Geographic Programs - Great Lakes Restoration Initiative

 

To restore and maintain the chemical, physical, and biological integrity of the Great Lakes Basin Ecosystem. USEPA leads a consortium of programs, agencies, and public and private institutions in attaining specific objectives and actions that will address the most significant Great Lakes ecosystem problems and efforts in five major focus areas: Toxic Substances and Areas of Concern; Invasive Species; Nonpoint Source Pollution Impacts on Nearshore Health; Habitats and Species; and Foundations for Future Restoration Actions. Funded activities will advance protection and restoration of the Great Lakes ecosystem in support of (i) the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative as described in the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Action Plan III (available from: https://www.epa.gov/great-lakes-funding/great-lakes-restoration-initiative-action-plan-iii); (ii) Objective 5.2 (Protect and Restore Waterbodies and Watersheds) of EPA's 2022-2026 Strategic Plan (available from: https://www.epa.gov/planandbudget/strategicplan); and/or (iii) the Great Lakes Regional Collaboration Strategy to Protect and Restore the Great Lakes (available from: https://www.gsgp.org/projects/protection-and-restoration/great-lakes-regional-collaboration/glrc-strategy/ ). Funding Priorities - Fiscal Year 2023: Projects will be funded in five GLRI Action Plan focus areas: (i) Toxic Substances and Areas of Concern; (ii) Invasive Species; (iii) Nonpoint Source Pollution Impacts on Nearshore Health; (iv) Habitats and Species; and (v) Foundations for Future Restoration Actions. The GLRI places a special priority on cleaning up and de-listing Areas of Concern, reducing phosphorus contributions from agricultural and urban lands that contribute to harmful algal blooms and other water quality impairments, and invasive species prevention. These priorities and new initiatives will also be supported by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) funding.

Active 66.469 Environmental Protection Agency B - Project Grants; I - Use of Property, Facilities, and Equipment; L - Dissemination of Technical Information Fiscal Year 2016 GLNPO holds competitions and invites non-competitive applications throughout the year based on available funds and Agency priorities. The number of applications and the number of awards made is dependent on the competitive announcement issued. The announcement typically includes the number of anticipated awards. FY 2016 announcement information is not available. Additional information is available from links at http://www.epa.gov/grtlakes/fund/glf.html. In 2016, GLNPO used FY2016 funding in a general request for applications offering $26 million in seven categories that addressed invasive species and nutrients in the Great Lakes. GLNPO also issued competitive grants for monitoring activities. GLNPO also issued non-competitive grants to States, Tribes, and local governments for LaMP and RAP activities, including: state and tribal capacity, Area of Concern restoration. Additional information is available from links at http://www.epa.gov/grtlakes/fund/index.html. Information on accomplishments is included in an annual Report to Congress and the President available from: https://www.glri.us/pdfs/fy2016-glri-progress-report-to-congress-and-president-20170803-35pp.pdf GLNPO holds competitions and invites non-competitive applications throughout the year based on available funds and Agency priorities. The number of applications and the number of awards made is dependent on the competitive announcement issued. The announcement typically includes the number of anticipated awards. FY 2016 announcement information is not available. Additional information is available from links at http://www.epa.gov/grtlakes/fund/glf.html.
Fiscal Year 2017 In 2017, GLNPO issued competitive grants that addressed invasive species and nutrients in the Great Lakes. As part of this competition, EPA issued 52 grants for $24,542,000. EPA also issued competitive grants for monitoring activities and non-competitive grants to States, Tribes, and local governments for Lakewide Action and Management Plan and Remedial Action Plan activities, including state capacity and Area of Concern restoration. Specific project information can be found at https://www.glri.us/projects. Information on accomplishments can be found at https://www.glri.us/results and is included in an annual Report to Congress and the President available from: https://www.glri.us/documents.
Fiscal Year 2018 In 2018, GLNPO issued non-competitive grants to States, Tribes, and local governments for Lakewide Action and Management Plan and Remedial Action Plan activities, including state capacity, Area of Concern restoration, and projects targeting Harmful Algal Blooms and coastal wetland restoration. Specific project information can be found at https://www.glri.us/projects. Information on accomplishments can be found at https://www.glri.us/results and is included in an annual Report to Congress and the President available from: https://www.glri.us/documents.
Fiscal Year 2020 For accomplishments associated with this assistance agreement, please visit: https://www.epa.gov/great-lakes-funding/great-lakes-rfas#awarded.
Fiscal Year 2022 In 2022, GLNPO issued non-competitive grants to States, Tribes, and local governments for Lakewide Action and Management Plan and Remedial Action Plan activities, including state capacity and Area of Concern restoration. GLNPO also issued competitive grants addressing nonpoint source pollution to the Great Lakes and its tributaries. Details on projects funded and accomplishments achieved by this program are available via GLRI.us.
Fiscal Year 2023 In 2023, GLNPO issued non-competitive grants to States, Tribes, and local governments for Lakewide Action and Management Plan and Remedial Action Plan activities, restoring Areas of Concern, addressing nutrient and stormwater runoff and harmful algal blooms, and controlling invasive species and restoring habitat. GLNPO also issued a competitive funding opportunity to address environmental justice and restoration projects in underserved communities in the Great Lakes basin. Details on projects funded and accomplishments achieved by this program are available via GLRI.us. Clean Water Act, Section 118(c), as amended (PL 14-322)
National Environmental Policy Act, Section 102(2(I) Qualified non-federal entities eligible to apply for grants include non-federal governmental entities, nonprofit organizations, and institutions. This includes state agencies; any agency or instrumentality of local government; interstate agencies; federally-recognized tribes and tribal organizations; colleges and universities; non-profit organizations; and other public or non-profit private agencies, institutions, and organizations. Non-profit organization means any corporation, trust, association, cooperative, or other organization which: (1) is operated primarily for scientific, educational, service, charitable, or similar purposes in the public interest; (2) is not organized primarily for profit; and (3) uses its net proceeds to maintain, improve, and/or expand its operations. Non-profit organizations described in Section 501(c)(4) of the Internal Revenue Code that engage in lobbying activities as defined in Section 3 of the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995 are not eligible applicants. "For profit" organizations, federal agencies, and individuals are not eligible applicants. For certain competitive funding opportunities under this assistance listing, the Agency may limit eligibility to compete to a number or subset of eligible applicants consistent with the Agency's Assistance Agreement Competition Policy. Beneficiaries include non-federal governmental entities, nonprofit organizations, and institutions. This includes state agencies; any agency or instrumentality of local government; interstate agencies; federally-recognized tribes and tribal organizations; colleges and universities; non-profit organizations; and other public or non-profit private agencies, institutions, and organizations. Non-profit organization means any corporation, trust, association, cooperative, or other organization which: (1) is operated primarily for scientific, educational, service, charitable, or similar purposes in the public interest; (2) is not organized primarily for profit; and (3) uses its net proceeds to maintain, improve, and/or expand its operations. Non-profit organizations described in Section 501(c)(4) of the Internal Revenue Code that engage in lobbying activities as defined in Section 3 of the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995 are not eligible applicants. "For profit" organizations, federal agencies, and individuals are not eligible applicants. Not applicable. Preapplication coordination is required. This program is eligible for coverage under E.O. 12372, "Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs." An applicant should consult the office or official designated as the single point of contact in his or her State for more information on the process the State requires to be followed in applying for assistance, if the State has selected the program for review. This program is eligible for coverage under E.O. 12372, "Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs," when proposed Federal financial assistance involves land use planning or implementation of restoration, remediation, or other projects requiring construction. EPA financial assistance programs and activities subject to intergovernmental review that are subject to review under State single point of contact procedures are identified at https://www.epa.gov/grants/epa-financial-assistance-programs-subject-executive-order-12372-and-section-204. Applicants for programs or activities subject to Intergovernmental Review that are not subject to State single point of contact review must provide directly affected State, areawide, regional, and local entities at least 60 days to review their application following notification by EPA that the application has been selected for funding as provided by 40 CFR 29.8(a) and (c). Regarding pre-application assistance with respect to competitive funding opportunities under this assistance listing, EPA will generally specify the nature of the pre-application assistance, if any, that will be available to applicants in the competitive announcement. For additional information, contact the individual(s) listed in the competitive announcement. 2 CFR 200, Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards applies to this program. Applicants, except in limited circumstances approved by the Agency, must submit all initial applications for funding through Grants.gov. Requests for Applications, examples, and other Great Lakes funding information are available from https://www.epa.gov/great-lakes-funding. For competitive awards, EPA will review and evaluate applications in accordance with the terms, conditions, and criteria stated in the competitive announcement. Competitions will be conducted in accordance with EPA policies/regulations for competing assistance agreements. For non-competitive awards made under this assistance listing, EPA will conduct an administrative evaluation to determine the adequacy of the application in relation to grant regulations and to technical and program evaluation to determine the merit and relevance of the project. The Agency will then advise the applicant if funding is being considered. A final work plan will then be negotiated with the applicant. For competitive awards, deadlines will be specified in the Request for Applications. Approximately two to four months after the deadline for application submission. Assistance agreement competition-related disputes will be resolved in accordance with the dispute resolution procedures published in 70 FR (Federal Register) 3629, 3630 (January 26, 2005). These procedures may also be found at: https://www.epa.gov/grants/grant-competition-dispute-resolution-procedures. Disputes relating to matters other than the competitive selection of recipients will be resolved under 2 CFR 1500 Subpart E, as applicable. None. A standard grant application should be prepared and submitted electronically as a new grant using Grants.gov , which will be reviewed in the same manner as the original application and will compete for available funds. Generally, EPA incrementally funds grants and cooperative agreements. Approval of subsequent funding increments is dependent on satisfactory project progress, continued relevance of the project to [EPA's] priorities, and availability of funds. The evaluation and selection criteria for competitive awards under this assistance listing will be described in the competitive announcement. The statutory authority for awards in furtherance of the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative and the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement is contained in Clean Water Act Section 118(c), including provisions authorizing grants and cooperative agreements to qualified non-federal entities for planning, research, monitoring, outreach, or implementation. Great Lakes Restoration Initiative implementation, as described above, includes but is not limited to land use activities, governmental partnerships and informed public participation, technology development, investigations, experiments, training, demonstrations, surveys, and studies to the extent consistent with the Great Lakes Regional Collaboration or Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Action Plan II. The principal goal of the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement is the restoration and maintenance of the chemical, physical, and biological integrity of the Great Lakes Ecosystem. For projects with international aspects the above statutes are supplemented, as appropriate, by the National Environmental Policy Act, Section 102(2)(F). Grants and cooperative agreements are available to support recipients' allowable direct costs incident to approved activities plus allowable indirect costs, in accordance with established EPA policies and regulations. Quality System Documentation is required for projects involving measurements or information that describe environmental processes, location, or conditions; ecological or health effects and consequences; or the performance of environmental technology. Assistance agreement awards under this program may involve or relate to geospatial information.Geospatial information is information that identifies the geographic location and characteristics of natural or constructed features or boundaries on the earth, or applications, tools, and hardware associated with the generation, maintenance, or distribution of such information. This information may be derived from, among other things, GPS, remote sensing, mapping, charting, and surveying technologies, or statistical data. Further information regarding geospatial information may be obtained by viewing the following website: Geospatial Resources at EPA (https://www.epa.gov/geospatial). Performance Reports: Reporting requirements shall be determined at the time of award. Grants and cooperative agreements are subject to inspections and audits by the Comptroller General of the United States, the EPA Office of Inspector General, other EPA staff, or any authorized representative of the Federal government. Reviews by the EPA Project Officer and the Grants Specialist may occur each year. Recipients must keep financial records, including all documents supporting entries on accounting records and to substantiate changes in grants available to personnel authorized to examine EPA recipients grants and cooperative agreements records. Recipients must maintain all records until 3 years from the date of submission of final expenditure reports as required by 2 CFR 200.334. If questions, such as those raised because of audits remain following the 3-year period, recipients must retain records until the matter is completely resolved. Statutory formula is not applicable to this assistance listing.

Matching is voluntary_rating. Leveraging, including an applicant's match percentage, may be considered as part of the project selection process for grants and cooperative agreements; however, the program does not expect to require any minimum match requirement. Any such requirement will be specified in the individual Request for Applications.

MOE requirements are not applicable to this assistance listing. Generally 1-3 years; however, awards can be made for up to 7 years. The term of the grant will be determined at the time of award. The method of fund disbursement will be determined at the time of award. Bart Mosier, USEPA Great Lakes National Program Office (G-9J), 77 West Jackson Boulevard, Chicago, Illinois 60604-3590. Telephone: (312) 353-4513; E-mail: mosier.bart@epa.gov. Bart Mosier
USEPA, Great Lakes National Program Office (G-17J), 77 West Jackson Boulevard
Chicago, IL 60604 US
mosier.bart@epa.gov
Phone: 312-353-4513 https://www.epa.gov/great-lakes-funding 68-0108-0-1-304 (Cooperative Agreements (Discretionary Grants)) FY 22$61,631,067.00; FY 23 est $60,000,000.00; FY 24 est $60,000,000.00; FY 21$2,100,000.00; FY 20$21,000,000.00; FY 19$20,000,000.00; FY 18$65,000,000.00; FY 17$88,840,023.00; FY 16$690,351,000.00; - (Cooperative Agreements (Discretionary Grants)) FY 22$56,761,778.00; FY 23 est $35,000,000.00; FY 24 est $20,000,000.00; - (IIJA Appropriation) Some awards are fully funded at award and others are funded incrementally over several years. Representative Award Range: $30,000/fiscal year to $5,000,000/fiscal year. Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) projects could be funded from $1.00M to $40.00M. Some of these awards may be incrementally funded with appropriations from future fiscal years 2 CFR 200 and 1500 (EPA Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards); 40 CFR Part 33 (Participation by Disadvantaged Business Enterprises in United States Environmental Protection Agency Programs). Additional information regarding this grant program can be found in the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Action Plan III, Fiscal Year 2020-Fiscal Year 2024, located at: https://www.epa.gov/great-lakes-funding/great-lakes-restoration-initiative-action-plan-iii. Fiscal Year 2016 Grants and cooperative agreements will be awarded to governmental entities, nonprofit organizations, and institutions for planning, research, monitoring, outreach, and implementation in support of the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative. Projects will be funded within the focus areas of: (i) Toxic Substances and Areas of Concern; (ii) Invasive Species; (iii) Nonpoint Source Pollution Impacts on Nearshore Health; (iv) Habitats and Species; and (v) Foundations for Future Restoration Actions. Under the Great Lakes Legacy Act, projects will also be funded through contracts for remediation of contaminated sediments in Great Lakes Areas of Concern. Project descriptions will be available from: http://greatlakesrestoration.us. Grants and cooperative agreements will be awarded to governmental entities, nonprofit organizations, and institutions for planning, research, monitoring, outreach, and implementation in support of the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative. Projects will be funded within the focus areas of: (i) Toxic Substances and Areas of Concern; (ii) Invasive Species; (iii) Nonpoint Source Pollution Impacts on Nearshore Health; (iv) Habitats and Species; and (v) Foundations for Future Restoration Actions. Under the Great Lakes Legacy Act, projects will also be funded through contracts for remediation of contaminated sediments in Great Lakes Areas of Concern. Project descriptions will be available from: http://greatlakesrestoration.us.
Fiscal Year 2018 EPA awarded grants and cooperative agreements that directly advance the objectives the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) Action Plan II, specifically projects will advance measures in the five GLRI Focus Areas including: Toxic Substances and Areas of Concern; Invasive Species; Nonpoint Source Pollution Impacts on Nearshore Health; Habitat and Species; and Foundations for Future Restoration Actions. Project Descriptions are available at: https://www.glri.us/projects
Fiscal Year 2022 EPA awarded grants and cooperative agreements that directly advanced the objectives in the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) Action Plan III, specifically projects advanced measures in the five GLRI Focus Areas including: Toxic Substances and Areas of Concern; Invasive Species; Nonpoint Source Pollution Impacts on Nearshore Health; Habitat and Species; and Foundations for Future Restoration Actions. For descriptions of projects funded under this assistance listing, please visit: https://www.glri.us/projects.
Fiscal Year 2023 EPA continued to award grants and cooperative agreements that directly advanced the objectives and measures associated with all five Focus Areas of the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Action Plan III (https://glri.us/documents). The majority of assistance agreements awarded in FY23 focused on restoring Areas of Concern and reducing nutrient and stormwater runoff and implementing efforts to reduce harmful algal blooms. For descriptions of projects funded under this assistance listing, please visit: https://www.glri.us/projects.