Daybreak Fund

We fund projects weaving together solutions to climate change, water quality and social equity problems in the Western Lake Michigan region. Our central goal is to improve the lives of people while safeguarding our environment. We prioritize funding initiatives that empower diverse communities throughout the basin to build resiliency, transition to a sustainable economy and promote system change. We will ensure 40 percent of the grants made through the Daybreak Fund will be to disadvantaged communities that are marginalized, underserved, and overburdened by pollution. We will fund both upstream solutions in rural areas and downstream solutions in urban areas that provide both mitigation and resilience benefits. While we are particularly interested in driving innovation, we also understand that there are many proven methods of impacting change that need resources, and the Daybreak Fund will welcome those applications as well. Geographically, our grants are targeted to the Lake Michigan shoreline, near shore areas and watersheds within the Lake Michigan basin in Wisconsin as well as projects within the basin in Lake County, Illinois. The Daybreak Fund will also consider grants in Wisconsin outside of the Lake Michigan basin by invitation only. 501(c)3 non-profit organizations, municipalities and local government agencies, tribes, and educational institutions are eligible for funding. Collaborations are encouraged, and we will consider projects that include sub-grants. We are primarily interested in funding project implementation, planning, design, community-engagement, monitoring, staffing, and maintenance as well as applied research that will support, advance or test strategies for on-the-ground nature-based solutions. Stand-alone advocacy, academic research, public education and general outreach efforts are not eligible for funding. Exceptions may be consid