Tampa Bay Water awards seven community mini-grants for water education and protection
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Summary
Tampa Bay Water announced seven recipients of its 2026 Water Conservation and Protection mini-grants, distributing awards of $2,000–$10,000 to local nonprofits, schools and civic groups to support education, outreach and source-water protection projects.
Brandon Moore, Tampa Bay Water’s public communications manager, announced seven recipients of the 2026 mini-grant program designed to fund local water-conservation and source-water protection activities.
Recipients and award amounts announced were: Florida Polytechnic University ($5,000) for a K–12 water-education and green outreach program; Girl Scouts of West Central Florida ($10,000) for the Camp Waiolani Water Conservation Academy; Marine Exploration Center ($7,200) to support a mobile aquarium outreach display focused on stormwater pollution reduction; Pinellas Diaspora Arts Project ($8,000) for a Chalk Festival themed "Watery Futures"; Tampa Bay Times Newspaper in Education ($10,000) for citizen-science curriculum and teacher resources; Tampa Bay Waterkeeper ($8,800) for an educational "Colors of the Bay" kayak-tour series; and Wellswood Civic Association ($4,000) for neighborhood restoration, irrigation upgrades and native-plant distribution.
Representatives from each recipient described planned activities and audiences. Florida Polytechnic’s Jun Kim said the grant will "support K–12 education and advance solutions that are rigorous, practical, and responsive to real-world water challenges." Jordan, program manager for Tampa Bay Waterkeeper, said the kayak tours will combine ecology education and hands-on art experiences to engage students and residents. Board members congratulated recipients and invited staff to participate in outreach events and photo opportunities.
No board action was required for these awards.