The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is offering the Great Lakes Fish Habitat Restoration Partnership Grants to support habitat restoration projects aimed at enhancing native fish populations in the Great Lakes region. The primary objective of this funding opportunity is to provide federal financial and technical assistance for projects that align with NOAA's mission and the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) goals, particularly focusing on addressing toxic substances and habitat degradation in designated Areas of Concern (AOCs). Eligible applicants include institutions of higher education, non-profits, commercial organizations, and state, local, and tribal governments located in the eight U.S. Great Lakes states, with funding amounts ranging from $500,000 to $6 million. Applications are accepted annually, with deadlines set for October 28, 2024; September 5, 2025; and September 4, 2026. For further inquiries, interested parties can contact Rina Studds at rina.studds@noaa.gov or Julie Simmons at julie.simmons@noaa.gov.

Foa_Content_of_NOAA-NMFS-HCPO-2024-28122.pdf

The NOAA Great Lakes Fish Habitat Restoration Partnership Grants provide federal assistance for restoring coastal habitats and enhancing native fish populations in the U.S. Great Lakes region. Applications are invited annually, with submission deadlines set for October 2024, September 2025, and September 2026. Funded projects, ranging from $500,000 to $6 million, must align with NOAA's mission and GLRI goals, focusing on addressing challenges like toxic substances and habitat degradation. Priority is given to projects within designated Areas of Concern (AOCs) and Environmental Priorities identified by local Lake Committees. Eligible applicants include educational institutions, non-profits, and tribal governments located in the Great Lakes states. The funding will facilitate a range of activities such as habitat restoration, monitoring, and stakeholder engagement, with multi-year agreements possible based on progress and funding availability. Applicants must adhere to strict registration procedures and are encouraged to submit comprehensive proposals detailing project benefits to ecosystems and local communities, particularly underserved and tribal populations, while also enhancing resilience to climate hazards.

The principal objective of the NOAA Great Lakes Fish Habitat Restoration Partnership Grants competition is to provide federal financial and technical assistance to habitat restoration projects that meet NOAA&apos;s mission to restore coastal habitats and support the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) (https://www.epa.gov/sites/default/files/2019-10/documents/glri-action-plan-3-201910-30pp.pdf) goal to protect and restore habitats to sustain healthy populations of native fish species in the eight U.S. Great Lakes states. Proposals submitted under this solicitation will be evaluated based on alignment with our program priorities, including: 1) contribution to GLRI Focus Area 1 (Toxic Substances and Areas of Concern) goals to implement management actions within Areas of Concern (AOC), and 2) contribution to GLRI Focus Area 4 (Habitats and Species) goals to restore habitat for native Great Lakes fish species whose populations have been impacted by habitat degradation. Through this solicitation, we intend to address GLRI Focus Area 4 goals by prioritizing a subset of habitat restoration projects identified by the Lake Committees as Environmental Priorities to meet fish community objectives for Great Lakes fish species. Lake Committees are composed of senior officials from state, provincial, and U.S. intertribal fishery agencies, convened by the Great Lakes Fishery Commission. Together, they are responsible for managing the Lakes&#8217; fisheries and developing plans and guidance to sustain healthy populations of Great Lakes commercial and recreational fish species. 

Rina Studds &lt;br/&gt;rina.studds@noaa.gov  &lt;br/&gt;(301) 427-8651 &lt;br/&gt; &lt;br/&gt;Julie Simmons &lt;br/&gt;julie.simmons@noaa.gov &lt;br/&gt;(734) 680-5671

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