The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is seeking applications for the Great Lakes Fish Habitat Restoration Partnership Grants competition to provide federal financial and technical assistance to habitat restoration projects that meet NOAA’s mission to restore coastal habitats and support the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) goal to protect and restore habitats to sustain healthy populations of native fish species in the eight U.S. Great Lakes states.
Donor Name: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
States: New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, and Minnesota
County: All States
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline (mm/dd/yyyy): 01/12/2022
Size of the Grant: $300,000 $30 million
Grant Duration: 12 and 36 Months
Details:
This funding opportunity prioritizes habitat restoration projects that aim to restore functional coastal wetland, nearshore, and/or riverine habitats that support native fish migration, reproduction, growth, and/or seasonal refuge. Proposals submitted under this solicitation will be evaluated by how well they demonstrate that the proposed habitat restoration actions will lead to significant and sustainable benefits for Great Lakes nativefish species.
Program Priorities
As stated above, the principal objective of the NOAA Great Lakes Fish Habitat Restoration Partnership Grants solicitation is to support habitat restoration projects that contribute to NOAA and the GLRI priorities by restoring habitat for native Great Lakes fish species whose populations have been impacted by habitat degradation.
Highest priority will be given to applications that:
- Propose habitat restoration activities that substantially contribute to GLRI goals including:
- GLRI Focus Area 1 – Toxic Substances and Areas of Concern
- GLRI Focus Area 4 – Habitat and Species
- Exhibit a capacity to manage concurrent habitat restoration projects over multiple years, and an ability to manage federal funds, maintain financial and administrative records, and fulfill reporting requirements. The applicant should demonstrate a willingness to coordinate with NOAA to conduct technically sound restoration projects to address program priorities.
- Demonstrate willingness and ability to work with stakeholders and communities. Applicants should propose projects that were developed through inclusive processes and demonstrate appropriate and diverse stakeholder support. Applicants should also plan to disseminate information about project plans, benefits and results with relevant stakeholders and local communities.
Funding Availability
NOAA anticipates typical federal funding for awards will range from $500,000 to $5 million over one to three years. NOAA will not accept proposals with a federal funding request of less than $300,000 or more than $30 million total over three years. NOAA anticipates up to $10 million will be available under this Announcement in FY22. Awards are dependent upon the amount of funds made available to NOAA for this purpose by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency through the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative in FY22 – FY24 budgets.
Project/Award Period
Applications should cover a period of performance between 12 and 36 months, but may select a project where the period of performance extends up to 48 months. The earliest anticipated start date for awards will be October 1, 2022. Award periods may be extended, at the discretion of NOAA and based on project needs, up to the extent legally allowable, typically 5 years.
Eligible Applicants
Eligible applicants are institutions of higher education, non-profits, commercial (for profit) organizations, U.S. territories, and state, local and Native American tribal governments. Applications from federal agencies or employees of federal agencies will not be considered. Federal agencies are strongly encouraged to work with states, nongovernmental organizations, municipal and county governments, and others that are eligible to apply. Eligible applicants may be located anywhere but must propose work within the Great Lakes basin and within one of the eight U.S. Great Lakes states (New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, and Minnesota).
For more information, visit Grants.gov.