America's Ecosystem Restoration Initiative (AERI)
America’s Ecosystem Restoration Initiative (AERI) is a national conservation funding program launched in 2022 and administered by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF). AERI supports locally led, large-scale ecosystem restoration efforts that advance habitat connectivity, watershed health, resilience, and community-based conservation across the United States.
ECT’s Field Liaison Team works with NFWF to support existing AERI grantees throughout project implementation. The team provides ongoing coordination with NFWF and grantees through virtual and in-person engagement, including meetings, webinars, and site visits to help address challenges as they arise and support outreach and success story development.
This page offers resources and support for existing AERI grantees, including Field Liaison assistance, project support tools, and success stories. For additional support or further information, contact ECT’s Field Liaison team.
Register for Upcoming Lunch and Learns
Lunch and Learn: Last Chance Grasslands: Stabilizing, Restoring, and Reconstructing Grasslands of Central Tennessee
Presenter: Jeremy French, Chief of Ecological Restoration and Stewardship, Southeastern Grasslands Institute
Date: 10/01/2026
Time: 11:00 to 11:30 PT (12:00 to 12:30 MT; 1:00 to 1:30 CT; 2:00 to 2:30 ET)
Hear directly from the project partner on how they’re restoring grasslands at landscape scale. The session covers converting non-native pasture and cropland back to prairie, protecting remnant grasslands, and the hands-on tools behind the work, including prescribed fire, invasive species treatment, timber stand improvement, and thinning.
Lunch and Learn Recordings
Click the button below to watch the latest Lunch and Learn recordings:
Contact Us
For more information, contact NationalProgramLiaisons@ectinc.com or schedule a meeting with our Field Liaison Team.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Have questions about the AERI program? View the FAQ document for answers to common questions from grantees.
View More Success Stories
Letting the Stream Find its way again
A decade-long effort in Washington, D.C., is working to reconnect a deeply incised tributary to the floodplain that once sustained it.