Sustain Our Great Lakes Program

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:

• Restore and enhance stream and riparian habitat 
• Restore and enhance coastal wetland habitat
• Expand green stormwater infrastructure in Great Lakes communities 
• Maintain and enhance benefits of habitat restoration through invasive species control
• Restore and preserve natural areas and biodiversity in Wisconsin’s Lake Michigan watershed
• Accelerate implementation of conservation practices and regenerative agriculture on working lands

From 2006 to 2024, the program has awarded a total of $142.4 million to 529 grants. Grantees matches SOGL’s investment with an additional $180.9 million, bringing the total on-the-ground conservation impact to more than $323.3 million. Some of the important outcomes generated by this investment include over 2,630 miles of stream reconnected for fish access, 58,888 acres of wetland and associated upland habitat restored, and 389.7 million gallons of stormwater storage added. 

NFWF administers the Sustain Our Great Lakes program in partnership with Cleveland-Cliffs, General Mills, 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. Partners supporting funding available for projects in Wisconsin’s Lake Michigan watershed include the Caerus Foundation, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Service.