Opportunity Information: Apply for F22AS00420
The funding opportunity F22AS00420, titled FY 22 Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) - Joint Venture Habitat Restoration and Protection, is a discretionary grant program run by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (CFDA 15.637) focused on on-the-ground habitat work in the U.S. Great Lakes watershed. The larger GLRI purpose is to tackle major environmental challenges affecting the Great Lakes ecosystem by investing in projects that produce measurable restoration outcomes. Under this announcement, funding is intended to support partner-led efforts that protect, restore, or enhance habitat in ways that benefit native Great Lakes fish and wildlife, with a strong emphasis on migratory bird conservation.
A key feature of this program is that it is coordinated through two established bird habitat partnerships (Joint Ventures) operating in the Great Lakes basin: the Upper Mississippi/Great Lakes Joint Venture and the Atlantic Coast Joint Venture. These Joint Ventures, working alongside the Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration programs within the Midwest and Northeast Regions of the Fish and Wildlife Service, use a competitive process to select projects. In practice, that means proposals are expected to clearly align with recognized habitat strategies and to show how the proposed work contributes to broader, long-term conservation outcomes rather than isolated, short-lived improvements.
Project selection preferences are tied directly to existing conservation plans. Applicants are more competitive when their projects help meet habitat objectives identified in the Upper Mississippi/Great Lakes Joint Venture Implementation Plan or the Lower Great Lakes/St. Lawrence Plain (Bird Conservation Region 13) Plan, along with other relevant bird conservation plans and State Wildlife Action Plans. This emphasis signals that proposals should be grounded in established science-based priorities, target high-value habitats or limiting factors identified in those plans, and explain how the work advances specific habitat goals (for example, increasing the quantity or quality of key wetland, coastal, or upland habitats used by priority species).
Only certain types of projects are eligible. The program funds direct habitat outcomes such as restoration, enhancement, and protection activities. It explicitly does not fund research and/or monitoring projects because those activities, by themselves, are not considered direct actions that achieve the habitat goals laid out in the Joint Venture and state plans referenced in the notice. Applicants should therefore frame their work around tangible habitat deliverables (such as acres restored or protected, hydrology reconnected, invasive species removed in support of habitat recovery, habitat structures improved, or conservation protections secured), and avoid proposals that are primarily designed to study conditions or collect monitoring data.
Geography is also tightly defined. Projects must occur within the U.S. portion of the Great Lakes watershed as defined by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and they must be located within Great Lakes-bordering states: Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. That means applicants need to demonstrate clearly that their project site falls inside the eligible EPA-defined watershed boundary and within one of the listed states.
The eligible applicant pool is broad and includes state, county, and local governments; special district governments; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; private institutions of higher education; federally recognized tribal governments and other tribal organizations; and nonprofit organizations both with and without 501(c)(3) status. The announcement also notes an important expectation for applicants that are not primarily conservation-based organizations: they must explain how their organizational priorities still support GLRI objectives and Joint Venture priorities, and they must make a convincing case that the benefits of the federal investment will be maintained over time. In other words, reviewers are looking for durability, such as long-term stewardship commitments, management plans, conservation easements or similar protections, and credible assurances that restored or enhanced habitats will not be allowed to degrade once grant funding ends.
From a funding structure standpoint, the award instrument is a grant and the award ceiling is listed as $300,000 per award. The posted closing date for this opportunity was February 7, 2023. Overall, the program is best understood as a targeted Great Lakes habitat implementation grant: it is designed for partners who can deliver concrete, plan-aligned habitat protection and restoration work within the Great Lakes basin, especially work that supports priority migratory bird populations and contributes to long-term conservation outcomes across the region.Apply for F22AS00420
- The Fish and Wildlife Service in the natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "F22AS00420 - FY 22 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 2023-02-06.
- Applicants must submit their applications by 2023-02-07. (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, County governments, City or township governments, Special district governments, Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal 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, Private institutions of higher education.
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is funding opportunity F22AS00420?
F22AS00420 is a discretionary grant opportunity from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service titled "FY 22 Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) - Joint Venture Habitat Restoration and Protection." It supports on-the-ground habitat protection, restoration, and enhancement work in the U.S. Great Lakes watershed.
What is the overall purpose of this grant program?
The program is part of the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI), which aims to address major environmental challenges impacting the Great Lakes ecosystem by investing in projects that produce measurable restoration outcomes. Under this specific announcement, the focus is on tangible habitat actions that benefit native Great Lakes fish and wildlife, with a strong emphasis on migratory bird conservation.
Which federal agency runs this program?
The program is run by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
What CFDA number is associated with this opportunity?
The opportunity is associated with CFDA 15.637.
What types of projects are eligible for funding?
Eligible projects are those that deliver direct habitat outcomes, including habitat restoration, enhancement, and protection. Proposals are expected to focus on tangible, on-the-ground deliverables that advance habitat objectives identified in relevant Joint Venture and state-level plans.
What kinds of deliverables are expected from funded projects?
Projects should be framed around measurable habitat deliverables. Examples described in the opportunity include acres restored or protected, hydrology reconnected, invasive species removed in support of habitat recovery, habitat structures improved, and conservation protections secured.
Are research or monitoring projects eligible?
No. The program explicitly does not fund research and/or monitoring projects when those activities are the primary purpose, because they are not considered direct actions that achieve the habitat goals described in Joint Venture and state plans.
Can a proposal include monitoring at all?
The notice states that research and/or monitoring projects are not funded because they are not direct habitat actions. Based on the information provided, proposals should avoid being primarily designed to study conditions or collect monitoring data and should instead emphasize direct habitat outcomes.
What geographic area is eligible?
Projects must occur within the U.S. portion of the Great Lakes watershed as defined by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
Which states are eligible for project locations?
Project sites must be located in Great Lakes-bordering states: Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin.
How should applicants demonstrate that a project site is eligible geographically?
Applicants should clearly show that the project site is inside the EPA-defined U.S. Great Lakes watershed boundary and located within one of the eligible Great Lakes-bordering states listed in the announcement.
Who coordinates project selection under this announcement?
Project coordination and selection are tied to two established bird habitat partnerships (Joint Ventures) operating in the Great Lakes basin: the Upper Mississippi/Great Lakes Joint Venture and the Atlantic Coast Joint Venture. These Joint Ventures, working alongside the Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration programs within the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Midwest and Northeast Regions, use a competitive process to select projects.
What does it mean that projects are selected through a competitive process?
It means proposals compete against each other and are expected to strongly align with recognized habitat strategies and broader conservation outcomes. Projects that appear isolated or short-lived are less aligned with the stated emphasis than projects that clearly contribute to long-term, plan-based habitat objectives.
Which conservation plans should projects align with to be more competitive?
Projects are more competitive when they help meet habitat objectives identified in the Upper Mississippi/Great Lakes Joint Venture Implementation Plan or the Lower Great Lakes/St. Lawrence Plain (Bird Conservation Region 13) Plan, along with other relevant bird conservation plans and State Wildlife Action Plans.
What is the main conservation emphasis for this opportunity?
The announcement emphasizes habitat work that benefits native Great Lakes fish and wildlife, with a strong emphasis on migratory bird conservation.
What characteristics make a proposal stronger based on the notice?
More competitive proposals are those grounded in established, science-based priorities; focused on high-value habitats or limiting factors identified in relevant plans; and clearly linked to specific habitat objectives. The notice also emphasizes contributions to broader, long-term conservation outcomes rather than short-term improvements.
What kinds of habitats does the opportunity suggest may be relevant?
The notice references increasing the quantity or quality of key wetland, coastal, or upland habitats used by priority species, consistent with objectives described in Joint Venture and related conservation plans.
Who is eligible to apply?
The eligible applicant pool includes state, county, and local governments; special district governments; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; private institutions of higher education; federally recognized tribal governments and other tribal organizations; and nonprofit organizations with and without 501(c)(3) status.
Can nonprofits without 501(c)(3) status apply?
Yes. The announcement states that nonprofit organizations both with and without 501(c)(3) status are eligible.
Are tribal entities eligible to apply?
Yes. Federally recognized tribal governments and other tribal organizations are included in the eligible applicant pool.
What if an applicant is not primarily a conservation-based organization?
The notice indicates that applicants who are not primarily conservation-based must explain how their organizational priorities support GLRI objectives and Joint Venture priorities, and they must make a convincing case that the benefits of the federal investment will be maintained over time.
What does "maintained over time" mean in this context?
Reviewers are looking for durability after the grant period. The announcement points to examples such as long-term stewardship commitments, management plans, conservation easements or similar protections, and other credible assurances that restored or enhanced habitats will not be allowed to degrade once grant funding ends.
What is the award type (funding instrument)?
The award instrument is a grant.
What is the maximum award amount?
The award ceiling listed in the opportunity is $300,000 per award.
What was the closing date for this opportunity?
The posted closing date was February 7, 2023.
Is this grant best suited for planning studies or implementation work?
Based on the stated eligibility and exclusions, it is designed for implementation: partner-led, on-the-ground habitat protection, restoration, and enhancement actions that produce measurable restoration outcomes and align with Joint Venture and state plan priorities.
How should an applicant describe project impact to match GLRI expectations?
The GLRI focus described in the notice is on measurable restoration outcomes. Applicants should connect proposed actions to specific plan-based habitat objectives and describe tangible habitat deliverables (for example, acres restored/protected or specific habitat functions improved) that demonstrate real, on-the-ground ecological benefits.
How do Joint Ventures relate to this funding opportunity?
The Joint Ventures serve as the coordinating habitat partnerships for migratory bird conservation in the region and are central to how this funding is prioritized and competitively selected. Proposals are expected to align with Joint Venture strategies and implementation plans so that funded projects contribute to long-term, landscape-scale conservation outcomes.
What is the simplest way to describe this program to stakeholders?
It is a targeted Great Lakes habitat implementation grant for partners who can deliver concrete, plan-aligned habitat protection and restoration within the U.S. Great Lakes basin, especially work that supports priority migratory bird populations and contributes to long-term conservation outcomes.
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