29 Jun 2018 CAUSE & EFFECT: Summer 2018 Issue
May 2018 issue
The Changemaking Continues
We just passed the longest day of the year last week and our team and the recipients of our grants are energized by the summer solstice as evidenced in their work. Our grantee tribe members are busy executing their programs and 135 local students are now preparing for college — all funded by generous foundation donors.
You can read about some of it here in Cause & Effect as well as find information about how you can be part of our work.
We are also excited to see the progress being made on the renovation of the downtown 1920s train station that is being transformed into the Collaboratory. The Foundation team will call the space home along with nonprofit and community-minded partners all working together to create a collaborative culture.
A recent video of the building is included here as well as a log of some of the Collaboratory work that has already begun in our region!
We are preparing for an exciting season….what are you up to this summer? I’d love to know, email me at iamlistening or just click here.
In Gratitude,
Our Temporary Mailing Address
Please note our very temporary mailing address:
As we anticipate moving our regional headquarters to the renovated train station and new Collaboratory in downtown Fort Myers this summer, we are now temporarily accepting mail at:
1404 Dean St. # 102, Fort Myers, FL 33901
Click here to watch the short video stories about this year’s grants to nonprofit organizations
2018 Tribe Stories:
Check Out How Regional Nonprofits are Using Our Grant Money to Create Change in SWFL
As one of the largest grant making foundations in the Southwest Florida region, we work hard to select the brightest ideas to help create measurable and sustainable change here.
Selection is based on our donors’ wishes and clearly outlined guidelines that can be found on our website.
This year 20 organizations split nearly $550,000 to execute their very specific plans to solve a problem in our community or cultivate positive change for the region to benefit our neighbors.
To view the short videos, click here and be sure to check back every week all summer long for the series of stories. To review a list of our Field of Interest Fund and Multi-donor Fund grants, click here.
If you are a member of a nonprofit board in Southwest Florida, be sure that you and your fellow board members get your tickets to spend the day with renown Speaker, Author and Entrepreneur Dan Pallotta as he brings his acclaimed training for nonprofit boards to our area. Board members will be seated together.
One of TED Talks’ most viewed presenters on “The Way You Look at Charities is Dead Wrong,” Pallotta will be in the Collaboratory on Saturday, November 3 for a daylong seminar specifically for nonprofit board members and their organization’s leader. Tickets are limited. For more information or reservations, click here.
Community Impact Grant “Letters of Idea” Now Being Accepted for 2019
Nonprofit leaders, be sure to click here to submit your letter of idea through July 31, 2018! Community Impact Grant portal features a call for idea, projects, and programs–both established and new—that are designed to increase the quality of life in sustainable and equitable ways for Southwest Floridians.
Southwest Florida’s Regional Workforce Coalition Featured
As seen in the News-Press 5-22-18
The work of the FutureMakers Coalition was featured recently for its ongoing work in addressing the need for a skilled workforce in the region. Leaders from the Southwest Florida Community Foundation which provides the backbone support of the coalition, and FutureMakers partners from Lee Health, Ensite and Hendry County presented at a panel discussion during the Florida Economic Development Conference last month. To read the article, click here.
From left: Sarah Owen and Tessa LeSage of the Southwest Florida Community Foundation, Brent Kettler of Ensite, Michelle Zech of Lee Health and Michael Swindle of the Hendry County School Board. Stuart Rogel of Graylan Ventures is moderator.
Fox4 News spoke to student scholarship recipients on their future plans
Scholarship Students Take The Show
Fox4News Talks to Recipients of Foundation Scholarships
With big dreams and plans to attend college, 5 of our 135 scholarship recipients showed up early for interviews by Kathryn Marsh of Fox4 in Your Corner.
They shared how they want to study a variety of fields such as design, nursing, child behavioral health and development, and more.
Some plan to stay here and attend college and others will travel out of state.
Click here to see these interviews on our YouTube Channel.
To learn more about the Foundation’s scholarship program or to become a volunteer reviewer, please visit our website or give us a call!
Fundholders: Are You Using DonorView?
DonorView gives donors with funds at the Foundation 24-7 access to fund activity.
As part of our customer service, donors with funds can get up to the minute information on your fund, run statements, track grants and contributions through our online donor portal. Need more information on how to access your fund? Just give us a call at 239-274-5900 or click here to email Kathy Edwards.
The Collaboratory construction is underway, click the link below to see the latest footage of the construction progress.
Coming in September 2018.
The Foundation In the News
Looking for Change
as seen in Florida Weekly
By Sonya McCarter, Community Engagement Coordinator, Alliance for the Arts
Four years ago, as an actress, my search for plays featuring compelling and interesting African-American characters in Ft. Myers came up…
CAUSE & EFFECT: Relevant Scholars
as seen in The News-Press
The sights and sounds of commencements are all around us this time of year. I remember my own graduations and the sense that the whole world had stopped and noted…