The USDA Forest Service is requesting applications for the Fiscal Year 2024 Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) Grant Program. This program supports reforestation, ecosystem restoration and forest health improvement in the Great Lakes Basin through an agreement with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
We are announcing and awarding funding through two grant opportunities:
(1) Cooperative Weed Management Areas (CWMA) Request for Applications funds partnership work to address invasive plant species that pose significant ecological threats in the Great Lakes Basin.
(2) The Forest Restoration (FR) Request for Applications funds projects that
- Mitigate Forest Insect and Disease Impacts through targeted reforestation and forest protection,
- Reduce Runoff from Degraded Sites through Green Infrastructure that includes trees, or
- Restore and Connect Coastal and Riparian Forest Habitats.
We anticipate that up to $1 million in new funds will be available for the CWMA grant, and $5.2 million for the FR grant.
Application Details
Eligible applicants can apply by 6 p.m. Eastern, September 18, 2024 on Grants.gov by searching opportunity number USDA-FS-GLRI-CWMA24 (for CWMA) or USDA-FS-GLRI-FR24 (for Forest Restoration).
Applicants can be state agencies, sovereign Tribal Nations, nonprofit organizations, educational institutions, and local governments that work within the Great Lakes Basin of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin.
Cooperative Weed Management Area (CWMA) funding requests must be submitted through a CWMA or similar organized partnership that manages invasive plants across jurisdictional and land ownership boundaries within a defined area.
We encourage all applicants to work with their State forestry agency to determine how their project fits into the goals and objectives of the State Forest Action Plan.
Additional notes:
- Applications must be prepared and submitted through Grants.gov by 6 p.m. Eastern on September 18, 2024.
- A webinar for prospective applicants was offered for each opportunity. Recorded webinars will be posted on the Eastern Region grants webpage.
If you have questions contact GLRI grants contact Erin Barton (erin.barton@usda.gov); (612) 476-5849 for more information.