Collaboratory earns LEED GOLD certification Plaque presented by Southwest Florida Branch of US Green Building Council FORT MYERS, Fla. (October 25, 2019) - The Southwest Florida Community Foundation’s Collaboratory located at 2031...
The percentage of minority-owned Collier businesses between 2007 and 2012, the latest numbers available, grew by 42%....
Thank you to everyone who hosted or attended an On the Table Southwest Florida Conversation on October 17. Enjoy the photos and if you don't see yours, please send to...
I often describe myself as a delusional optimist, which means I don’t spend a lot of time feeling discouraged. I tend to broker in the world of possibilities and the...
The Southwest Florida Community Foundation’s Collaboratory located at 2031 Jackson Street, Suite 100 in Fort Myers has achieved LEED GOLD certification using the LEED v4 Building Design + Construction: New Construction rating...
Collective impact boosts sustainability by conserving significant watts and water When Jerry Miller began planning the Seaboard Apartments he set his sights on constructing environmentally responsible properties that would conserve water...
I am a data geek and believe that a commitment to measuring and evaluating progress is key to a strong strategic business plan. I am always filled with hope and...
An estimated 36,000 adults in Southwest Florida, 3.4% of the population, identifies as LGBT, according to a new regional analysis by the Williams Institute at UCLA School of Law funded...
Like a lot of folks, this past summer I watched news accounts of the Apollo 11 moon landing that marked the 50th anniversary of that historic achievement. What struck me...
Recently I heard the Mayor of Pittsburgh, Bill Peduto, speak on the culture of collaboration in his City. Pittsburgh is a big-time sports town, so he used a striking sports...
The Women’s Legacy Fund (WLF) of the Southwest Florida Community Foundation will hold its 2019 Fall Breakfast for Contributors, Friends and those interested in being part of the WLF on...
As the fall is upon us and the Pumpkin Spice flavored coffee creamers, donuts, pancakes and candles start to make their way to the forefront, and as the vibrant fall...
by the team of the Southwest Florida Community Foundation Nearly 8 years ago, Sarah Owen initiated her own personal listening tour when she took the helm of the Southwest Florida Community...
Each summer I turn over this column to the Southwest Florida Community Foundation’s nonprofit grantee partners. These are organizations who have received funding, made possible by donors, to support change-making...
by Angela Katz, development director, LARC, Inc. It’s hard to envision life without Google, Alexa, and Amazon. Consider how deeply the internet and smart devices are woven into your everyday life...
by Cathy Murtagh Schaffer, PA-C, Lee Physician Group Patients struggling with addiction and related health issues have a new option for treatment through an innovative program at Lee Health. Using a $50,000...
by Sarah Owen, president & CEO, Southwest Florida Community Foundation I have a 3-hour limit. I don’t turn into a pumpkin, but anything longer than 3 hours in a car and...
by Christian Bell, Marketing Manager Ray Charles, Art Tatum, Stevie Wonder, Andrea Bocelli—these great performers, who are all immediately recognizable for their amazing talent, all dealt with visual impairment. Many singers,...
When it comes to making an impact, the Cape Coral resident believes strongly in endowed funds. Those are investment funds that only draw on the interest generated, not the principal....
By Laura Perry, President, Glades Education Foundation, Inc. There were many local students joyously crossing the stage in late spring, entering the next formative phase of their lives, with proud families...
by Kaydee Tuff, Communications Manager, The Shelter for Abused Women & Children Nine-year-old Nikko could not talk about the daily abuse he saw his father inflict on his mother but he...
Southwest Florida Community Foundation's Immigration Program Officer Nirupa Netram attended Grantmakers Concerned with Immigrants and Refugees (GCIR) convening in Philadelphia in June 2019. The annual GCIR convening is philanthropy’s foremost conference...
Residents sharing meals to connect and discuss community On Thursday, October 17, 2019, people from across Southwest Florida will take part in a single day of conversation about the community and...
by Janelle Beaber, Development Director Two and a half years ago, I was introduced to an organization who was changing the lives of pain patients in our community. These patients had...
These six words have become a theme in my life. This summer I have tried to be more intentional about taking the time to get together with friends and colleagues...
by Chuck Myron Sheyla Marino Quariguazy is an experienced professional who just wants to take care of business and take care of herself. For 20 years, she worked as an...
In everything we do, we know it's all about people. Daily we are reminded that it's people we serve. It may be those who are seeking ways to give their...
By Jamail Aikens Sometimes we need someone to throw us a lifeline! On September 2, 1944, a 311-foot submarine rose from the ocean depths to throw a lifeline to a young...
The Southwest Florida Community Foundation will bring back nationally renowned author and TED talk speaker Dan Pallotta to town on Saturday, November 2 for a one-day Board training seminar for...
by Armando Hernandez, SWFL Program Director, Home Base On the battlefield service members are placed in unimaginable situations. Many returning veterans find solace in avoiding these traumatic memories which only exacerbates the intensity, frequency...
The Southwest Florida Community Foundation recently welcomed two new team members to the organization. Trisha Botty, an experienced professional in government and community relations, communications, organization, program management and public advocacy,...
By Dr. Jaclyn Faffer The number of Americans living with Alzheimer’s and dementia-related diseases is projected to more than double over the next 30 years. Thanks to the generous support of...
The Financial Planning Association of Southwest Florida chilled out with the Southwest Community Foundation at Collaboratory on July 10, 2019. Financial advisors, bankers, and the Community Foundation team shared some...
By Lauren G. Schmidt, Health Education Program Consultant, Florida Department of Health in Charlotte County The Florida Department of Health in Charlotte County received a $25,000 Community Impact grant from the...
by Majda Rahmanovic, CAIR Florida CAIR-Florida, Inc. is excited to start serving the diverse Southwest Florida immigrant community from our new office in Fort Myers, thanks to the generosity of the...
The Southwest Florida Community Foundation recently welcomed Katie Leone as Impact and Sustainability Manager. In her new position, Leone will work on the Social Innovation & Sustainability (SIS) Team where she...
In a lineup of nearly identical sea life drawings, one of the pictures seemed a bit out of place. I always looked forward to picking up my youngest child from...
Rose is pictured with her Big Sister Alex. My name is Rose and I am a graduating senior. I am a happy, healthy, well adjusted, young woman who excels in school...
by Jill Palmer, Executive Director, Florida Southern Gulf Chapter, American Red Cross Thanks in part to a recent grant from the Southwest Florida Community Foundation, and in partnership with Lee County...
by K.C. Schulberg, Executive Director / Calusa Waterkeeper What is going on with our water, and what is the potential risk to human health? The summer of 2018 brought historic, unprecedented...
by Pamela Aubuchon, Member, Board of Directors, Cape Coral Animal Shelter Cape Coral is the second largest city in the state of Florida. Growing every year, the population is now reaching...
The LGBT Community Fund of Southwest Florida, a fund of the Southwest Florida Community Foundation, kicked off its grants process with the annual Fantastic Fund Contributor's Reception. This year's event...
The low hum of homework grumbling has been a backdrop of my life for a least 20 years. On the journey of raising three kids, there are bound to be...
The Southwest Florida Community Foundation will open its annual call for Community Impact Grant applicants on June 3, 2019. The Community Impact Grant is a program of the Southwest Florida...
by Ann Christiano, MPAP, Director of the Center for Public Interest Communications at the University of Florida One of the highlights of my year every year is the three days our...
by Caroline Ridgway, Special to Florida Weekly You know it’s a worthy celebration if both cake and social good are on the agenda, and the Southwest Florida Community Foundation knows how...
128 scholarships awarded through 102 scholarships funds for high school seniors and undergraduate and graduate students The Southwest Florida Community Foundation recently granted $739,676 and 128 scholarships through a competitive...
When I was a kid it was always a really big deal to stay up late enough to watch network television sign off for the night. I don’t remember exactly...
It feels like summer because things are heating up outside and inside Collaboratory. Last week alone we attended a cocktail party for the LGBT Community Fund of Southwest Florida, hosted a...
By Abby Schultz May 1, 2019 5:39 p.m. ET As seen in Barron's, click here to read the online version. After the U.N. developed its Sustainable Development Goals in 2015, corporations and investors began...
