Sustain Our Great Lakes > About Us

Program overview

People are working every day to support and protect the world’s largest freshwater system. And they’re doing it with the support of Sustain Our Great Lakes. We exist to help people and communities make a positive difference on the health of the Great Lakes basin.

What Is Sustain Our Great Lakes?

Sustain Our Great Lakes is a public–private partnership among ArcelorMittal, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the U.S. Forest Service, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Its mission is to sustain, restore and protect fish, wildlife and habitat in the Great Lakes basin by leveraging funding, building conservation capacity, and focusing partners and resources toward key ecological issues.

The program achieves this mission, in part, by awarding competitive grants for in-the-water/on-the-ground habitat restoration and enhancement. Funding priority is given to projects that improve the quality and connectivity of tributary, wetland and coastal habitats. Eligible grant recipients include non-profit organizations, state, provincial, tribal and local governments, and educational institutions.

The Sustain Our Great Lakes grants programs are administered by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and funded by ArcelorMittal, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S.D.A Forest Service, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and the Natural Resources Conservation Service. In 2010 and 2011, Sustain Our Great Lakes received significant additional grant funding through the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, a federal program designed to protect, restore and enhance the Great Lakes ecosystem.