It was a very good year for the Florida State Parks Foundation, as the organization hit yet another record in terms of annual financial impact.
The nonprofit is dedicated to championing and promoting the Florida State Parks system for everyone to use. This year, the Foundation managed to engineer $2.187 million in total funding impact, which accounts for money from both external and internal sources that’s allocated to projects across the state.
External sources include grants, community partners and sponsorships, and grassroots donors. That makes up the majority of the group’s financial impact. Internal funding comes from the Foundation’s own annual budget allocation and typically goes toward recurring programs, such as Park Impact Grants, or for grant match requirements.
The organization has broken its funding record for four straight years now, bringing the total financial impact to more than $8 million since 2022.
Foundation Board President Matt Caldwell said the funding has been well spent on preservation, protection and sustainability for Florida’s parks across the state.
“It is an honor and privilege to serve our state parks, and we are proud to have made a major impact throughout the last 12 months,” Caldwell said. “It’s incredibly rewarding to look back and see the sheer volume and variety of projects, initiatives, campaigns and events that the Foundation has supported in 2025.”
The Foundation was established in 1993 and was initially named the Friends of Florida State Parks until 2018, when it was revised to its current moniker. The organization is dedicated to improving and promoting the 175 state parks in Florida and coordinates with an estimated 20,000 park volunteers.
There were some major triumphs for the Foundation this year. Among those was the involvement of the full-scale reconstruction of Fort Mose at the state park of the same name in St. Augustine. The Delores Barr Weaver Legacy Funds contributed $250,000 to state parks through the Foundation for developing habitat for manatees at Ellie Schiller Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park. And the Foundation provided a fleet of new e-bikes for use by park rangers as part of a statewide partnership among other accomplishments.
“Our state parks are the best in the nation, and they raise the bar each and every year,” said Julia Gill Woodward, CEO of the Florida State Parks Foundation. “We are proud to work alongside them every single day, and we are already looking ahead to what will surely be an amazing year in 2026.”
