Friends of sebastian inlet state park, inc 

May 25, 2026

The Friends of Sebastian Inlet State Park is one of 10 groups to receive a 2026 Florida State Parks Foundation Park Impact Grant

The Friends of Sebastian Inlet State Park Inc, in Indian River & Brevard Counties is one of 10 Florida State Parks citizen support organizations (CSOs or “Friends” groups) selected to receive a Florida State Parks Foundation Park Impact Grant for 2026. The grant will fund a new golf cart which will allow volunteers to more easily navigate the park while assisting visitors, beautifying the park and monitoring wildlife, among other daily tasks.

The Foundation’s Park Impact Grants program (previously called the CSO Small Grants program) this year allocated a total of $150,000 for CSOs or parks without a CSO to advocate for their affiliated state parks and provide direct park operations assistance. Each recipient received an award of up to $15,000. These grants are used to enhance visitor experiences, expand accessibility features and support park improvements.

Wayne Bushnell, President of the Friends of Sebastian Inlet State Park said this cart will replace one that is in need of expensive repairs. Also, the grant will allow us to use the funds elsewhere that would have had to spend on a replacement cart.

“Congratulations to Friends of Sebastian Inlet State Park and all of the outstanding CSOs to receive a 2026 Park Impact Grant,” said Julia Gill Woodward, CEO of the Florida State Parks Foundation. “This program creates a huge variety of positive impacts in parks all over the state, and we cannot wait to see this year’s new, record award allocation bring new projects and visitor experiences to life.”

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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 Friends of Sebastian Inlet State Park is a volunteer support group of the Sebastian Inlet State Park. Their purpose is to support the park though volunteer hours & funding projects that help enhance the experience of visitors to the park. Primary funding comes from donations, once a month Night Sounds concerts which are held at the park from October-April, the Turtle Walk program, sales of firewood and ice & purchases in the 2 gift shops in the park.