Media Contact:
Logan McDonald
Community Outreach Coordinator
(850) 595-1479
lmcdonald@myescambia.com
The Pensacola & Perdido Bays Estuary Program (PPBEP) is pleased
to announce the opening of the 2021-2022 Community Grant Program. The Community Grant Program awards $250,000 in total funding to help restore and protect our waters. Award amounts range from $10,000 to $50,000. Local governments or nonstate entities (educational institutions and 501(c)3s) are eligible to submit a proposal for projects located within the Perdido or Pensacola watershed within Escambia, Santa Rosa or Okaloosa counties. The deadline to apply is Aug. 3, 2021 by 11:59 p.m. and projects must be completed by May 31, 2022. To apply, please visit
https://www.ppbep.org/what-we-do/programs-and-projects/mini-grant-projects.
The PPBEP’s Community Grant Program funds action projects that serve to restore, preserve, connect, inform and educate. Through these action projects, the Estuary Program’s vision is to create a healthy and sustainable environment, economy and community. The 2021-2022 funding opportunity includes seven eligible project categories that support the Estuary Program’s core vision: water quality, habitat restoration, fish and wildlife conservation, watershed awareness and education, resilience, community science and research.
“We are thrilled to build on the success of our first Community Grant Program that began in 2020," said Logan McDonald, community outreach coordinator for the PPBEP. "Our 2020-2021 funded projects concluded on June 1, 2021, and we look forward to sharing the impressive work accomplished by our ten grant recipients during National Estuaries Week. Please join us as we begin the next chapter of our Community Grant Program and continue to work to restore and protect our waters."
The Community Grant Program is made possible through the support of the Florida Legislature. The Pensacola and Perdido Bays Estuary Program was awarded $250,000 in legislative appropriations to support the Community Grant Program. The Estuary Program offers their deepest appreciation to Representative Andrade and Senator Broxson for sponsoring the Program’s legislative funding request.
Priority consideration will be given to “shovel ready” action projects and projects that inform, engage and educate the community. Projects that leverage match, including volunteer efforts, will also receive priority consideration. The 2021-2022 grant recipients will be announced at the Estuary Program’s Community Grant Symposium during National Estuaries Week (Sept. 18-21). National Estuaries Week is a nationwide celebration of our bays and estuaries and the many benefits they provide to our local communities. The symposium will highlight the work completed by grant recipients that were funded by the 2020-2021 grant cycle. The public is invited to attend to learn more about the projects that were funded in our local communities.
The Pensacola & Perdido Bays Estuary Program (PPBEP) is a stakeholder-driven, science-based organization charged with restoring and preserving the Pensacola and Perdido Bay Systems and their associated watersheds. The PPBEP is guided by a Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan (CCMP), which serves as a blueprint for the restoration and preservation of area waterways. Through these actions, PPBEP’s vision is to create a healthy and sustainable environment, economy and community. The PPBEP is a coalition of local, state, and federal stakeholders from Baldwin, Escambia (FL), Santa Rosa and Okaloosa counties and the cities of Pensacola, Gulf Breeze, Milton, Orange Beach and the Town of Century.
Join us to ensure fishable, swimmable waters for all. Dive in at
ppbep.org or follow us on
Facebook or Instagram at @pensacolaandperdidobaysprogram.
Blackwater Soil and Water Conservation District Escambia River Documentary (photo by MSState TV)
MESS Hall Explore the Shore at Boys and Girls Club
National Wildlife Federation Living Shoreline Training for Marine Contractors
UWF Microplastics with Dixon School (Photo by UWF Janosik Lab)
UWF Waterfowl Study
