Ann Arbor, Mich. – The Great Lakes Commission (GLC) today issued a request for proposals (RFP) for a new opportunity associated with the GLC’s longstanding Great Lakes Sediment and Nutrient Reduction Program (GLSNRP) grant program. This pilot program will support conservation districts in deploying the Agricultural Conservation Planning Framework (ACPF). ACPF is a free ArcGIS toolbox designed to help local farming communities address their soil and water conservation needs using high resolution geo-spatial data.

Conservation districts are eligible to receive funding of up to $10,000 to support work over a one-year period. Applicants are invited to submit proposals describing how funding will help to facilitate project planning for precision sediment and nutrient pollution reduction. The RFP offers three options for districts (or groups of districts working as a coalition) based on existing local knowledge of the geographic information system (GIS) software powering the ACPF.  The due date for applications is 5:00 p.m. Eastern on June 14. Funding decisions are anticipated by August 2024 for selected projects to begin work no later than October 1, 2024.

Application information and materials are available through the GLSNRP webpage. A webinar for applicants will be offered on May 17 at 11:00 a.m. Eastern to discuss the application process and provide information on the ACPF. To register for the webinar visit https://bit.ly/acpfwebinar. A recording of the webinar will also be posted to the webpage for those unable to attend the live session.

As a reminder, the GLSNRP application period for applicants with shovel-ready conservation projects is also open now, with applications due on April 29 at 5:00 p.m. Eastern. For more information on either program, please contact Connor Roessler at croessler@glc.org or 734-396-6085.

The Great Lakes Commission, led by chair Mary Mertz, director of the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, is a binational government agency established in 1955 to protect the Great Lakes and the economies and ecosystems they support. Its membership includes leaders from the eight U.S. states and two Canadian provinces in the Great Lakes basin. The GLC recommends policies and practices to balance the use, development, and conservation of the water resources of the Great Lakes and brings the region together to work on issues that no single community, state, province, or nation can tackle alone. Learn more at www.glc.org.