A strong and effective environmental community working to protect and restore the Great Lakes and its many waters by involving residents in civic decision-making. This community will be coordinated among citizens, community groups, state/provincial, regional and national groups in a way that creates synergy for the protection and restoration of our Great Lakes region.

A healthy Great Lakes ecosystem that supports the economic well-being of the people of the region, provides a sustainable supply of clean drinking water, a sustainable fishery that provides fish that are healthy to eat and clean beaches where it is safe to swim.

Freshwater Future sees itself as a collaborative and entrepreneurial organization that seeks opinions and partnerships from diverse communities and collaborators, values citizen knowledge and abilities and understands the importance of our natural environment for current and future generations.

As the only watershed-wide organization dedicated solely to supporting the needs of community-based groups and actions working to protect and restore Great Lakes land and water resources, we are able to help protect and restore the Great Lakes like no other organization. We have helped thousands of community-based groups and individuals since 1996. Freshwater Future has provided nearly $3 million in grants, locally targeted resource toolkits, trainings, as well as planning and strategy consulting assistance. We also encourage engagement and participation in community decision-making to protect and restore local rivers, lakes and wetlands. The groups we help work at the local community level where large environmental organizations cannot. It is at the local community level where thousands of decisions are made every day that impact the health of our waters and our communities.

We invite you to explore our site to learn about our grants programs, Great Lakes issues and policy initiatives, capacity building services and more!