The Great Lakes Fishery Trust (GLFT) is now accepting proposals under its Great Lakes Habitat Protection and Restoration program. This request for proposals (RFP) will be used to disburse up to $750,000 in grants. Proposals are due by Friday, February 23, 2024, at 5:00 PM EST and must be submitted through the GLFT website.
The GLFT held a webinar with information for potential grantees on January 24, 2024. Watch the webinar here.
Grants awarded through this RFP are intended for:
- Protection, enhancement, and/or restoration of valuable Great Lakes fisheries habitat that supports the long-term, sustainable, natural reproduction of species now supported by hatchery production or the rehabilitation of lake whitefish, lake trout, lake sturgeon, or other important Great Lakes fish populations.
- Restoration of Great Lakes wetlands.
- Removal of dams or barriers to restore fish passage (see Policy on Funding Habitat Protection and Restoration Projects [Fish Passage and Other Dam Management]).
- Field inventories that comprehensively identify road-stream crossings and other barriers at the watershed scale for watersheds identified as high priority in planning or other management documents. Inventory methods should follow the Great Lakes Road Stream Crossing Inventory Instructions to ensure that information is collected consistently among watersheds. Applicants seeking funding to conduct inventories should be well positioned to implement restoration plans based upon the results.
- Targeted acquisition of land or easements to protect essential habitat.
Due to limited funding, the GLFT will only consider project sites located:
- Within the Lake Michigan basin
- In the state of Michigan within other Great Lakes basins (i.e., the Michigan shores of Lakes Erie, Huron, and Superior)
Priority will be given to projects focusing on Lake Michigan. Projects located within the Lake Michigan basin but outside of the state of Michigan (e.g., Indiana, Illinois, or Wisconsin) must be regionally significant for funding consideration.
If you have questions regarding the program area or a proposal submission, please contact Kathryn Frens, grant manager, at [email protected] or 517-371-7468.