How much money has been provided under the GLRI for Great Lakes restoration?
GLRI received approximately $3.48 billion from FY 2010 to FY 2020.
How does the money fund restoration projects?
EPA and its partner agencies agree on program and project priorities to implement the GLRI Action Plan.
The money is appropriated to EPA. EPA provides funding to other federal government agencies. In turn, those agencies (and EPA, too) use that money to fund restoration projects. Since the start of GLRI, EPA has provided more than half of the funds appropriated to its partner federal agencies.
Agencies undertake projects themselves; they also fund projects performed by other entities such as:
- states
- tribes
- local governments
- universities
- nongovernmental organizations
Agencies that receive GLRI funds use several kinds of funding mechanisms, including:
- interagency agreements
- fund transfers
- competitive grants
- capacity-building grants
Agencies provide notice of funding opportunities in accordance with their regular practices, such as posting competitive announcements through grants.gov.
See projects funded under GLRI
What kind of projects have been funded?
All projects must support one of the GLRI focus areas:
- Toxic Substances and Areas of Concern
- Invasive Species
- Nonpoint Source Pollution Impacts on Nearshore Health (formerly Nearshore Health and Nonpoint Source Pollution FY2010-2014)
- Habitat and Species (formerly Habitat and Wildlife Protection and Restoration FY2010-2014)
- Foundations for Future Restoration Actions (formerly Accountability, Education, Monitoring, Evaluation, Communication and Partnerships FY2010-2014)
| Focus Area | FY 2010 | FY 2011 | FY 2012 | FY 2013 | FY 2014 | FY 2015 | FY 2016 | FY 2017 | FY 2018 | FY 2019 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Toxic Substances and Areas of Concern | $146.9M | $100.4M | $107.5M | $111M | $105M | $120.2M | $106.6M | $107.5M | $105.6 | $107.5 |
| Invasive Species | $60.3M | $57.5M | $56.9M | $45M | $54.6M | $53.6M | $56.4M | $62.2M | $56.7 | $56.9 |
| Nonpoint Source Pollution Impacts on Nearshore Health | $97.3M | $49.3M | $54.3M | $45M | $59.3M | $51M | $51.7M | $47.9M | $50.6 | $51.7 |
| Habitat and Species | $105.3M | $63M | $57.2M | $65.5M | $60.6M | $49M | $54.2M | $49.5M | $52.4 | $50.2 |
| Foundations for Future Restoration Actions | $65.2M | $29.3M | $23.5M | $17M | $20.5M | $26.2M | $31.1M | $32.9M | $34.7 | $33.7 |
| TOTAL | $475 million | $299.4 million | $299.5 million | $283.5 million | $300 million | $300 million | $300 million | $300 million | $300 million | $300 million |
The percentage of total funding allocated to each focus area has stayed largely the same year to year.
See Financial Pages of GLRI Reports to Congress for more information.
What grant opportunities are available for GLRI funding?
Agencies use their own mechanisms to announce grant opportunities that use GLRI funds.
| Topic | Amount | Proposals Due | Agency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Great Lakes Sediment and Nutrient Reduction Program | April 16, 2021 | Great Lakes Commission | |
| GLRI Trash Free Waters FY2021 Request for Applications | $5 million | March 5, 2021 | U.S. EPA |
| Sustain Our Great Lakes FY2021 | $8.5 million | Feb. 15, 2021 | National Fish and Wildlife Foundation |
| Shipboard Evaluation of the Effectiveness of IMO Compliant and U.S. Coast Guard Type Approved Ballast Water Management Systems in Great Lakes Water | $1,825,000 | Feb. 11, 2021 | DOT-Maritime Administration |
| 2020 RFA for Great Lakes Coastal Wetland Monitoring Program | $10 million | Oct. 26, 2020 | U.S. EPA |
| Great Lakes Fish Monitoring and Surveillance Program | $6 million | Sept. 21, 2020 | U.S. EPA |
| Great Lakes Bay Watershed Education and Training (B-WET) | $850,000 | Aug. 21, 2020 | NOAA |
| Chi-Cal Rivers Fund: habitat quality, green stormwater infrastructure, public access | $1 million | July 9, 2020 | U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service - National Fish and Wildlife Foundation |
| Great Lakes Sediment Surveillance Program | $3 million | June 27, 2020 | U.S. EPA |
| FY 2020 Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Combined RFA | $4.2 million | June 26, 2020 | U.S. Forest Service |
| 2020 GLRI Trash Free Waters | $2 million | Feb. 14, 2020 | U.S. EPA |