U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service: Great Lakes Fish and Wildlife Restoration Grants

The purpose of the Great Lakes Fish and Wildlife Restoration Act (GLFWRA) is to provide assistance to States, Indian Tribes, and other interested entities to encourage cooperative conservation, restoration and management of the fish and wildlife resources and their habitats in the Great Lakes Basin.

Regional Projects are authorized activities of the Service related to fish and wildlife resource protection, restoration, maintenance, and enhancement impacting the resources of multiple States or Indian Tribes with fish and wildlife management authority in the Great Lakes Basin. The Service will be responsible for accomplishing Regional Projects on behalf of the State and or Tribal agencies submitting the Regional Project proposal.

Supported in part by President Obama’s Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, a total of approximately $1.7 million is projected to support projects this fiscal year. Available funding and project awards are subject to final Congressional appropriations for Fiscal Year 2016. Up to 33 percent of the total Congressional appropriation to the GLFWRA is eligible to fund Regional Projects. Restoration and research projects require a 25 percent non-federal match. Regional Projects selected shall be exempt from cost sharing if the Service’s Midwest Region Director determines that the authorization for the project does not require a non-Federal cost-share.

The two page pre-proposal and Regional Project proposals are submitted to the Service for review. Successful restoration and research applicants are invited to submit full proposals, which are reviewed and ranked by the Proposal Review Committee. Successful restoration and research projects have ranged from $2,300 to $2,000,000 with the average project at $120,529.