The deadline to apply for a Community Education Grant through the Southwest Florida Water Management District is approaching. Grant applications are due Sept. 15, 2006. The grants, which offer funding up to $5,000 each, are designated for projects that motivate adults to get involved in education projects that promote water resources protection.
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 protection of water resources through cost-effective ways.
To apply online, visit the District’s Web site at WaterMatters.org/communitygrants. Projects must take place between March 1 and June 30, 2007. To discuss project ideas, please call Virginia Sternberger, community education grant coordinator, at 1-800-423-1476, ext. 4756.
From 1997 through 2006, the District funded approximately 328 projects, totaling more than $1 million. The grants are funded by the District’s Basin Boards. Through the years, these projects have reached approximately 4 million residents by bringing communities and neighborhoods together to share the responsibility of their local water resources through education.