The Great Lakes Protection Fund aims to protect and restore the ecological health of the Great Lakes by advancing the next generation of actions. It adapts its investments to evolving Great Lakes issues, exploring new themes, making strategic investments, and exiting areas when objectives achieve sustainable momentum.
The grant program supports innovative projects that aim to ensure sustainable use of water resources, control pollution from diffuse sources, stop the introduction and spread of non-native aquatic invasive species, and pursue unexpected environmental challenges. It seeks projects with meaningful ecological outcomes, involving collaborative teams that take concrete actions to address Great Lakes problems through solution-focused and action-oriented approaches. Projects must demonstrate potential for significant ecological improvements, employ a strategy for systemic change to create basin-wide impact, and be grounded in scientific rigor. The Fund prioritizes projects that prototype new approaches, test novel techniques in unexplored areas, or change the economics of an industry to solve regional problems.
The board of the Fund has been directed by the Governors of the Great Lakes states to prioritize innovations in sustainable water management as a key focus area. Our funding policies aim to connect the Governors' nine major priorities (which have been outlined to Congress) with the ongoing search for transformative solutions for the Great Lakes. These priorities include:
The Fund is committed to supporting the Governors' unified goal of exploring innovative methods to enhance the physical, chemical, and biological integrity of the region's waters, thereby increasing the value of the Great Lakes and the prosperity of the states.