Great Lakes Freshwater Ecosystem Initiative

Eligibility

Eligible recipients

Canadian organizations are eligible to apply and include: 

• Indigenous organizations, governments, individuals, boards, commissions, communities, associations and authorities
• Municipal and local governments (including Conservation Authorities)
• Not-for-profit organizations, such as charitable and volunteer organizations, professional associations and non-governmental organizations
• Research, academic and educational institutions
• Local organizations such as community associations and groups, seniors’ and youth groups, and service clubs
• For profit organizations

Individuals and provincial government agencies are not eligible for funding. 

Eligible projects

Remedial Action Plans have been developed for each Canadian Great Lakes AOC. These plans identify activities required to restore AOC water quality and aquatic ecosystem health. Eligible projects will contribute directly to removing identified Beneficial Use Impairments (BUIs) through action, science or engagement. Examples of eligible projects include:

Action

• restoring degraded habitat
• remediating contaminated sediment
• controlling point and non-point pollution 

Science

• conducting science and monitoring to inform remedial action planning and implementation
• surveillance and monitoring processes to track the effectiveness of remedial measures and confirm restoration of beneficial uses

Engagement

• community engagement for decision making
• community engagement for RAP implementation
• developing and maintaining resources for RAP decision making

Notes:

• For applicants proposing Engagement projects, a detailed work plan will be negotiated based on the Project Work Plan (Section 5) details provided in the application.
• Any approved project will be required to report on performance indicators as part of final reporting.
• Refer to Appendix B for a list of RAP websites.

Funding details

• Funding is available on an annual basis.
• Great Lakes FEI may fund up to 100% of the project costs; however, project proponents are strongly encouraged to seek other sources of funding and/or in-kind project support.
• Projects may be multi-year in nature, with a recommended maximum duration of three years.

Summary

Overview

The goal of the Great Lakes Freshwater Ecosystem Initiative (FEI) is to target the most significant environmental challenges affecting Great Lakes water quality and ecosystem health by delivering on Canada’s commitments under the Canada-United States Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement (GLWQA).

Great Lakes Areas of Concern (AOCs) are specific locations designated by Canada and the U.S. under the 1987 GLWQA where water quality and ecosystem health have been severely degraded by human activity at the local level resulting in a range of issues (e.g., beach closures, loss of habitat for fish and wildlife, negative effects on fish and wildlife populations, restrictions on fish consumption, effects on drinking water). Restoring AOCs contributes to the improvement of Great Lakes water quality and ecosystem health as well as the environmental, economic and social wellbeing of local communities in the basin.

An objective of the Great Lakes FEI is to restore the water quality and aquatic ecosystem health of Canadian Great Lakes AOCs. To assist in achieving this objective, the Canada Water Agency (CWA) is making funding available to support action at the local level to restore water quality and aquatic ecosystem health by completing actions identified in AOC Remedial Action Plans (RAPs).

The purpose of the 2026-2027 Call for Applications is to solicit project applications that implement actions identified in the AOCs’ most current RAPs and contribute to the restoration of beneficial uses and the completion of actions in AOCs. Applications must clearly demonstrate how the project will contribute to these goals.  

Application deadlines

RSO final internal review deadline

Program application deadline

NOTE: Consult your Faculty Associate Dean (Research) (ADR) regarding Faculty-specific deadlines and submission processes.

Principal Investigators: Complete a Research Management System (RMS) record, including a copy of your complete application, and submit this for approvals in RMS.

Postdocs, students, and trainees: For fellowships and externally-sponsored research training awards or opportunities, you must complete the Research Funding Application Approval (RFAA) Trainee PDF form, and submit it, along with a complete copy of the application, to Research Services at rsotrainee@ucalgary.ca. Trainees should not use RMS at this time.

Approvals: The University of Calgary requires that all funding applications be approved prior to submission. Approval requires signatures via either RMS or the RFAA Trainee form, in the following order:

• Principal Investigator
• Department Head
• Faculty ADR/Dean
• Research Services (on behalf of the Vice-President Research)

Read the Meaning of Grant Signatures policy to understand what your approval means. Please see the agency guidelines for details about which signatures are required on your application, as it may differ from internal requirements.

Late submissions: Late submissions will only be accepted in cases of medical or family emergencies, or other exceptional circumstances. If you submit your RMS record to Research Services after the internal deadline has passed, you must secure additional approvals. Please read: Late Applications Process.

RESOURCES

Reminder: The sooner the researcher engages with Research Services, the more help we can be!

Contact the following Research Service units for support with:

Projects Involving Indigenous Research:

Support with incorporating wise practices in Indigenous research, community engagement, and Indigenous data management is available through the Indigenous Research Support Team (IRST).

Applicants can reach out by email to IRST at IRST@ucalgary.ca in advance of the RSO internal deadline. For more information about IRST, please visit the IRST webpage.

Knowledge Mobilization, Research Impact Assessment, DORA:

Support for knowledge mobilization/engagement/translation, community partnerships, research impact, responsible research assessment (DORA), and open science, is available through the Knowledge to Impact team.

Applicants can reach out by email to the KI team at knowledge.impact@ucalgary.ca.

For more information and access to resource archives, please visit the KI team webpage.

Research Data Management:

For information on research data management plans, processes, or best practices for your research program, please contact research.data@ucalgary.ca.

EDI in Research:

RSO can provide resources and support to research teams on the integration of equitable and inclusive practices in research design and research practice.

Contact edi.rso@ucalgary.ca for more information.

Research Security:

The Research Security Division is available to ensure researchers adhere to research security guidelines and policies, including the National Security Guidelines for Research Partnerships (NSGRP) and the policy on Sensitive Technology Research and Affiliations of Concern (STRAC).

Visit the Research Security website to learn more or contact researchsecurity@ucalgary.ca.

Pre-Award Submissions:

RMS: Creating a Pre-Award LOI
RMS: Creating a Pre-Award Application