Grant Opportunity:Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Cooperative Weed Management

Cooperative Weed Management Areas Request for Applications

The Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) was launched in 2010 to accelerate efforts to protect and restore the largest system of fresh surface water in the world — the Great Lakes. As one of the initiative’s 16 regional working group members, the U.S. Forest Service uses GLRI resources to strategically target the biggest threats to the Great Lakes ecosystem and accelerate progress toward long-term restoration goals for this important ecosystem.

In 2019, the EPA released GLRI Action Plan III, which outlines priorities and goals for Federal agencies working together on Great Lakes restoration through 2024. Cooperative Weed Management Area projects contribute to goals for GLRI Focus Area 2: Preventing and controlling invasive species.

Fiscal Year 2022 GLRI Cooperative Weed Management Areas Grant Cycle

The U.S. Forest Service announces that approximately $850,000 in new funds are expected to be available for the Fiscal Year 2022 GLRI Cooperative Weed Management Areas grant program. The goal of this program is to detect, prevent, eradicate, and/or control invasive plant species to promote resiliency, watershed stability, and biological diversity on Federal, State, or other public or private land.

For this work, the minimum Federal request is $25,000 and maximum Federal request is $50,000. This funding will be competitively awarded based on applications received through the November 14, 2022, deadline at Grants.gov (search opportunity USDA-FS-GLRI-CWMA22).

Award of funds is contingent on allocation of EPA funding.

Who May Apply

GLRI funding is available to Cooperative Weed Management Areas (and similar organizations, e.g., Cooperative Invasive Species Management Areas and Partnerships for Regional Invasive Species Management) that work within the Great Lakes Basin of Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and New York. Cooperative Weed Management Areas (CWMAs) and similar groups are organized partnerships of Federal, State, and local government agencies, Tribes, individuals, and various interested groups that manage invasive plants within a defined area, generally a county or larger in size. Applications may include work on all land ownerships within the Great Lakes watershed of the United States. See the RFA Instructions document for more information on eligibility requirements.

Important Dates

  • Tuesday, September 27, 2022 – Webinar to discuss the Request for Applications, purpose of the grant Program Areas, eligibility, and how to apply. (This webinar has occurred, please see recording linked below).​
  • Monday, November 14, 2022 – Applications must be submitted through Grants.gov by 6:00 p.m. Eastern/5:00 p.m. Central.
  • February 2023 – The Forest Service expects to notify all applicants regarding their status as recipients. Project awards are contingent on allocation of EPA funding.

Fiscal Year 2022 GLRI CWMA Application Materials

Submit all applications for this GLRI funding opportunity through Grants.gov. Search for Grant Opportunity USDA-FS-GLRI-CWMA22.

We encourage all prospective applicants to locate the opportunity on Grants.gov early in the process to review all application forms, subscribe to receive updates, and obtain required registrations.

Grants.gov has a full set of instructions on how organizations can apply for opportunities on its website. Note: all organizations must have a DUNS number and active SAM registration to apply for this opportunity. SAM registration can be obtained at no cost at sam.gov and may take several weeks. 

Agency-specific instructions and forms (also available in the Related Documents tab on the Grants.gov opportunity page):

Resources for Applicants