July 1, 2025 – PENSACOLA, FL - The Pensacola and Perdido Bays Estuary Program (PPBEP) is pleased to announce the opening of the 2025-2026 Community Grant Program funding opportunity. This program will fund action projects that serve to restore, preserve, connect, inform, and educate.
The PPBEP Community Grant Program anticipates awarding $250,000 in total funding to help restore and protect our waters. Award amounts will range from $10,000 to $75,000. Local governments or nonstate entities (educational institutions and 501(c)3s) are eligible to submit a proposal for projects located within the Perdido and/or Pensacola watershed within Escambia, Santa Rosa, and/or Okaloosa counties.
The Pensacola & Perdido Bays Estuary Program (PPBEP) is a stakeholder-driven, science-based organized charged with restoring and preserving the Pensacola and Perdido Bay Systems, and their associated watersheds. PPBEP is guided by a Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan (CCMP), which serves as a blueprint for the restoration and preservation of the area and waterways. Through these actions, PPBEP’s vision is to create a healthy and sustainable environment, economy, and community.
The funding opportunity includes seven eligible project categories that align with the Estuary Program’s CCMP: Water Quality, Sedimentation, Habitat Restoration, Fish and Wildlife Conservation, Watershed Awareness and Education, Resilience, and Participatory Science. Over the past five years, PPBEP has awarded over $1 Million to 41 projects in the community.
The deadline to apply is 11:59pm CT on July 31, 2025. We are pleased to announce that the grant implementation period will be extended to a 15-month timeframe beginning October 1, 2025 and ending December 31, 2026. Due to this longer implementation period, funding cycles will occur every two years; after the 2025-2026 cycle, the next call for applications will not occur until 2027-2028.
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.
For additional details and to apply, please visit https://www.ppbep.org/what-we-do/communitygrants
