Alternative Water Supply Grant Program

The Alternative Water Supply Grant Program is administered by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection and supports water-related projects in Florida. The program is funded through annual legislative appropriations. The FAQ identifies conservation, reuse, other water supply projects, and water resource development projects as eligible activities. Priority funding is given to regional projects in areas of greatest need and to projects that provide the greatest benefit. The program is therefore intended to support projects that improve or expand alternative water supplies, water conservation, reuse, and related water resource development efforts. Eligible applicants include local governments and non-state entities. The FAQ specifically identifies counties, municipalities, special districts and other political subdivisions of the state, along with public utilities, public universities and colleges, and nonprofit organizations. There is no stated limit on the number of unique project proposals an allowable entity may submit. When a project involves more than one cooperator, only one proposal should be submitted, with the cooperating entities identified in the application. The entity requesting the funding is responsible for submitting the proposal and providing its contact information. The program does not establish a minimum or maximum grant request amount. Available funding is limited to the annual appropriation made by the Florida Legislature. The FAQ states that the Fiscal Year 2025-26 appropriation was $50 million; it does not provide an amount for a later appropriation in the supplied text. There is no required match. However, local cost share is considered during project selection, and applicants may include expenditures they have incurred or expect to incur in connection with the project. Because cost share can affect selection even though it is not mandatory, applicants should document relevant local project expenditures when appropriate. Project readiness is an important selection consideration. The Florida Department of Environmental Protection strongly considers readiness when evaluating projects, and priority is also given to projects that are regional, address areas of greatest need, and provide the greatest benefit. The performance period is not standardized. Instead, it is project-specific, must be approved by the department, and is incorporated into the grant agreement. The FAQ does not state a fixed number of awards, an award announcement date, or a standard project duration. Proposals must be submitted online through the Protecting Florida Together Grants Portal. A Word version of the proposal questions is made available alongside the webform for informational purposes, but the Word document is not an accepted submission method and email submissions are not accepted. Applicants eligible for multiple grant programs should submit separate proposals for each applicable grant program through the portal. Applicants that have already applied to their local water management district should not submit the same proposal again through the portal unless they have updated information, because the department coordinates with local water management districts when evaluating regional objectives. The FAQ does not establish fixed opening or closing dates for the proposal period and states that there is not a set timeframe for when the grants portal opens. Applicants are directed to sign up for notifications through the Preference Center associated with the Water Quality Dashboard for updates. There is also no specific date for award announcements; selected applicants are notified individually by the program. Annual legislative appropriations support the program, but the supplied FAQ does not establish a regular annual, quarterly, or other recurring application deadline. No named program contact, email address, or phone number is supplied in the FAQ.

Prioritize project readiness, regional projects, areas of greatest need, and projects providing the greatest benefit. Although no match is required, document relevant local cost share because it is considered in project selection. Coordinate with project partners for timely submission and avoid duplicate unchanged submissions already made to a water management district.