Great Lakes Restoration Initiative: Community Forest and Open Space Conservation Program
Grants support fee simple acquisition of threatened private forest land in the Lake Superior Basin of Michigan and Wisconsin to conserve open space, protect habitats, and provide community benefits for eligible tribes, local governments, and land-managing nonprofits.
RESTRICTED TO: TRIBAL ENTITIES · STATE LOCAL GOV · NONPROFITS
⚑ Funds land acquisition only (fee simple purchase); not research or program delivery. · Eligible applicants are federally recognized Indian Tribes, local government entities, and nonprofits qualified to acquire and manage land. · Project area limited to portions of the Lake Superior Basin of Michigan and Wisconsin; properties must be forested, at least five acres, and threatened by conversion. · Competitive focus includes public benefits, community engagement, and terrestrial habitat connectivity in the specified pilot area.
Unit fits — one characterization, each unit's own rules
| IPPRA | 15 none | university cannot apply directly (ineligible) |
| Physical Sciences & Engineering (demo) | 15 none | university cannot apply directly (ineligible) |
| Tom Love Innovation Hub | 10 none | deep-tech content; no commercialization signal |
Description
Federally recognized Indian Tribes, local government entities, and nonprofit organizations that are qualified to acquire and manage land may apply for up to $1,000,000 for the fee simple acquisition of private forest land in portions of the Lake Superior Basin of Michigan and Wisconsin. Projects submitted for funding consideration must be forested properties at least five acres in size that are threatened by conversion to non-forest uses and that provide community benefits including economic, environmental, educational, and recreational benefits. An additional focus of this opportunity is to protect, enhance and increase resilience of habitats necessary for sustaining native aquatic and terrestrial species important to the Lake Superior ecosystem. Competitive proposals will be those that demonstrate exceptional public benefits, meaningful community engagement, and strategic contributions to terrestrial habitat connectivity within the defined Terrestrial Habitat Connectivity Pilot Area.
For additional information and requirements, please refer to the Notice of Funding Opportunity document linked in both the "Related Documents" tab and the "Instructions" link located in the "Package" tab.
Apply
View on Grants.gov → CONTACT: Liam M Krause Grantor <liam.krause@usda.gov>
Proposal brief SEE AN EXAMPLE →
A one-page internal memo: fit assessment, submission requirements, document scaffold, and next steps dated back from the deadline — tailored to your project idea if you add one.
Proposal shell · USDA NIFA conventions SEE A USDA EXAMPLE →
Funder-faithful document skeletons — USDA NIFA's document set with section headings, page limits, reviewer guidance, and writing prompts; add a project idea to get [DRAFT] starter bullets. Download as .md for Word or Overleaf.