Celebrate National Florida Day with These Five Grants

Editor’s Note: This is part of a series recognizing each of the 50 states by providing state-specific grants for each. These articles follow the National Day Calendar Year. The calendar began celebrating each state in the order they entered the union starting the week of Independence Day. National Florida Day is celebrated on January 25th, And Florida was the 27th state to join the union.

So, in honor of National Florida Day, GrantWatch is sharing some of its favorite grants below that are specifically for the state.

Some Background on the State

Florida is one of the top destination places for tourists. The state is a peninsula, which means it is surrounded by water and is quite famous for its beautiful beaches and warm weather. Its weather and proximity to water make it the perfect place for outdoor activities such as diving, fishing, boating, kayaking, and much more. The state also has a number of amusement parks and other attractions that bring in many visitors throughout the year. This includes Disney World, Sea World, Universal Studios, Kennedy Space Center, Busch Gardens Tampa, and the Daytona 500 International Speedway.

The state actually started out as two separate territories, East Florida, and West Florida. They became the 14th and 15th British colonies in 1863, after the French and Indian war. However, the territories were returned to Spain in 1783 after the American Revolution through the Treaty of Paris. The present-day borders of Florida happened in two stages. East Florida was acquired through the Louisiana Purchase, in 1802, and West Florida joined the Mississippi territory after a U.S backed intervention led to an uprising in the territory. Florida joined the union as a state in 1845.

Along with these interesting facts about the state for National Florida Day, here are a few other facts you might not know about the state.

10 Fun Facts About the Sunshine State

1. Firstly, if you’re looking for great weather: Florida’s average temperature is 70.1 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. In addition, the state produces about 67 percent of the oranges in the U.S.
3. It also has more golf courses than any other state.
4. Tourism accounts for $67 billion of the state’s economy.
5. Additionally, the state ranks 4th among in overall aerospace employment with 33,000 jobs currently.
6. NASA’s first communication satellite, Echo 1, launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida, on August 12, 1960.
7. The state flower is the orange blossom.
8. Jacksonville’s name came from General Andrew Jackson.
9. It is the second-largest tomato producing state.
10. The state’s name is also actually older than the United States itself. Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de Leon landed in Florida on April 2, 1513. He called it “La Florida” which means land of flowers in Spanish.

Five Florida-Specific Grants

1. Firstly, there are grants available to Florida schools and community or civic organizations for environmental education projects related to water.
2. Grants of up to $2,500 to Florida small and medium-sized businesses to strengthen operations and enter international markets.
3. There are also grants to Florida and Israel for-profit companies to collaborate on aerospace research and development projects.
4. In addition, there are grants to Florida government agencies, tribal governments, and nonprofits for projects that support and enhance recreational infrastructure. Funding is to create and maintain recreational trails, purchase equipment, and promote educational projects.
5. FInally, there are matching grants available to Florida County Governments to improve emergency services.

GrantNews Notes

Are you looking for more grants like this? GrantWatch has an entire website specifically for Florida grants. Go over to Florida.GrantWatch.com to find grants that are specifically for organizations in Florida.

Also, make sure to give your organization the gift of GrantWatch this new year! Signing up for a paid subscription to GrantWatch will help you to gain access to resources to aid in your grant journey. Specifically, one of the tools that subscribers have access to is our exact keyword search function. This tool allows grant-seekers even further to narrow down a grant search.