Fish and Wildlife Service · Department of the Interior

F26AS00062: Great Lakes Fish and Wildlife Restoration Act FY 2026

Open · Opportunity F26AS00062 · Assistance Listing 15.688

Deadline: Due Oct 13, 2026 · 6 days left
Award size: $2,000 – $500K
Total available: $3.5M · about 15 awards
Cost share / match ?: Required · Work out your budget and match
Who can apply: Individuals, Small business, Public college or university, School district, State government, City or town government, Special district (utility, fire, etc.), Tribal organization, Other (see eligibility), Tribal government, Nonprofit without 501(c)(3), Private college or university, County government, Anyone (unrestricted), Nonprofit with 501(c)(3)
Where: Anywhere in the U.S., including Tennessee

Before you apply: federal grants require an active SAM.gov registration (Unique Entity ID) and a Grants.gov account. The deadline is in 6 days. If your registration isn't already active, it may not be ready in time, so check it today. Grant-ready checklist

How this fits you

Open to: Nonprofit with 501(c)(3)
Available in Rutherford County (nationwide program)
Requires a cost share / match
Only 6 days left to apply

About this grant

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) requests interested entities to submit research, restoration, and Regional Project proposals for the restoration of the Great Lakes Basin fish and wildlife resources, as authorized under the Great Lakes Fish and Wildlife Restoration Act (16U.S.C. 941c). The purpose of the Great Lakes Fish and Wildlife Restoration Act (GLFWRA) is to provide assistance to States, Indian Tribes, and other interested entities to encourage cooperative conservation, restoration, research, and management of the fish and wildlife resources and their habitats in the Great Lakes Basin. Supported in part by the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, we expect approximately $3.5 million to support proposals this fiscal year. Available funding and proposal awards are subject to final Congressional appropriations for Fiscal Year 2026. Up to 33 and one-third percent of the total Congressional appropriation to the GLFWRA is eligible to fund Regional Project proposals. Expected award funding for Regional Project proposals is between $200,000 to $500,000. Successful restoration and research proposals have ranged from $2,000 to $500,000 with the average proposal at $217,843. Expected award funding for restoration and research proposals is between $10,000 and $250,000. Selected restoration and research proposals and Regional Project proposals will be awarded funding for the duration of the proposal via a grant or cooperative agreement between the recipient and the Service. Funding will be made available once the official award letter has been received by the successful applicant and the performance period has started. Continuation of proposals funded in previous fiscal years are eligible but will be considered and reviewed as a new proposal. Restoration and research proposals will be awarded a grant agreement and Regional Project proposals will be awarded a cooperative agreement under this announcement. Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Units (CESU) Network partners that submit Regional Project proposals that qualify as CESU proposals will be subject to the CESU indirect cost rate cap. Regional Projects are authorized activities of the Service related to fish and wildlife resource protection, restoration, maintenance, and enhancement impacting the resources of multiple States or Indian Tribes with fish and wildlife management authority in the Great...

Eligibility (from the notice)

The proposal activities (e.g., habitat restoration and barrier removal) must be within the Great Lakes Basin or impact a fish or wildlife species (e.g., research, assessment) present in the Great Lakes Basin to be eligible for funding.

Should we apply? (2-minute check) Ask a partner for a letter

Your schedule, working back from the deadline

Oct7
Check that your SAM.gov registration is active (or start it now)
Grants.gov: allow up to 10 business days for SAM registration, weeks or months if information isn't verified. It must be renewed every year. Grants.gov
Sep22
Ask partners for letters of support or commitment (already past: do it now)
Suggested: partners need time to write and sign letters.
Oct6
Finish a complete draft for a final review (already past: do it now)
University grant offices require final versions about 5 business days before the sponsor deadline. Emory Office of Sponsored Programs
Oct11
Submit
Grants.gov: submit at least 24–48 hours before the deadline: uploads fail, systems slow down, errors need fixing. Grants.gov blog
Oct13
Deadline
From the funder.

Save this grant to put these dates in your tracker and private calendar.

Writing the need statement? Rutherford County facts with citations.

What the official notice requires

Pulled from the funding notice Foa_Content_of_F26AS00062_updated_5.22.26.pdf (23 pages) so you can see the requirements at a glance. Each item shows the notice's own words; open the page to read it in context. The notice itself always controls.

Registrations you need first

GrantSolutions · p. 3

“Yes Closing Date Explanation Restoration and research pre-proposals and Regional Project full proposals in Word or pdf format must be submitted in GrantSolutions (https://home.grantsolutions.gov/home/) by Monday, August 3, 2026, before 11:59 PM ET.” Open page 3
SAM.gov · p. 6

“GET READY TO APPLY Required System Registrations Unique Entity Identifier and SAM.gov Registration Before applying, all applicants except individuals applying as a natural person must be registered in SAM.gov.” Open page 6
Unique Entity ID (UEI) · p. 6

“GET READY TO APPLY Required System Registrations Unique Entity Identifier and SAM.gov Registration Before applying, all applicants except individuals applying as a natural person must be registered in SAM.gov.” Open page 6
Grants.gov · p. 12

“For instructions on completing form fields, see the form instructions on the Grants.gov Forms Repository.” Open page 12
Login.gov · p. 17

“GrantSolutions requires users to log in through Login.gov.” Open page 17

New to these? SAM.gov registration can take weeks, so start early: grant-ready checklist.

Steps before the deadline

Pre-proposal · p. 3

“Yes Closing Date Explanation Restoration and research pre-proposals and Regional Project full proposals in Word or pdf format must be submitted in GrantSolutions (https://home.grantsolutions.gov/home/) by Monday, August 3, 2026, before 11:59 PM ET.” Open page 3
Pre-proposal · p. 8

“Restoration and research pre-proposals are limited to two pages and must include the following information:” Open page 8
Pre-proposal · p. 9

“Those applicants invited to submit full proposals (notified in September 2026) will be required to submit the same information as included in the pre-proposals, but with more detail that may include providing a response to comments/suggestions from the PRC…” Open page 9
Pre-proposal · p. 16

“Other Required Information SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS AND DEADLINES Address to Request Application Package Restoration and research pre-proposals and Regional Project proposals in Word or pdf format must be submitted in GrantSolutions…” Open page 16

What to submit

Letters of support or commitment · p. 8

“Regional Project proposals should impact multiple Great Lakes, States and/or Tribes and consequently must include the signature or other written documentation of all State Directors and Tribal Chairs who support the proposal (or joint signatures or letter of…” Open page 8
Form SF-424 · p. 12

“Forms/Assurances/Certifications Submission Requirement SF-424, Application for Federal Assistance Note:” Open page 12
Form SF-424A · p. 13

“Forms/Assurances/Certifications Submission Requirement represents their certification of the statements in Appendix A to 43 CFR 18-Certification Regarding Lobbying SF-424A, Budget Information – Non-Construction Programs Required for non-construction projects…” Open page 13
Budget narrative / justification · p. 13

“Budget Justification Narrative Required for Regional Project applicants only (contact GLFWRA Coordinator for examples).” Open page 13
Indirect cost rate agreement · p. 13

“Negotiated Indirect Cost Rate Agreement (NICRA) - if applicable should be described in the Budget Justification Narrative If applicable, required for Regional Project applicants only.” Open page 13
Form SF-LLL · p. 13

“SF-LLL, Disclosure of Lobbying Activities Required if requesting more than $100,000 in Federal funds and the applicant has used or plans to use funds other than Federal appropriated funds for lobbying related to the proposed project.” Open page 13

Cost share or match

Cost share / match · p. 5

“All proposals require a 25% non-federal match.” Open page 5
Cost share / match · p. 5

“The required non-federal match is 25% of the total proposal costs (funding request + non- federal match).” Open page 5
Cost share / match · p. 5

“Restoration and research pre-proposals without a 25% non-federal match will not be considered.” Open page 5
Cost share / match · p. 5

“Required non-federal match or cost sharing above the 25% of the total cost of implementing the proposal is not a criterion (see Review Criteria) to evaluate your proposal.” Open page 5

Dates in the notice

August 3, 2026 · p. 3

“Yes Closing Date Explanation Restoration and research pre-proposals and Regional Project full proposals in Word or pdf format must be submitted in GrantSolutions (https://home.grantsolutions.gov/home/) by Monday, August 3, 2026, before 11:59 PM ET.” Open page 3
October 13, 2026 · p. 16

“If your restoration and research pre-proposal is selected for full proposal submission, your full proposal must be submitted in GrantSolutions (https://home.grantsolutions.gov/home/) by Tuesday, October 13, 2026, before 11:59 PM ET.” Open page 16
08/03/2026 · p. 16

“Submission Dates and Times Closing Date for Applications: 08/03/2026 Closing Date Explanation Restoration and research pre-proposals and Regional Project full proposals in Word or pdf format must be submitted in GrantSolutions…” Open page 16

Mistakes that get applications rejected

Could get your application rejected · p. 3

“Proposals received after this deadline will not be considered.” Open page 3
Could get your application rejected · p. 5

“Restoration and research pre-proposals without a 25% non-federal match will not be considered.” Open page 5
Could get your application rejected · p. 16

“Full proposals received after this deadline will not be considered.” Open page 16
Could get your application rejected · p. 19

“We are prohibited from making an award if a recipient or any key personnel are found ineligible, prohibited, restricted, or otherwise excluded from receiving or participating in an award, as their ineligibility condition applies to this program.” Open page 19
Could get your application rejected · p. 20

“If an applicant fails to meet the requirements or objectives of the NOFO, or does not provide sufficient information for review, the applicant will be considered non-responsive and eliminated from further review.” Open page 20

About the program (15.688)

Great Lakes Fish and Wildlife Restoration Act — GLFWRA

How applications are judged

The Proposal Review Committee (PRC) is comprised of two representatives (one fishery expert and one wildlife expert) of each of the State Directors (New York, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota and Pennsylvania) and Indian Tribes (Chippewa Ottawa Resource Authority, Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission, Keweenaw Bay Indian Community, Seneca Nation, Oneida Nation, and Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa) in the Great Lakes Basin. They are appointed by the State Director or Indian Tribe to serve on the PRC. The PRC is responsible for review of research, restoration and Regional Project proposals and makes funding recommendations to the Service�s Midwest Regional Director. The PRC operates under the guidance of the Service. For restoration and research projects, applicants must submit pre-proposals and based or PRC ranking some are invited to submit full proposals, which are peer reviewed and summary of those are sent to the PRC. The PRC them makes final funding recommendations to the Service�s Midwest Regional Director. For Regional Projects, proposals are scored and ranked by the PRC. Applicants are invited to give a presentation on their proposal to the PRC. The PRC makes recommendations to the Midwest Region Director on how much of the annual appropriations should be allocated to Regional Projects and which projects should be developed into final Service work plans for funding.

Matching requirements

This program has no statutory formula. Per the requirements and exceptions in 16 U.S.C. �941 et seq., 25% of project costs shall be paid in cash or in-kind contributions by non-Federal sources.MOE requirements are not applicable to this assistance listing.

Examples of funded projects

Fiscal Year2025: Provided funding for research and restoration projects in the Great Lakes Basin.Fiscal Year2026: Funding not yet available.

Program listing on SAM.gov

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Key facts