-greatest-conservation-need/) and should clearly describe how proposed activities will benefit bird species identified in the above plan(s).Proposed projects must address declining or at-risk habitat types including wetlands, grasslands, and forests, and projects must fall within the Great Lakes coastal zone, as defined by NOAA (https://coast.noaa.gov/czm/act/sections/#304). Projects that lie adjacent to or in close proximity (within 15 miles) of Great Lakes coastal waters will be viewed favorably. Additionally, proposed projects should describe how activities or outcomes will use existing science and decision support tools to inform proposed activities and how proposed activities will benefit habitats and identified species in the future.Eligible applicants are any organization, except for-profit entities or businesses, who can demonstrate the importance of their project for wildlife habitat and Great Lakes conservation and be able to justify that the GLRI investment property will be managed properly for wildlife habitat into the future.
Files
| File | Type | Posted |
|---|---|---|
| 5.6.2026 Foa_Content_of_F26AS00094.pdf |
On GovTribe
Work this opportunity
- Track it in your pipeline
- Find teaming partners
- Similar grant opportunities
- Ask GovTribe AI about this opportunity