F24AC02958

Cooperative agreement funding is requested to support the administration and expansion of National Fish Wildlife Foundation's (NFWF) Great Lakes programs including: Sustain Our Great Lakes (SOGL), Chicago and Calumet Rivers Fund (CHI-CAL), Southeast Michigan Resilience Fund (SE MI), and Conservation Partners Program's Great Lakes Priorities (CPP).

Funding requested via this cooperative agreement will be directed to NFWF program administration activities, contracts, program expenses, and sub-awards funded under its Great Lakes programs.

All sub-awards will be selected through a competitive grant process and all award decisions directly informed through a highly engaged and collaborative proposal review process with all funding partners, particularly the U.S. Fish Wildlife Service (USFWS).

Sub-award funding will be allocated to projects that align with the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) focus areas 2, 3, and 4 with funding directed to projects whose activities and outcomes directly support the measures of progress under the following GLRI focus area strategies:

Focus Area 2 - Invasive Species Control

Focus Area 3 - Regenerative Agriculture Technical Assistance and Implementation

Focus Area 3 - Green Stormwater Infrastructure

Focus Area 3 - Riparian Restoration for Water Quality Improvements

Focus Area 4 - Aquatic Connectivity Improvements, Stream Restoration, Marsh-Bird Restoration Monitoring, and Activating Restored Habitats and Greenspace (Stewardship Community Engagement).

With GLRI funding to be directed to NFWF via this cooperative agreement with USFWS in 2024, NFWF will:

1.) Award and manage all sub-awards funded under the 2024 and 2025 funding cycles of NFWF's Great Lakes programs (SOGL, CHI-CAL, SE MI, and CPP) including those funded directly by USFWS GLRI via this cooperative agreement

2.) Manage all grants to be awarded funding provided by this cooperative agreement in 2024 and 2025

3.) Monitor and evaluate the outcomes of NFWF's Great Lakes program grants, including on-the-ground monitoring for key species

4.) Develop the 2025 request for proposals for SOGL, CHI-CAL, and SE MI

5.) Solicit and receive 2025 proposals for NFWF's Great Lakes programs

6.) Coordinate 2025 proposal reviews

7.) Work to develop new program partnerships

8.) And implement program communication efforts.

National Fish And Wildlife Foundation

PROVIDE FUNDING TO SUBAWARDS FUNDED THROUGH THE SUSTAIN OUR GREAT LAKES PROGRAM AND ITS SUBSIDIARY PROGRAMS TO ADDRESS GLRI PRIORITIES MANAGE ALL GRANTS TO BE AWARDED BY THIS AGREEMENT INCLUDING MONITORING AND EVALUATING THE OUTCOMES OF SUBAWARDS DEVELOP THE 2025 REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS THEN SOLICIT AND RECEIVE 2025 PROPOSALS AND COORDINATE THE 2025 PROPOSAL REVIEWS WORK TO DEVELOP NEW PROGRAM PARTNERSHIPS AND IMPLEMENT PROGRAM COMMUNICATION EFFORTS

15.662 - Great Lakes Restoration

FWS Headquarters (HQ) [DOI - FWS]

Fish and Wildlife Service Region 3: Midwest [DOI - FWS]

Washington, District Of Columbia United States

City-Wide

F-FWS-FAC-24-074