2025 South Florida Program

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 4 has announced the 2025 South Florida Program grant opportunity to support the restoration and protection of aquatic ecosystems across 16 counties in South Florida. This program, authorized under multiple statutes including the Sanctuaries Act of 1990, the Water Resources and Development Act of 1996, the Coral Reef Conservation Act of 2000, and Section 104(b)(3) of the Clean Water Act, is designed to enhance water quality and aquatic habitat within the South Florida Water Management District boundary. These areas include ecologically sensitive environments such as the Everglades, Florida's Coral Reef, seagrass meadows, and mangrove wetlands that support vital commercial and recreational fisheries and serve as critical habitats for a wide range of species. The EPA South Florida Program aims to fund applied science and demonstration projects that generate practical, scalable outcomes to address immediate and emerging water quality challenges in the region. Proposed projects must align with one or more of four identified priority areas: aquatic habitat restoration, reduction of stormwater pollution and invasive species, mitigation of harmful algal blooms (HABs), and enhanced water quality and aquatic habitat monitoring and modeling. Each priority area has specific funding limits ranging from $500,000 to $1,000,000 per project, depending on the nature and scope of the work. Projects must involve innovative approaches and contribute to improved environmental outcomes through new technologies, methodologies, or scientific research that can inform future restoration efforts. Eligible applicants include state and local governments, U.S. territories and possessions, Indian tribes and intertribal consortia, nonprofit organizations, institutions of higher education (both public and private), hospitals, and laboratories. There is no cost-share requirement, but applicants may propose voluntary cost sharing, which becomes legally binding if included in the approved project budget. Projects must occur within the South Florida Program area, as outlined in Appendix C of the NOFO, and must address at least one of the designated priority areas. The application package must include several mandatory components: Standard Forms SF-424 and SF-424A, EPA Key Contacts Form 5700-54, Pre-award Compliance Report (EPA Form 4700-4), a project narrative, budget narrative, and any applicable attachments such as letters of support or resumes. The narrative must be no more than 16 double-spaced pages and should follow a specific structure covering project background, objectives, methodology, outputs and outcomes, milestones, and partnership strategies. Attachments must not exceed 14 pages. If the project includes environmental data collection, a Quality Assurance Project Plan (QAPP) is required within 90 days of award. Projects selected for funding will be structured as cooperative agreements, with active involvement from EPA staff in project oversight. The application deadline is March 16, 2026, at 11:59 PM ET. A pre-budget webinar is scheduled for February 11, 2026, and interested applicants must request access by February 5, 2026. Notifications of selection are anticipated in May 2026, with awards expected by September 2026. Project periods may range from two to seven years. The opportunity is non-rolling and does not recur annually, but future rounds may be announced based on funding availability. Applications must be submitted via Grants.gov, and applicants are encouraged to begin the registration process with SAM.gov and Grants.gov well in advance due to potential processing delays. In the event of technical issues, applicants must follow specific procedures including documenting the issue with a Grants.gov ticket number and submitting the full application by email before the deadline. Contact information for technical and eligibility questions includes Elizabeth Smith ([email protected]) and Jennifer Shadle ([email protected]). The program is highly competitive, and applications will be evaluated based on criteria including relevance to priority areas, scientific merit, environmental results, budgeting, partnerships, leveraging, and strategies for information transfer.

Emphasize alignment with one or more priority areas; clearly define outputs and outcomes; describe project scalability and innovation; build strong partnerships with documented roles.