Understanding the Grant Process…

Wisconsin’s traditionally known Surface Waters Program is undergoing a programmatic change. The program is being comprehensively rolled into Administrative Rule Chapter NR193. The Program is essentially effective now after passing through a public notice period in June. Grant proposals are due in November with mandatory pre-proposals due in September. Refer to the above link for exact dates.

It is important that people do no think of grants as “free” or “giveaway” money. As it is suggested above the grant process is typically a reimbursement program of which you need the total funds or funds + services to equal the dollar value requested. As more and more people have looked for money to help fund projects (planning and implementation), the money pool has not necessarily grown at an equal rate. This has made the procedure to obtain funds more arduous as the WDNR has worked for a means to help filter out and prioritize projects.

While there are a number of grant programs available, the primary source for funding in the State of Wisconsin specifically for lakes is typically the DNR. From a programmatic standpoint these typically fall under planning or implementation.

PLANNING GRANTS

IMPLEMENTATION GRANTS

OTHER GRANTS