The Fish & Wildlife Foundation of Florida is seeking applications for its Protect Florida Springs Tag Grants.
Donor Name: Fish & Wildlife Foundation of Florida
State: Florida
County: All Counties
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 07/27/2022
Size of the Grant: up to $75,000
Grant Duration: 12 months
Details:
The non-profit Fish & Wildlife Foundation of Florida, Inc. is dedicated to the conservation, management, and sustainable enjoyment of Florida’s outstanding lands, waters, and wildlife.
Since 1994, the Foundation has raised and given away more than $55 million for conservation and outdoor recreation and education programs for adults, children, and families.
The Foundation is seeking freshwater springs-focused projects in two areas; several needs within each area are noted.
- Research projects that lead to a better understanding of Florida’s springs and how to restore and maintain their long-term ecological health, including the development of effective strategies for addressing one or more principal threats facing Florida’s springs. Preference is given to research and adaptive management projects with the potential to benefit multiple springs. (Examples: projects that identify the sources of stress for a particular spring; an innovative method of reducing nutrient pollution or controlling invasive species in one or more springs; research to ensure the continued survival of imperiled or declining spring species.)
- Current priorities:
- Development of local and regional watershed maps for springs to foster better land-use planning and guide springs and aquifer-related environmental policy.
- Development and testing of strategies to improve the water quality of springs, with an emphasis on reducing nutrient loads in springs.
- Funding for communities and organizations working to preserve or restore springs.
- Restoration projects that benefit key species (e.g., eelgrass restoration to improve habitat for manatees and other springs species) and/or contribute to our understanding of springs ecosystems and their conservation.
- Current priorities:
- Community education and other outreach activities that foster adoption of best practices in the restoration, management, and conservation of freshwater springs or alter public attitudes and practices detrimental to spring conservation. Examples: community education projects that encourage landowners to reduce non-point nutrient flow into springs via vegetative buffers, improved septic systems or sewage treatment, fostering and organizing community or interest-group (e.g., divers) springs clean ups, bank stabilization, exotic species removal, and similar on-the-ground stewardship work.
- Current priorities
- Quantification of the long-term economic benefits of springs preservation and restoration; e. g., nature tourism, ecosystem services (health of aquifer/clean drinking water, water for wildlife, and agriculture, etc.).
- Proposals that address the disconnect between an individual’s actions and the large-scale impacts on springs and the aquifer (for example, that dumping chemicals on the ground can show up in surrounding waters within weeks with little filtration and consequent impacts on human and wildlife health).
- Creation of a best-practices manual of restoration and conservation strategies that have worked well at one or more springs.
- Effective strategies based on current understanding of social behavior to change behaviors by Florida residents and tourists that degrade Florida’s springs.
- Current priorities
Funding Information
- Grant requests up to $75,000 will be considered.
- Multi-year projects will be considered, but funding is generally awarded for 12-month intervals. The project period will be from January 1, 2023 to December 31, 2023 (12 months).
Eligibility Criteria
Eligible applicants include federal, state, or local government agencies; public and private colleges and universities; and 501(c)(3) non-profit organizations, including all-volunteer organizations (e.g., “Friends of…” groups). The Foundation may also, at its sole discretion, consider proposals that benefit the public from private, for-profit organizations.
For more information, visit Fish & Wildlife Foundation of Florida.
