What is ECHO?

ECHO Grants-in-Aid (ECHO) is a county-wide program that invests in our quality of life by providing funds, in the form of matching grants, to finance the purchase, restoration, construction or improvement of facilities that must be open to the public for our use.  The facilities fall into four categories:  

Environmental:  educational learning centers to better appreciate our natural environment

Cultural:  Museums, art centers and other facilities for cultural enrichment

Historic:   Preserves, protects, and restores our unique history and heritage.   

Outdoor recreation:  facilities to enhance parks and outdoor recreation including sports venues

Every ECHO-funded facility is open to us, for our education, enjoyment and recreation.  In 2000, Volusia County voters overwhelmingly approved ECHO for 20 years.  It will end in 2021, unless we vote YES to renew it this November 3rd.

What does ECHO stand for?

It’s an acronym based on the four categories ECHO funds.  It stands for: Environmental, Cultural, Historic, Outdoor Recreation.

What are ECHO Grant Awards?

They are matching funds that are granted to successful applicants to help pay for facilities that are open to the public, in one or more of the four ECHO categories.

How many projects has ECHO funded? 

241 projects in every region of Volusia County.  Attendance records show ECHO funded projects are visited by more than 600,000 people every year.   Click here for an interactive map of all ECHO projects.

What are some of the projects ECHO has funded in each of the four categories? 

Environmental- Lyonia Environmental Learning Center, Marine Discovery Center, Marshall & Vera Lea Rinker [Rinker] Environmental Learning Center

Cultural- The Athens Theatre, African American Museum of the Arts, Museum of Arts and Sciences, Yvonne Scarlett-Golden Cultural and Educational Center, Atlantic Center for the Arts, Gateway Center for the Arts, Live Oak Cultural Center, the Southeast Museum of Photography

Historic- Jackie Robinson Ball Park and Museum, Lillian Place, Bethune Foundation Restoration/Renovation of Home, Enterprise Heritage Museum Schoolhouse Project, DeBary Hall Historic Site, Lighthouse Third Order Lens Restoration Ponce Inlet Lighthouse Museum, Dunlawton Sugar Mill Historic Site, Joseph Underhill House at the Barberville Pioneer Settlement

Outdoor Recreation- the county-wide Master Trails Program, Dewey O. Boster Soccer Complex, Lake Monroe Park, Frank Rendon Park, Strickland Shooting Range, Coraci Athletic Fields, Colby-Alderman Park, Mill Lake Park, Sun Splash Park, Ormond Beach Central Park Environmental Learning Center

Who decides what projects are funded and how do the grants work? 

We do!  A Citizen Advisory Board developed the policies for those seeking grants and reviews applications, making recommendations about each one to the County Council.  To qualify for a grant, applicants must show that they have matching money equal to the amount of the grant they are seeking from the ECHO fund.

How have ECHO monies been invested thus far? 

Since 2001, ECHO has provided grants for 241 projects in every region of Volusia County yet today, the average homeowner pays less than $25 a year for the ECHO fund.  ECHO has raised more the $95 million, while grant recipients have provided more than $150 million in matches.

Where do ECHO Funds come from? 

For the last 20 years, the money in the ECHO Fund has come from a portion of our property taxes.  The ad valorem tax is just $0.20 (twenty cents) on $1,000 of taxable property value.  That’s less than $0.50 (fifty cents) a week on a home with a taxable value of $130,000!  

That won’t change if we vote YES to renew Volusia Forever on November 3rd.  There will be no increase, we’ll just continue investing at the same rate.

The program is subject to full public disclosure by an audit conducted every year.

Why vote YES for ECHO this November 3rd? 

ECHO is an investment in our quality of life.  It preserves and protects what makes Volusia County unique for all of us to enjoy, now and in the future.