Great Lakes Restoration Initiative – Joint Venture Habitat Restoration and Protection | F21AS00465

Opportunity Information: Apply for F21AS00465

The Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) - Joint Venture Habitat Restoration and Protection grant (Funding Opportunity Number F21AS00465) is a competitive U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service funding opportunity focused on tackling major environmental challenges across the Great Lakes ecosystem by supporting on-the-ground habitat work. The core purpose is long-term habitat protection, restoration, or enhancement that benefits native Great Lakes fish and wildlife, with a clear emphasis on migratory birds. This program is framed around delivering real conservation outcomes in the Great Lakes watershed, using GLRI resources to fund projects that align with established regional bird and wildlife conservation strategies.

A key feature of the opportunity is the partnership structure behind it. Funding is coordinated through the two bird habitat joint ventures operating within the Great Lakes watershed: the Upper Mississippi/Great Lakes Joint Venture and the Atlantic Coast Joint Venture. These joint ventures are working in coordination with the Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration programs in the Midwest and Northeast Regions of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Practically, that means proposed projects are expected to fit into a broader, landscape-scale conservation approach rather than being isolated efforts, and they should clearly connect to shared habitat goals that have already been laid out through joint venture planning.

Project selection is guided strongly by how well proposals support specific conservation plans. Preference is given to activities that advance the habitat objectives in the Upper Mississippi/Great Lakes Joint Venture Implementation Plan or the Lower Great Lakes/St. Lawrence Plain (Bird Conservation Region 13) Bird Conservation Region Plan. Proposals that fit other relevant bird conservation plans and State Wildlife Action Plans are also prioritized, which signals that applicants should explicitly map their project outcomes to measurable plan goals (for example, protecting priority wetlands, improving coastal habitat, enhancing stopover resources, or restoring key breeding areas) and demonstrate how the work contributes to broader state and regional conservation targets.

The notice also calls out two geographic and strategic priorities that applicants are encouraged to highlight in their proposals. First, projects located in known migratory bird stopover sites should be identified wherever possible, and the Great Lakes Migratory Bird Stopover Map Tool is specifically mentioned as a resource to help applicants confirm and document those locations. Second, projects occurring within watersheds connected to Great Lakes "Areas of Concern" (AOCs) should also be highlighted. AOCs are places with significant historical or ongoing environmental degradation, so projects in these areas can help support recovery and ecosystem improvement goals. Even with these emphasis areas, the opportunity is clear that being in a stopover site or an AOC watershed is encouraged but not mandatory, so strong projects outside those zones can still be competitive if they align well with the program goals and conservation plans.

In terms of basic funding mechanics, this is a discretionary grant program under CFDA 15.637, categorized under Natural Resources. The award ceiling listed is $300,000. The opportunity was issued by the Fish and Wildlife Service, with an original closing date of June 15, 2021, and a creation date of April 13, 2021. Eligibility is broad and includes state governments, special district governments, independent school districts, public and state-controlled institutions of higher education, federally recognized tribal governments, and nonprofit organizations (both 501(c)(3) and non-501(c)(3), excluding higher education institutions in the nonprofit categories). Overall, the program is designed for state agencies and conservation partners who can deliver durable habitat outcomes that fit within recognized Great Lakes bird and wildlife conservation frameworks, especially projects that measurably improve habitat conditions for migratory birds and other native species over the long term.

• The Fish and Wildlife Service in the natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Great Lakes Restoration Initiative – Joint Venture Habitat Restoration and Protection" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.637.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2021-04-13.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2021-06-15. (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.
• Eligible applicants include: State governments, Special district governments, Independent school districts, Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), 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 F21AS00465

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