Innovative Technology for HABs Grant Program

The Innovative Technology for HABs Grant Program is administered by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection. The program supports innovative technologies intended to address harmful algal blooms in Florida. The program has received a $10 million appropriation and seeks to fund as many high-quality and innovative proposals as possible within available funding. Projects must be demonstrably cost-efficient, environmentally safe, and scalable. Technologies may reduce the introduction of nutrients into waterways, remove nutrients or make them biologically unavailable for algal growth, prevent algal blooms from forming, treat or remove blooms after they occur, or detect, monitor, and forecast harmful algal blooms to support more proactive responses. Eligible applicants are local governmental and non-state entities, including counties, municipalities, public universities or colleges, nonprofit private universities or colleges, special districts, and nonprofit organizations registered to do business in Florida. Private for-profit vendors may not apply directly or directly receive grant funding, although they may partner with an eligible governmental or non-state entity to implement technology subject to applicable state and local procurement requirements. Projects must be located in Florida. Field evaluations should occur in areas with a history of harmful algal blooms, an adopted basin management action plan, or a reasonable assurance plan. Evaluations conducted within a waterbody must occur in a fresh waterbody such as a lake, river, estuary, or canal. Applications proposing evaluations in marine environments will not be considered. Award amounts are determined project by project, and the source does not establish a current minimum or maximum award. Historically, awards have ranged from $31,741 to $4 million. Applicants must request enough funding to complete the proposed project because DEP will not consider requests for additional project funding after an award is received. There is no matching requirement, although applicant fiscal contributions are welcomed. Grants are cost reimbursement awards. Reimbursement is available only for actual, allowable, and necessary expenses up to the grant agreement ceiling after execution of the agreement and after DEP accepts the applicable deliverable and supporting documentation. Payments made before execution of the grant agreement may not be reimbursable. Public education and outreach costs may not exceed $5,000, total salary expenses may not exceed 30 percent of requested state funding, final report presentation travel reimbursement may not exceed $1,000, and the indirect rate may not exceed 15 percent. Equipment, software, and software license purchases costing more than $5,000 per item or unit are not allowed, although rental and leasing are permitted. Applicants submit proposals through the program application portal. The only required accompanying document identified in the FAQ is the Innovative Technology Grant Proposal Funding Breakout form, with download and upload instructions provided at the end of the application webform. Optional supporting materials may include process flow diagrams, photographs, technology schematics, written permission from a proposed field site property owner, and relevant published scientific journal articles. Submitted materials are generally considered public records under Florida law. Confidential or proprietary materials must be identified as such, and applicants must notify the grant team before submitting public-record-exempt documents so appropriate safeguards can be arranged. The grant team may answer questions and provide information concerning the webform but cannot complete the proposal for an applicant. Once the application portal closes, applicant-initiated changes to proposals will not be accepted. Funding decisions consider whether the proposed technology is innovative, whether it has previously demonstrated the proposed benefits without environmental harm, whether it has previously been evaluated or used in Florida, whether it is scalable, and whether it provides additional water quality or environmental benefits. Reviewers also consider the project's development stage, whether it benefits an area covered by a water quality restoration plan, permitting requirements, how success will be demonstrated, whether benefits outweigh costs, whether the project generates a marketable product that could offset implementation costs, and whether the technology can be rapidly deployed. Eligible proposals are reviewed for consistency with Blue Green Algae Task Force goals and safety, after which eligible projects are presented to DEP leadership and the State of Florida Chief Science Officer for consideration. Applicants are then notified by email of their selection status. The FAQ anticipates that the application portal will open July 1 and remain open until September 1, with the exact closing date to be posted on ProtectingFloridaTogether.gov/Grants. Entities that miss the submission window, including applicants with incomplete applications, must wait until the next fiscal year's portal opening. This supports treating the opportunity as recurring annually. Award announcements occur at least several months after the application portal closes, although the exact timeframe varies by year. Grant agreements are normally executed no later than six months after award announcement. The preferred grant performance period is approximately one and a half to two years after execution. Required Grant Work Plan elements include a Quality Assurance Project Plan, monitoring or performance verification, public education or community outreach, and a final report or presentation, with permitting tasks additionally required for projects involving qualifying construction, alteration, development, wetlands, surface waters, mangroves, stormwater changes, dredging, filling, or structures. Questions may be directed to InnTech_HAB@FloridaDEP.gov.

Demonstrate that the technology is genuinely innovative, environmentally safe, scalable, and capable of measurable success; explain permits and potential implementation obstacles; show that project benefits justify costs; review previously funded projects to avoid duplication and align with approved categories; account for all required Grant Work Plan tasks in the Funding Breakout Form; submit early to allow time for DEP clarification and cost-reduction discussions before the portal closes