Assistance program
Geographic Programs - Great Lakes Restoration Initiative
$614.1 Million committed in FY2018–FY2026
- Agency
- Environmental Protection Agency, Environmental Protection Agency
- Assistance
- Project Grants;Use of Property, Facilities, and Equipment;Dissemination of Technical Information
- CFDA number
- 66.469
- What it does
- The Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) was launched in 2010 as a nonregulatory program to accelerate efforts to protect and restore the largest system of fresh surface water in the world by providing additional resources to help achieve the most critical long-term goals for this important ecosystem. USEPA leads an interagency group of 16 federal agencies to implement the GLRI. Since 2010, the GLRI has funded more than 8,000 projects that have been implemented by federal agencies, states, tribes, local governments, universities, and nongovernmental organizations. USEPA and the other federal agencies will continue to use GLRI resources to strategically target the biggest threats to the Great Lakes ecosystem and associated human health issues in partnership with states, Tribes and other nonfederal stakeholders. Funded projects will address the most significant Great Lakes ecosystem problems and efforts in the five major focus areas identified in the GLRI Action Plan: Toxic Substances and Areas of Concern; Invasive Species; Nonpoint Source Pollution; Habitats and Species; and Foundations for Future Restoration Actions. Funded activities will also advance protection and restoration of the Great Lakes ecosystem in support of (i) the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative as described in the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Action Plan III, Fiscal Year 2020-Fiscal Year 2024, and Action Plan IV when it is released, located at https://glri.us; (ii) Objective 5.2 (Protect and Restore Waterbodies and Watersheds) of EPA's 2022-2026 Strategic Plan (available from: https://www.epa.gov/planandbudget/strategicplan); and/or (iii) the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement. Funding Priorities - Fiscal Year 2025: USEPA will continue to use GLRI resources to strategically target the biggest threats to the Great Lakes ecosystem and associated human health issues identified in the GLRI Action Plan IV. The GLRI will continue to prioritize the clean-up of Areas of Concern, reducing phosphorus contributions from agricultural and urban lands that contribute to harmful algal blooms and other water quality impairments, and invasive species prevention. These priorities and new initiatives will also be supported by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) funding.