Land and Water Conservation Fund (FL) Grant

The Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) Program, established in 1964, aims to protect natural areas and provide recreational opportunities across the U.S. Funded by offshore oil and gas leasing revenues, the program supports state and local governments in acquisitions and developments for public outdoor recreation. Administered by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, the program has funded over 44,000 projects, enhancing parks, trails, and recreational facilities while ensuring sustainable use of natural resources.

Land and Water Conservation Fund Program
The Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) Program is a was established by Congress in 1964 to fulfill a bipartisan commitment to safeguard our natural areas, water resources and cultural heritage, and to provide recreation opportunities to all Americans. It is divided into the "State Side" which provides grants to State and local governments, and the "Federal Side" which is used to acquire lands, waters, and interests therein necessary to achieve the natural, cultural, wildlife, and recreation management objectives of federal land management agencies.
LWCF funds are appropriated by Congress to the U. S. Department of the Interior, National Parks Service (NPS), and NPS allocates the funds through state agencies as a grant program to state and local governments. The LWCF program is administered at the state level by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection for the acquisition or development of land for public outdoor recreation.
The Land and Water Conservation Fund was permanently reauthorized in the Dingell Act of March 2019 and in August 2020 the Great American Outdoors Act fully and permanently funded the program.
LWCF: Application Process, Submission Cycles, and Funded Projects
Since 1965 the LWCF has provided more than $5.2 billion through more than 44,000 grants for a wide variety of projects such as parks, sports and playfields, swimming and boating areas, trails, campgrounds, and similar. Each State is responsible for administering competitions, selecting projects, and then submitting project applications to NPS for review and final decision on award.
Eligible applicants include county governments and incorporated municipalities of the state of Florida and other legally constituted local governmental entities with the legal responsibility for the provision of outdoor recreational sites and facilities for the use and benefit of the general public. The LWCF grant is provided on a 50:50 (Program: Grantee) matching basis. Applicants must submit proposals through the postal mail on application form DRP-121, LWCF Grant Application Package.
The maximum grant request for development projects may not exceed $1.5 million. The maximum grant request for acquisition projects may not exceed $1.5 million. An applicant's requested grant funds may be revised by the department due to the availability of program funds. Grant awards are contingent upon appropriation by the federal government.
This federal grant program, funded by the U. S. Department of the Interior's National Parks Service, provides for the acquisition or development of land for public outdoor recreation. The program works in partnership with federal, state and local efforts to protect land in our national parks, national wildlife refuges, national forests, national trails, and other public lands; to preserve working forests and ranchlands; to support state and local parks and playgrounds; to preserve battlefields and other historic and cultural sites; and to provide the tools that communities need to meet their diverse conservation and recreation needs.