DNR Wildlife Habitat Grant Applications Due June 4

lschultz • May 6, 2021

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) opened its Wildlife Habitat Grant Program on April 19 and is accepting applications through June 4. This program was started in 2013 and gives grant recipients the opportunity to partner with the DNR Wildlife Division to improve or enhance wildlife habitat.

These grants can be awarded to local, state and tribal governments, as well as individuals, profit and nonprofit groups. This grant program is an open and competitive process, and grant applications should outline projects that improve and/or enhance the quality and quantity of game species habitat in a way that is consistent with the DNR Wildlife Division’s Strategic Plan.

The minimum grant amount is $15,000 and the maximum grant amount is the total amount of funds available for the grant cycle (approximately $1 million for the 2021 grant cycle). These funds are made available through hunting and fishing license sales.

According to an April 20, 2021, DNR press release, applications must be submitted through the MiGrants system no later than June 4. Projects that emphasize enhancing or improving habitat for game species will be given priority, and successful grant applications will be announced in August 2021.

To learn more about the DNR’s Wildlife Habitat Grant Program and to view a list of previously awarded projects, please click HERE . Additionally, you can read the DNR April 20 press release on the topic HERE .

Recent Posts

May 2025 NRC Recap

By Justin Tomei • May 8, 2025
The Natural Resources Commission (NRC) met for their May meeting today at Lansing Community College West Campus. The commission voted to return antlered opportunities to the Independence and Liberty hunts at the May Natural Resources Commission meeting. The amendment to restore this opportunity passed after Commissioner Walters withdrew his amendment from April to only partially restore antlered opportunity during these hunts. MUCC testified for the complete restoration of antlered opportunity during these two hunts, per a member passed policy from our 2025 Annual Convention. The commission also voted on, and ultimately accepted, a proposal to allow archery antlerless take in the high snowfall zone in the Upper Peninsula. Additionally, the commission also chose to leave on the table and postpone indefinitely the order to reopen the illegally partially closed coyote season. This prevents the order from dying after today's meeting and makes it eligible for action at a later date. This amendment will remain postponed until the June meeting at the earliest.  MUCC has created the Coyote Coalition to assist in unifying the voice of conservationists in support of Proposal G. To join the Coyote Coalition, visit https://www.mucc.org/coyotecoalition . The commission did adopt proposed fall turkey regulations unanimously. The June commission meeting is Thursday, June 12 in Bay City. To ensure our natural resources remain protected and managed thoughtfully and our outdoor heritage defended, join Michigan United Conservation Clubs today: http://bit.ly/JoinMUCC .

On The Ground: Volunteers at the Annual Jack Pine Planting Day

By Olivia Triltsch • May 8, 2025
In total, volunteers improved about 6 acres of habitat and planted around 6,000 trees in this stand to continue regeneration.

On the Ground Junior: Spring Event Recap

By Katelyn Helsel • May 7, 2025
Our student volunteers have been hard at work improving wildlife habitat on public lands! MUCC’s On the Ground Junior (OTG Jr.) program, a subset of the On the Ground program, is a fully funded field trip program that brings grade-school classrooms into the outdoors to improve fish and wildlife habitat in their local communities. Through activities like native plantings, brush pile building, and invasive species removal, students gain hands-on experience with conservation and positively impact the world around them. Students also participate in educational activities like predator-prey tag to teach them about population dynamics and other natural resources concepts. So far this spring season, MUCC welcomed 69 students, teachers, and chaperones who participated in multiple OTG Jr projects with more on the way! In total, they improved over 12 acres of wildlife habitat. Read on for a recap of each OTG Jr project and see what all our awesome student volunteers have been up to. 
More Posts