2019 NOAA Great Lakes Habitat Restoration Regional Partnership Grants | NOAA NMFS HCPO 2019 2005904

Opportunity Information: Apply for NOAA NMFS HCPO 2019 2005904

The 2019 NOAA Great Lakes Habitat Restoration Regional Partnership Grants opportunity was a competitive federal funding program run by the U.S. Department of Commerce through NOAA, with awards administered by the NOAA Restoration Center. Its core purpose was to provide financial and technical support for Great Lakes coastal habitat restoration projects that align with NOAA's coastal habitat restoration mission while directly advancing the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) goal of protecting and restoring habitat to sustain healthy native fish populations across the eight Great Lakes states: New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, and Minnesota. The program framed habitat restoration as not only an ecological investment, but also one that supports fisheries, improves water quality, expands recreational use and public enjoyment, and strengthens coastal community resilience in the face of changing climatic conditions.

A central feature of the solicitation was its focus on building and funding multi-year, regional habitat restoration partnerships rather than isolated one-off projects. NOAA sought applicants that could demonstrate strong capacity to plan, design, and deliver scientifically sound restoration work at scale while coordinating effectively across diverse partners. In practice, that meant proposals were expected to show credible technical grounding, clear project management structures, and a track record (or well-supported plan) for managing federal funds and compliance responsibilities. The program supported two broad categories of work: planning activities and on-the-ground implementation. Planning was specifically defined as feasibility work and engineering and design, signaling that NOAA was willing to fund earlier-stage development if it was tied to a realistic pathway toward construction and measurable restoration outcomes.

Geographically, the opportunity covered projects throughout the Great Lakes Basin and allowed work both inside and outside federally designated Great Lakes Areas of Concern (AOCs). AOCs are locations identified for significant environmental degradation requiring remedial action, and the solicitation made clear that restoration in these areas was eligible, while also leaving room for high-impact habitat work elsewhere in the basin. This flexibility was important because it allowed applicants to target places where restoration could most effectively support native fish habitat, coastal ecosystem function, and broader community benefits, whether or not those sites were within an AOC boundary.

Funding was offered through multi-year cooperative agreements, reflecting NOAA's intent to remain actively involved beyond simply issuing a grant, often through technical collaboration and ongoing coordination over the project period. Up to three funding years were considered for initial awards, and the announcement also noted that additional releases of funds could extend support for selected projects through FY22 without further competition, contingent on funding availability. The solicitation set a clear funding range: NOAA would not accept proposals requesting less than $1 million or more than $40 million in federal funding over three years. The overall funding outlook depended on allocations provided to NOAA by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, with NOAA projecting that around $40 million could be available over a three-year period to support and maintain selected awards, subject to appropriations. For the first year, NOAA anticipated approximately $5 million to initiate roughly two to five partnerships aligned with the program's stated objectives and priorities.

From an applicant and evaluation standpoint, the solicitation emphasized capability and credibility as primary selection drivers. Proposals were to be judged largely on whether the applicant could demonstrate the ability to develop and manage rigorous restoration projects, collaborate effectively with varied partners across the region, and administer federal awards responsibly. The opportunity was listed as discretionary funding using the cooperative agreement instrument type, under CFDA 11.463, with the opportunity number NOAA NMFS HCPO 2019 2005904. The original posting date was December 6, 2018, with an original closing date of February 4, 2019, and NOAA expected to make up to five awards, with an award ceiling of $40,000,000. Eligibility was noted broadly as "Others" with additional clarification in the full announcement text, reinforcing that this was designed for partnership-driven efforts and likely aimed at entities capable of leading complex, multi-year restoration programs.

• The Department of Commerce in the environment, natural resources, science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "2019 NOAA Great Lakes Habitat Restoration Regional Partnership Grants" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 11.463.
• This funding opportunity was created on Dec 06, 2018.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Feb 04, 2019. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $40,000,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 5 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

Apply for NOAA NMFS HCPO 2019 2005904

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