A 501(c)(3) nonprofit providing end-to-end data services that support science, policy, management, and industry in the Great Lakes by enabling access to real-time, historical, and predictive lake data.
A defining feature of Great Lakes Observing System Regional Association’s grantmaking is its support for the infrastructure behind Great Lakes data access, including a $615,230 grant to SpinDance for the Seagull Launch Sequence and a $372,526 grant to RPS Group PLC for data aggregation and management into GLOS and IOOS web portals. The foundation funds the systems, platforms, and observing networks that make real-time, historical, and predictive lake data usable for science, policy, management, and industry. Its recent awards show a strong emphasis on technical operations and applied monitoring. Michigan Tech received multiple grants for observing system maintenance, refurbishment, buoy-network work, and monitoring programs in the Straits of Mackinac. The Regents of the University of Michigan were funded for monitoring in Lake Erie and climate data products, while the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee received support for monitoring programs in Lake Michigan. Other awards reached projects tied to water quality, harmful algal bloom detection, and coastal resilience across the Great Lakes region. The pattern is practical and systems-oriented: funding tends to reinforce observation, integration, and platform development rather than isolated one-off research topics.
Great Lakes observing infrastructure is central to this funder’s portfolio. It awarded $337,115 to the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee in 2025 for monitoring programs in Lake Michigan, and earlier grants of $314,128 and $219,121 to the same institution for the same purpose show continued support for that work. Water quality and harmful algal bloom monitoring also appear repeatedly. The foundation gave $103,646 to Florida Atlantic University for an autonomous digital holographic imaging system to detect cyanobacterial composition abundance in Lake Erie, and another $70,000 to Heidelberg University to improve access to the Heidelberg Tributary Loading program through real-time water quality data and integration into GLOS. Community and watershed applications are present as well. The City of Defiance received $90,434 for the Upper Maumee Smart Watershed Pilot, and Lake County Department of Utilities received $62,266 for Lake County Ohio Water Quality.
$2M
$875K
$4.9M
$4.8M
Most grants fall between $33K and $107K, with a median of $70K.
25th Percentile
$33K
Median
$70K
75th Percentile
$107K
Jennifer Boehme
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Typical grants cluster around a median of $70,000, with the middle half spanning $32,588 to $107,475. The recent record includes a mix of larger infrastructure awards and smaller monitoring and access projects, suggesting a program that can fund both platform development and field operations. The same recipients often appear across multiple years, especially in observatory and monitoring work. Michigan Tech, the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee, the Regents of the University of Michigan, and IOOS Association each received repeated awards across 2023 through 2025. The foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, does not fund individuals, and makes no program-related investments. The grant pattern is institutional and recurring rather than one-time.
Grants are concentrated in the Great Lakes region, with Michigan recipients accounting for 49% of grants. Ann Arbor, Houghton, Milwaukee, Grand Rapids, and Detroit appear repeatedly in the recipient list, along with other Great Lakes locations such as Holland, Harbor Springs, Defiance, Syracuse, and Painesville. The distribution also extends beyond Michigan to nearby states in the Great Lakes basin and related coastal data work. Recipient locations in Maine, Rhode Island, New York, Ohio, Wisconsin, and Minnesota appear in the recent grants list, while all recorded grants in the dataset went to US recipients.
It funds observing and data infrastructure for the Great Lakes, including monitoring programs, data platform development, buoy networks, water quality work, harmful algal bloom detection, and integration of data into GLOS and IOOS portals. Recent grants include support for the Seagull launch sequence, monitoring in Lake Michigan, and portal data aggregation.
The typical award is $70,000 at the median, with the middle half of grants between $32,588 and $107,475. The recent list includes both larger awards over $300,000 and many grants in the $50,000 to $100,000 range.
Yes. Several recipients appear across multiple years, including Michigan Tech, the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee, the Regents of the University of Michigan, and IOOS Association. Those repeated awards run from 2023 through 2025 in the recent grant list.
Michigan receives the largest share of grants, with 49% of awards going to recipients in the state. Recent Michigan recipients include Ann Arbor, Houghton, Grand Rapids, Detroit, Holland, and Harbor Springs.
No. The foundation does not fund individuals; its recent grants go to institutions such as universities, nonprofits, government entities, and companies working on Great Lakes observing, monitoring, and data systems.
2026
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2026.
Current and upcoming funding from Great Lakes Observing System Regional Association that your nonprofit may be able to apply for.
Who can apply: Academic institutions and nonprofit organizations may request funding, subject to availability. Applicants must demonstrate additional funding sources if the GLOS allocation is insufficient to cover total repair costs.
Deadline: No fixed deadline stated; funding availability should be confirmed before applying.
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Create a free accountDeadlines and eligibility are summarized from public sources and may change — always confirm the details on the funder's official application page before applying.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| IOOS Association | Harpswell, ME | $468,867 | 2026 | Supports regional associations of the US IOOS program |
| Michigan Tech | Houghton, MI | $373,670 | 2026 | BITWISE Benthic Investigation Technology for Waters in the Great Lakes with Improved Survey Efficiency |
| Colorado School of Mines | Golden, CO | $294,308 | 2026 | National Water Initiative Coastal Model Evaluation |
| University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee | Milwaukee, WI | $165,009 | 2026 | Monitoring programs in Lake Michigan |
| Regents of University of Michigan | Ann Arbor, MI | $126,415 | 2026 | Monitoring in Lake Erie and climate data products |
| Michigan Tech | Houghton, MI | $119,672 | 2026 | Building Capacity to Measure and Asses Offshore, Full-frequency Water Level Fluctuations to Support Coastal Hazard Observation and Prediction |
| Michigan Tech | Houghton, MI | $95,499 | 2026 | MTU Observing Systems Operations Maintenance 2024-2025 |
| Upstate Freshwater Institute | Syracuse, NY | $91,480 | 2026 | Year-round Real-time Monitoring of the Lake Ontario Nearshore |
| Michigan Tech | Houghton, MI | $44,111 | 2026 | GLYON Great Lakes Year-Round Observation Network |
| University of Wisconsin-Green Bay | Green Bay, WI | $40,952 | 2026 | Monitoring algal blooms and dissolved oxygen concentrations around commercial fishing operations |
| Florida Atlantic University | Atlanta, GA | $40,000 | 2026 | An Autonomous Digital Holographic Imaging System for Detecting Cyanobacterial Composition abundance in Lake Erie |
| Michigan Tech | Houghton, MI | $32,474 | 2026 | Operation and Maintenance High Frequency Radar in the Straits of Mackinac, Michigan |
| Michigan Tech | Houghton, MI | $30,661 | 2026 | Sensor-Centric Coastal Process Evaluation SCoPE |
| Michigan Tech | Houghton, MI | $16,577 | 2026 | Operation and Maintenance High Frequency Radar in the Straits of Mackinac, Michigan - Year VI |
| Regents of University of Minnesota | Minneapolis, MN | $16,079 | 2026 | Monitoring stations around the St. Louis Estuary and into Lake Superior |
| Research Foundation for State University of New York | Albany, NY | $7,653 | 2026 | Monitoring in Lake Ontario |
| Michigan Tech | Houghton, MI | $891 | 2026 | Offshore Winter Observing System |
| IOOS Association | Harpswell, ME | $434,419 | 2025 | Supports regional associations of the US IOOS program |
| University of Wisconsin Milwaukee | Milwaukee, WI | $337,115 | 2025 | Monitoring programs in Lake Michigan |
| Michigan Tech | Houghton, MI | $187,257 | 2025 | BITWISE |
| Regents of University of Michigan | Ann Arbor, MI | $132,377 | 2025 | Monitoring in Lake Erie and climate data products |
| Upstate Freshwater Institute | Syracuse, NY | $115,201 | 2025 | Year-round Real-time Monitoring of the Lake Ontario Nearshore |
| Michigan Tech | Houghton, MI | $107,475 | 2025 | MTU Observing Systems Operations Maintenance |
| Florida Atlantic University | Atlanta, GA | $103,646 | 2025 | An Autonomous Digital Holographic Imaging System for Detecting Cyanobacterial Composition abundance in Lake Erie |
| Michigan Tech | Houghton, MI | $78,277 | 2025 | NOAA NCCOS Ground Truthing 2023 |
| Michigan Tech | Houghton, MI | $76,615 | 2025 | MTU Observing Systems Refurbishment Enhancement 2023 |
| Colorado School of Mines | Golden, CO | $44,862 | 2025 | National Water Initiative Coastal Model Evaluation |
| Michigan Tech | Houghton, MI | $37,526 | 2025 | Operation and Maintenance High Frequency Radar in the Straits of Mackinac, Michigan |
| Michigan Tech | Houghton, MI | $19,337 | 2025 | Offshore Winter Observing System |
| Regents of University of Minnesota | Minneapolis, MN | $16,698 | 2025 | Monitoring stations around the St. Louis Estuary and into Lake Superior |
| Research Foundation for State University of New York | Albany, NY | $11,958 | 2025 | Monitoring in Lake Ontario |
| Michigan Tech | Houghton, MI | $10,704 | 2025 | Vital year-round measurements on the worlds largest lake via cabled under-ice observatories |
| IOOS Association | Harpswell, ME | $432,815 | 2024 | Supports regional associations of the US IOOS program |
| University of Wisconsin Milwaukee | Milwaukee, WI | $219,121 | 2024 | Monitoring programs in Lake Michigan |
| Colorado School of Mines | Golden, CO | $92,477 | 2024 | National Water Initiative Coastal Model Evaluation |
| Michigan Tech | Houghton, MI | $77,696 | 2024 | Monitoring programs in the Straits of Mackinac |
| Florida Atlantic University | Atlanta, GA | $64,428 | 2024 | An Autonomous Digital Holographic Imaging System for Detecting Cyanobacterial Composition abundance in Lake Erie |
| Michigan Tech | Houghton, MI | $41,894 | 2024 | An Expanded Spotter buoy network on the upper Great Lakes in support of recreational boating |
| Regents of University of Michigan | Ann Arbor, MI | $38,893 | 2024 | Monitoring in Lake Erie and climate data products |
| Michigan Tech | Houghton, MI | $32,588 | 2024 | Monitoring programs in Lake Superior and remote sensing data products |
| Regents of University of Minnesota | Minneapolis, MN | $18,903 | 2024 | Monitoring stations around the St. Louis Estuary and into Lake Superior |
| Michigan Tech | Houghton, MI | $16,746 | 2024 | NOAA NCCOS Ground Truthing 2023 |
| Research Foundation for State University of New York | Albany, NY | $14,046 | 2024 | Monitoring in Lake Ontario |
| SpinDance | Holland, MI | $615,230 | 2023 | Seagull Launch Sequence |
| RPS Group PLC | South Kingstown, RI | $372,526 | 2023 | Data aggregation and management for access into GLOS and IOOS web portals |
| IOOS Association | Harpswell, ME | $338,826 | 2023 | Supports regional associations of the US IOOS program |
| University of Wisconsin Milwaukee | Milwaukee, WI | $314,128 | 2023 | Monitoring programs in Lake Michigan |
| Digital Industry Group LLC (DIG) | Grand Rapids, MI | $203,055 | 2023 | Initial designs of the frontend of GLOS new IT platform. |
| Michigan Tech | Houghton, MI | $107,472 | 2023 | Monitoring programs in the Straits of Mackinac |
| City of Defiance | Defiance, OH | $90,434 | 2023 | Upper Maumee Smart Watershed Pilot |
IOOS Association
$468,867Supports regional associations of the US IOOS program
Michigan Tech
$373,670BITWISE Benthic Investigation Technology for Waters in the Great Lakes with Improved Survey Efficiency
Colorado School of Mines
$294,308National Water Initiative Coastal Model Evaluation
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
$165,009Monitoring programs in Lake Michigan
Regents of University of Michigan
$126,415Monitoring in Lake Erie and climate data products
Michigan Tech
$119,672Building Capacity to Measure and Asses Offshore, Full-frequency Water Level Fluctuations to Support Coastal Hazard Observation and Prediction
Michigan Tech
$95,499MTU Observing Systems Operations Maintenance 2024-2025
Upstate Freshwater Institute
$91,480Year-round Real-time Monitoring of the Lake Ontario Nearshore
Michigan Tech
$44,111GLYON Great Lakes Year-Round Observation Network
University of Wisconsin-Green Bay
$40,952Monitoring algal blooms and dissolved oxygen concentrations around commercial fishing operations
Florida Atlantic University
$40,000An Autonomous Digital Holographic Imaging System for Detecting Cyanobacterial Composition abundance in Lake Erie
Michigan Tech
$32,474Operation and Maintenance High Frequency Radar in the Straits of Mackinac, Michigan
Michigan Tech
$30,661Sensor-Centric Coastal Process Evaluation SCoPE
Michigan Tech
$16,577Operation and Maintenance High Frequency Radar in the Straits of Mackinac, Michigan - Year VI
Regents of University of Minnesota
$16,079Monitoring stations around the St. Louis Estuary and into Lake Superior
Research Foundation for State University of New York
$7,653Monitoring in Lake Ontario
Michigan Tech
$891Offshore Winter Observing System
IOOS Association
$434,419Supports regional associations of the US IOOS program
University of Wisconsin Milwaukee
$337,115Monitoring programs in Lake Michigan
Michigan Tech
$187,257BITWISE
Regents of University of Michigan
$132,377Monitoring in Lake Erie and climate data products
Upstate Freshwater Institute
$115,201Year-round Real-time Monitoring of the Lake Ontario Nearshore
Michigan Tech
$107,475MTU Observing Systems Operations Maintenance
Florida Atlantic University
$103,646An Autonomous Digital Holographic Imaging System for Detecting Cyanobacterial Composition abundance in Lake Erie
Michigan Tech
$78,277NOAA NCCOS Ground Truthing 2023
Michigan Tech
$76,615MTU Observing Systems Refurbishment Enhancement 2023
Colorado School of Mines
$44,862National Water Initiative Coastal Model Evaluation
Michigan Tech
$37,526Operation and Maintenance High Frequency Radar in the Straits of Mackinac, Michigan
Michigan Tech
$19,337Offshore Winter Observing System
Regents of University of Minnesota
$16,698Monitoring stations around the St. Louis Estuary and into Lake Superior
Research Foundation for State University of New York
$11,958Monitoring in Lake Ontario
Michigan Tech
$10,704Vital year-round measurements on the worlds largest lake via cabled under-ice observatories
IOOS Association
$432,815Supports regional associations of the US IOOS program
University of Wisconsin Milwaukee
$219,121Monitoring programs in Lake Michigan
Colorado School of Mines
$92,477National Water Initiative Coastal Model Evaluation
Michigan Tech
$77,696Monitoring programs in the Straits of Mackinac
Florida Atlantic University
$64,428An Autonomous Digital Holographic Imaging System for Detecting Cyanobacterial Composition abundance in Lake Erie
Michigan Tech
$41,894An Expanded Spotter buoy network on the upper Great Lakes in support of recreational boating
Regents of University of Michigan
$38,893Monitoring in Lake Erie and climate data products
Michigan Tech
$32,588Monitoring programs in Lake Superior and remote sensing data products
Regents of University of Minnesota
$18,903Monitoring stations around the St. Louis Estuary and into Lake Superior
Michigan Tech
$16,746NOAA NCCOS Ground Truthing 2023
Research Foundation for State University of New York
$14,046Monitoring in Lake Ontario
SpinDance
$615,230Seagull Launch Sequence
RPS Group PLC
$372,526Data aggregation and management for access into GLOS and IOOS web portals
IOOS Association
$338,826Supports regional associations of the US IOOS program
University of Wisconsin Milwaukee
$314,128Monitoring programs in Lake Michigan
Digital Industry Group LLC (DIG)
$203,055Initial designs of the frontend of GLOS new IT platform.
Michigan Tech
$107,472Monitoring programs in the Straits of Mackinac
City of Defiance
$90,434Upper Maumee Smart Watershed Pilot
