The USEPA is now requesting applications for the Fiscal Year 2021 Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI)  Grant Program. It is anticipated that up to $5.4 million in new funds will be available for reforestation, ecosystem restoration and forest health improvement in the Great Lakes Basin through an agreement with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. This year, they are announcing and awarding funding through two grant opportunities at the same time: (1) Cooperative Weed Management Areas (CWMA);  and (2) Forest Restoration (FR).

Eligible applicants can apply by July 8^th in Grants.gov through two separate Requests for Applications:

1)                   The Cooperative Weed Management Areas (CWMA) Request for Applications funds partnership work to address invasive plant species that pose significant ecological threats in the Great Lakes Basin.

2)                   The Forest Restoration (FR) Request for Applications funds projects that

•                     Mitigate Forest Insect and Disease Impacts through targeted reforestation and forest protection

•                     Reduce Runoff from Degraded Sites through Green Infrastructure that includes trees, or

•                     Restore and Connect Coastal and Riparian Forest Habitats.

Applicants can be State agencies, sovereign Tribal Nations, nonprofit organizations, educational institutions, and local governments that work within the Great Lakes Basin of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin.  Cooperative Weed Management Area (CWMA) funding requests must be submitted through a CWMA or similar organized partnership that manages invasive plants across jurisdictional and land ownership boundaries within a defined area. We encourage all applicants to work with their State forestry agency to determine how their project fits into the goals and objectives of the State Forest Action Plan.

Full instructions and all other application materials are available through Grants.gov  by searching opportunity number USDA-FS-GLRI-CWMA21 (for CWMA) or USDA-FS-GLRI-FR21 (for Forest Restoration) .

Here are a few additional points:

• Submission Deadline: Applications must be prepared and submitted through Grants.gov  by 6 p.m. Eastern on July 8, 2021.
• Informational Webinars: A webinar for prospective applicants will be offered for each opportunity.  Webinars will be recorded and posted for later viewing.
  • CWMA Webinar May 19th 12:00 pm Eastern/11:00 am Central. See GLRI CWMA website for connection information.
  • Forest Restoration Webinar May 25th 2:00 pm Eastern/1:00 pm Central.  See GLRI FR website for connection information.
• Share!!: Please share this RFA within your agency, and with other agencies and organizations that may have interest and capability to apply to this program.

Links to these opportunities are included on our new Eastern Region grants page: https://www.fs.usda.gov/main/r9/workingtogether/grants.

If you have questions, please reach out to your Eastern Region Field Representative or GLRI grants contact Sheela Johnson (p:224-999-1997; sheela.johnson@usda.gov) for more information.