16 Youth Groups Awarded HSWCD Conservation Mini-Grants

The Hillsborough County Min-Grant program in its first year benefited 16 youth group projects, with proceeds coming from the annual HSWCD Great Plant Auction, presented by the Hillsborough Soil and Water Conservation at the Hillsborough County Fair.

The HSWCD Great Plant Auction typically is held the last Sunday of the fair, which in 2023 is scheduled to run Nov. 2-12 at the Hillsborough County Fairgrounds in Dover.

Mini-grant recipients were officially announced April 12 at The Regent in Riverview, at the 2023 Hillsborough 100 Conservation Challenge Kickoff Luncheon and Awards Ceremony. In attendance was lifetime nurseryman Roy Gene Davis, a Florida State Agricultural Hall of Fame inductee, who serves as the annual plant show chair and auctioneer. The auction is made possibly the generosity of area nurserymen in support of youth programs.

See our blog coverage of the 2022 HSWCD Great Plant Auction

Due to the interest and quality of applications, 16 mini-grants were awarded this inaugural year, twice the amount originally expected. Each $250 grant is to provide funding support for youth conservation programs created and executed by Hillsborough County students enrolled in K-12 public, private, parochial, charter, home and virtual school programs.

See 2022 HSWCD Mini-Grant Application and Entry Form

Below is both a link to program materials and a representation of the luncheon program insert that details the projects proposed by the 16 grant recipients:

1. Apollo Beach Elementary School

2. Brandon High School FFA Chapter

3. Cub Scout Pack 37

4. Boy Scout Troop 109

5. Dunbar Elementary Magnet School

6. Ryan Flugel Eagle Scout Project

7. Girl Scout Troop 3518

8. Graham Elementary AGP Gardeners

9. Hillsborough County 4-H

10. Lopez Exceptional Student Center Agriculture Classes

11. Pizzo K-8 Patel Lower Campus School Garden Club

12. Raise the Bar 4-H Club

13. Scubanauts International (Tampa chapter)

14. Springhead Elementary 5th Grade Lunch Bunch/Tutoring Group

15. Temple Terrace Elementary School Green Team

16. Winthrop Arts Inc.