Surface Water Grant Program
The Surface Water Grant Program supports Wisconsin communities with education, planning, restoration, monitoring, and invasive species work to protect lakes, rivers, wetlands, and other surface waters.
Funder: Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
Due Dates: November 16, 2026 (Final application) | May 1, 2027 (Organization eligibility) | September 15, 2027 (Pre-application) | November 15, 2027 (Final application) | Rolling (Healthy Lakes & Rivers; AIS Early Detection & Response)
Funding Amounts: Over $6 million annually; category caps range from $5,000 to $200,000, with up to $500,000 annually for AIS research
Summary: Grants support education, planning, restoration, and aquatic invasive species work to protect Wisconsin surface waters.
Key Information: Some organizations must obtain an eligibility determination; certain management projects need an approved plan recommendation.
Description
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Surface Water Grant Program supports the protection and restoration of Wisconsin lakes, rivers, wetlands, and other surface waters. Education and planning grants help communities understand water conditions, assess ecological and water-quality concerns, and set management goals and actions. Management grants fund work to improve water quality and habitat, restore shorelands and wetlands, develop local ordinances, and protect land associated with lakes and rivers.
The program also supports aquatic invasive species (AIS) prevention, early detection and response, population management, and cooperative research. Its categories span early organizational development through project implementation. Some implementation and AIS control projects require an approved recommendation in a management plan.
