Sustain Our Great Lakes Program

Sustain Our Great Lakes Program is sponsored by National Fish and Wildlife Foundation. Funds projects to restore and protect the Great Lakes ecosystem, including habitat restoration, invasive species control, and species conservation.

Sustain Our Great Lakes Program | NFWF Sustain Our Great Lakes Program Sustain Our Great Lakes is a public–private partnership designed to sustain, restore and protect fish, wildlife and habitat in the basin by leveraging funding, building conservation capacity, and focusing partners and resources toward key ecological issues.

The program achieves this mission, in part, by awarding grants for on-the-ground habitat restoration and enhancement. The Great Lakes are among the most important natural resources in the world.

With more than 20 percent of the earth’s surface fresh water, 10,000 miles of shoreline and 30,000 islands, they provide drinking water for tens of millions of people and habitat for a vast array of plants and wildlife, including more than 200 globally rare species.

The region’s immense network of coastal marshes, inland wetlands and forests provide critical ecological services, such as water filtration and storage, flood control, nutrient cycling and carbon storage. The Great Lakes also offer unmatched opportunities for shipping, industry, tourism and outdoor recreation that have fostered one of the largest economies in the world.

Despite these values, the Great Lakes have been significantly degraded by human activity during the past two centuries. Threats such as habitat loss and fragmentation, invasive species and pollution have impaired water quality, wildlife populations and quality of life in the basin.

Funding priorities for this program include: Habitat Restoration to Conserve Species and Improve Water Quality Expand and Maintain Nature-Based Solutions in Great Lakes Communities Invasive Species Control to Protect and Enhance Restored Habitat Activate Restored Habitats and Natural Areas From 2006 to 2025, the program has awarded a total of $151. 2 million to 555 grants. Grantees matches SOGL’s investment with an additional $192.

6 million, bringing the total on-the-ground conservation impact to more than $343. 8 million. Some of the important outcomes generated by this investment include 2,828 miles of stream reconnected for fish access, 60,990 acres of wetland and associated upland habitat restored, and 401 million gallons of stormwater storage added.

NFWF administers the Sustain Our Great Lakes program in partnership with Cleveland-Cliffs, Caerus Foundation, Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the USDA Forest Service and USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service.

Significant program funding is provided by the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, a federal program designed to protect, restore, and enhance the Great Lakes ecosystem.

Metrics and Outcomes Guidance for Applicants Webinar Recording: FishWerks Guidance and Updates Sustain Our Great Lakes 2026 Request for Proposals Great Lakes Business Plan 2022 Grant Slate - Wisconsin’s Lake Michigan Watershed 2021 Grant Slate - Wisconsin’s Lake Michigan Watershed 2020 Grant Slate - Wisconsin’s Lake Michigan Watershed Sustain Our Great Lakes 10-Year Report Sustain Our Great Lakes Evaluation Program Director, Great Lakes Senior Manager, Great Lakes Programs Senior Coordinator, Regional Programs The lake sturgeon is native to rivers and lakes from Hudson Bay to the Mississippi River.

It is among the longest-living fish, with some individuals living more than 100 years. A species that evolved more than 150 million years ago, overfishing, particularly in the Great Lakes system, has decimated populations and recovery has been slow due to low reproductive rates and other sustained antropogenic threats such as pollution and introduced aquatic species.

Bring Back the Native Fish Sustain Our Great Lakes Program Great Lakes Business Plan Brook trout are the only trout native to the eastern United States and inhabit coldwater rivers and lakes. Sensitive to even small declines in water quality and increases in sedimentation, brook trout can serve as excellent indicators of the health of a stream or river ecosystem.

Acres for America Program Bring Back the Native Fish Central Appalachia Habitat Stewardship Program Chesapeake Bay Stewardship Fund Conservation Partners Program Northeast Forests and Rivers Fund Sustain Our Great Lakes Program Central Appalachia Business Plan Chesapeake Bay Business Plan Delaware River Watershed Business Plan Great Lakes Business Plan NFWF Announces $8.

8 Million to Revitalize Great Lakes Habitats and Communities Great Lakes Region to Benefit from $13. 8 Million in Conservation Grants through the Sustain Our Great Lakes Partnership Take a tour of the Sturgeon Passage Project on the Menominee River, featuring looks into the hydroelectric dam