Restore America’s Estuaries Announces Great Lakes Restoration Community Grant
Cleveland, OH. – Restore America’s Estuaries (RAE) is pleased to announce the Great Lakes Restoration Community Grant Program in partnership with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 5 and the Junction Coalition. RAE will be accepting our first round of funding requests starting on November 3rd, 2025.
Each project will be selected based on its ability to align with the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) Action IV Workplan metrics. Projects will contribute to a wide range of Great Lakes environmental, economic, and health benefits to foster abundant populations of wildlife, control invasive species incursions into Great Lakes ecosystems, and enhance ecosystem resilience.
For this round of funding, RAE will provide between $2 million to $4 million to support projects, with awards ranging from $50,000 to $750,000. Each project will be expected to be completed within 2-3 years of receiving the award. The funding must go towards restoration initiatives and meaningful community-driven projects. Eligible applicants include non-profit organizations, tribes, state, county, local governments, municipalities, and their subdivisions, and academic institutions. Although federal agencies are not eligible recipients, they may be included as partners in the proposals. Projects must be located within the geographic region defined as the U.S. portion of the Great Lakes Basin, encompassing areas within the Great Lakes watersheds boundaries.
“This funding empowers Great Lakes communities to lead restoration efforts that reflect their priorities and strengths,” said Jesús Sánchez, Program Director for the Great Lakes Restoration Community Grant Program at Restore America’s Estuaries. “By investing in community-driven projects and building local capacity, we’re strengthening both the environment and the people who care for it.”
Oftentimes, many organizations lack resources needed to apply for federal grants. With the Great Lakes Restoration Community Grant Program, RAE will work to ease these administrative barriers and support community-based organizations to more effectively access federal funding through capacity building and technical assistance.
“Restoring the Great Lakes is crucial to the health and prosperity of the region’s people and communities,” said Anne Vogel, EPA Region 5 Administrator and Great Lakes National Program Manager. “Through this first-of-its-kind grant program under GLRI, Great Lakes communities can help transform Rust Belt disinvestment into economic opportunities all along America’s largest freshwater coastline.”
“This grant will allow for communities to form around the Great Lakes, for individuals to recreate in the Great Lakes, people to learn in the Great Lakes region, advance socially, financially, physically, and spiritually, to make productive use of technology, and for all people in the Great Lakes region to engage with each other and with nature.” says Donald Wiggins Jr., Environmental Programs Director for the Junction Coalition.
Through this funding, the Great Lakes Restoration Community Grant Program will also provide the opportunity for potential grantees, regional leaders, and community members to foster collaboration through our Regional Learning Exchanges. These exchanges will support communities with vital resources and contribute to building a stronger Great Lakes watershed.
For more information about the Great Lakes Restoration Community Grant Program or upcoming events, please visit estuaries.org/great-lakes-grant-program/ or direct questions by email to jsanchez@estuaries.org
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Restore America’s Estuaries is dedicated to the protection and restoration of bays and estuaries as essential resources for our nation.
