Grant funding of up to $1.5 million available for fisheries habitat conservation and dam removal projects

Project preproposals due Nov. 19

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources is offering up to $1.5 million in Fisheries Habitat Grants to local, state, federal and tribal governments and nonprofit groups. This funding is available for activities that can improve Michigan’s fisheries and aquatic resources, such as fish habitat conservation, dam removal and repair, and resource assessment studies.

Fisheries Habitat Grants are available through an open, competitive process, and preproposals are being accepted now through Nov. 19.

“Healthy rivers, lakes and wetlands are essential to support fishing, boating and other enjoyment of our state’s natural resources,” said Joe Nohner, DNR fisheries resource analyst. “These grants help our partners protect and rehabilitate fisheries and aquatic ecosystems in Michigan, where these resources are vital to recreation and local economies. In cases where we remove, repair or renovate dams, we also can improve public safety for residents and visitors.”

Grant guidelines

Fisheries Habitat Grants are available for projects that fit one of two themes: aquatic habitat conservation or dam management. Grant applicants, if eligible, may apply for and receive funding from both themes with one application.

Applicants may request support from the current funding cycle or a conditional commitment from a future year’s funding. Conditional commitments to competitive projects allow recipients to leverage DNR contributions toward their applications for additional funding sources or to secure a Fisheries Habitat Grant funding commitment based on other conditions.

Expected funding is derived from two sources:

• Up to $1,184,000 from the state’s Game and Fish Protection Fund, supporting the aquatic habitat conservation theme.

• $350,000 from the state’s General Fund, supporting the dam management theme.

Grant amounts range from a minimum of $25,000 to the total amount of funding available in all eligible theme areas. If necessary, smaller projects within the same region addressing similar issues can be bundled into a single grant proposal package to reach the minimum grant amount.

Priority projects

The DNR identifies specific priority projects through its Fisheries Priority Habitat Conservation Projects list. We encourage applicants to collaborate with DNR fisheries biologists to accomplish projects on this list.

This year, projects on the Fisheries Priority Habitat Conservation Projects list will receive an even stronger preference in preproposal and full proposal review. Applications for priority projects will still need to be competitive in other aspects, such as cost, appropriate methods and design, and applicant expertise, so grant awards are not expected to exclusively fund projects on this list.

Examples of proposed projects addressing the causes of habitat decline include efforts to:

• Improve the management of riparian land (land situated near or on the water).
• Restore natural lake levels.
• Improve or create passage for aquatic organisms by removing culverts, dams and other barriers.
• Improve water quality.
• Implement watershed-based approaches to improving both the quality and quantity of water.
• Develop projects that demonstrate habitat conservation.
• Restore stream function.
• Add structural habitats, like woody habitat or aquatic vegetation.
• Conduct assessments that will guide conservation projects.
• Complete other projects that meet program goals.

Application timeline

All applicants must first discuss their projects with a local DNR fisheries biologist, then complete and submit a short preproposal for DNR review. Preproposals must be:

• Submitted using an online form available at the Fisheries Habitat Grant website.
• Submitted no later than Nov. 19; for questions about the grant or preproposal submission, contact Joe Nohner at 517-599-6825 or Chip Kosloski at 517-281-1705.

Applicants will be notified of the outcome of their preproposals by Dec. 12 and, if selected, will be invited to submit full applications. An invitation to submit a full application does not guarantee project funding.

Final funding announcements are expected to be made by May 2026. The detailed program handbook, including timeline, preproposal guidelines and forms, is available at Michigan.gov/DNRGrants.

Accompanying photos are available below for download. Caption information follows. Photos courtesy of Michigan DNR unless otherwise noted.

• Sucker River Road Crossing: Past Fisheries Habitat Grant funding has supported construction on road-stream crossing of the Sucker River at H-58 (Alger County), which will improve fish passage and reduce chemical treatments to manage invasive sea lamprey.
• Aquatic plants: Past Fisheries Habitat Grant funding has supported surveys of aquatic plants, such as the pondweeds pictured here, to better understand fish habitat in inland lakes and the effects of herbicide treatments on those lakes. Photo credit: Ryan Marshik.