Florida State Parks Foundation Awards Record $150,000 to Citizen Support Organizations Through Park Impact Grants

~Ten friends groups will receive up to $15,000 for park projects, accessibility, resource management and maintenance~

TALLAHASSEE, FL, UNITED STATES, May 12, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Ten citizen support organizations — often known as CSOs or Friends groups — supporting state parks across Florida will receive grant awards of up to $15,000 through the Florida State Parks Foundation’s annual Park Impact Grants program.

Formerly known as CSO Small Grants, the Foundation’s Park Impact Grants program this year has allocated a record $150,000 to support CSOs and state parks that do not have a CSO. The Foundation has awarded nearly $425,000 to dozens of state parks through Park Impact Grants since the program launched in 2021.

Grants are evenly distributed across each of the Florida Park Service’s five administrative districts and recipients are determined through a collaborative application process with parks leadership.

“Park Impact Grants support an incredible variety of projects in parks all over the entire state,” said Julia Gill Woodward, CEO of the Florida State Parks Foundation. “We have seen Park Impact Grants applied to accessibility, visitor experiences, environmental sustainability, severe weather recovery, historic resource restoration and more. We are proud of everything that Park Impact Grants have helped to achieve, and we are looking forward to seeing what this new, increased allocation will create.”

This year’s Park Impact Grants recipients include:
Blackwater Heritage Trail, Inc.
Friends of Eden Gardens State Park.
Friend of Paynes Prairie.
The Friends of Fort Cooper, Inc.
Friends of Gamble Rogers State Park.
Friends of Sebastian Inlet State Park.
Friends of Koreshan.
Paynes Creek Historic State Park.
Fort Pierce Inlet State Park.
Friends of Jonathan Dickinson State Park.

“CSOs and Friends groups do amazing work all over the state, and we are honored to support them every chance we get,” said Matt Caldwell, board president of the Florida State Parks Foundation. “These grant awards will have major positive impacts for our CSOs, for park visitors and for virtually all aspects of park operations.”

— Friends of Eden Gardens (Santa Rosa Beach) received a grant to install a new wheelchair lift at the park’s historic Wesley House. The two-story house was built in 1897 and is a centerpiece of the visitor experience at Eden Gardens State Park. The new lift will expand access to one of the park’s most important historic resources.

— Blackwater Heritage Trail, Inc. (Milton) received a grant to add an accessible walkway that will connect the trail’s visitor center, parking lot, playground area and picnic area. The new walkway will improve access for people who use mobility devices, as well as visitors on bicycles or roller skates.

— Friends of Paynes Prairie (Micanopy) received a grant to resurface the park’s existing playground with bonded rubber surfacing. This restoration will create an accessible play experience for all visitors while creating a more stable surface for mobility devices and strollers.

— The Friends of Fort Cooper, Inc. (Inverness) received a grant to purchase accessible, freestanding binoculars to enhance wildlife viewing within the park. The binoculars will allow viewers of all mobility levels to see and experience the abundant wildlife at Fort Cooper State Park, which is home to 16 imperiled species and is located within the Florida Wildlife Corridor.

— Friends of Gamble Rogers State Park (Flagler Beach), in support of North Peninsula State Park, received a grant to install a floating dock at North Peninsula State Park. This will replace the park’s existing fixed dock structure with a floating dock that will remain accessible year-round and during high tides. The dock overlooks the Intracoastal Waterway and is popular for fishing and wildlife viewing.

— Friends of Sebastian Inlet State Park (Vero Beach) received a grant to acquire a new golf cart for use by park volunteers. The golf cart will allow volunteers to more easily navigate the park while assisting visitors, beautifying the park and monitoring wildlife, among other daily tasks.

— Friends of Koreshan (Estero) received a grant to purchase a new, all-terrain powered wheelchair. The new device will expand access through the park’s settlement and historic buildings, as well as the surrounding trails and rugged terrain that might not otherwise be navigable for all visitors.

— Paynes Creek Historic State Park (Bowling Green) received a grant to enhance the authenticity and safety of the Paynes Creek Historic Reenactment, which interprets Florida’s Seminole War History to park visitors. Grant funds will be used to purchase period-appropriate infrastructure and interpreter costumes, as well as a first-aid tent and accessible sanitation facilities.

— Friends of Jonathan Dickinson State Park (Hobe Sound) received a grant to purchase and install a new, accessible viewing platform overlooking Kitching Creek at Jonathan Dickinson State Park. The new platform, developed in partnership with the University of Miami, will enhance accessibility and improve visitor experience along the Kitching Creek Nature Trail.

— Fort Pierce Inlet State Park (Fort Pierce) received a grant to acquire a new utility terrain vehicle (UTV) capable of traversing the park’s beachfront. The new UTV will allow staff and volunteers to quickly respond for visitor assistance or wildlife management tasks.


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The Florida State Parks Foundation, founded in 1993 as Friends of Florida State Parks and renamed in 2018, is a 501(c)3 nonprofit corporation whose mission is to support and help sustain the Florida Park Service, its award-winning parks and trails, local Friends groups and more than 20,000 park volunteers.

It does this through programs that preserve and protect state parks, educate visitors about the value of state parks, encourage community engagement and active use of state parks, and advocacy. All projects are completed by the Florida State Parks Foundation Services LLC, which is a limited liability company affiliate of the Foundation. The volunteer Board of Directors represents private and public sectors as well as local and statewide interests.

Tim Linafelt
Florida State Parks Foundation
+1 850-559-8914
email us here

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