The school year may have come to an end, but educators interested in securing grant funding for next year can begin applying online for a Southwest Florida Water Management District Splash! mini-grant.
Grant funding is for classroom projects that focus on water quality, natural systems, water conservation, alternative water sources, flood protection or watersheds.
The goal of the mini-grant program is to promote hands-on water resources education that teaches students about their local watersheds and the freshwater resources within them. Splash! mini-grants provide up to $5,000 per school on a reimbursement basis only and are available to public, private and home school teachers.
Grant applications are due Sept. 11, 2009.
Please log onto the District’s web site at WaterMatters.org/mini-grants to fill out the online application. Applicants may save the application, then go back and review or change portions before submitting it.
Last year the District awarded Splash! mini-grants to 209 educators, totaling more than $417,000. Past mini-grant projects include water quality monitoring of local lakes and rivers, outreach campaigns designed to promote awareness of water-conserving practices and environmental field trips. For additional ideas, please check out the featured grant projects section on the web page.
In addition to mini-grant funding, the District offers educators free teacher training workshops, speakers for classroom presentations and free educational materials. The publications are correlated to Florida’s Sunshine State Standards and can also be ordered on the District’s web site at www.WaterMatters.org/publications/.
Questions about the Splash! mini-grant application process or the District’s other in-school educational materials can be answered by Mary Margaret Hull, lead communications coordinator, at (800) 423-1476, ext. 4774.