Anyone interested in conducting a water resource education grant project is invited to apply online for a grant of up to $5,000 through the Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Community Education Grant Program.
The goal of the program is to motivate adults to get involved in education projects that promote water resources protection. Grants are awarded to projects that provide adults with an opportunity to learn about water-related issues pertaining to conservation, protection and preservation. Government agencies, private individuals, educational facilities, business and industry, neighborhoods, homeowner and service organizations, research and other profit and non-profit organizations concerned about water-related issues in their communities are encouraged to apply for a community education grant to help fund their projects.
Potential grant projects should involve and educate on any or all of the following issues: alternative water resources, water quality, water conservation, flood protection, natural systems and watersheds. The application screening committee is looking for innovative projects that provide learning experiences that will lead to cost-effective protection of water resources.
To apply online, visit the District's web site at WaterMatters.org/communitygrants. Grant applications are due Aug. 24, 2007. Projects must take place between March 1 and June 30, 2008. To discuss project ideas, please call Virginia Sternberger, community education grant coordinator, at 1-800-423-1476, ext. 4779.
From 1997 through 2007, the District funded nearly 400 projects, totaling more than $1 million. The grants are funded by the District's Basin Boards. Through the years, these projects have reached more than four million residents by bringing communities and neighborhoods together to share the responsibility of their local water resources through education.