24 Feb 2021 Southwest Florida Community Foundation grants $644,974 to local nonprofits through Community Impact Grants
The Southwest Florida Community Foundation has awarded $644,974 to regional organizations and programs committed to increasing the quality of life in sustainable and equitable ways for Southwest Floridians.
In 2020 the Foundation Board of Trustees, lifted grant restrictions to allow for operational funding and to create an additional year of funding to support their grantees during the pandemic. This move is aligned with the Foundation’s goals to create more general operating grants where possible, lift burdensome restrictions and reporting, to develop deeper partnerships with multi-year cohorts and provide sustainable funding.
“Sustainability is at the center of everything we do and we understand that working towards more sustainable funding in our region is a powerful tool in efforts to lift organization who are enhancing our quality of life,” said Trish Botty, Head of Social Impact & Connectivity for the Southwest Florida Community Foundation. “Building long-lasting relationships and partnerships are the keys to learning more about how we transform our programs to strengthen and meet the needs of our community changemakers.”
Twenty-five local nonprofits were granted money from the community foundation’s available Field of Interest funds, as well as individual impact makers in our community. The organizations are included a community cohort that will build additional organizational strengthening and capacity.
The nonprofits include: SWFL, Inc., formally Bonita Springs Area Chamber of Commerce Foundation, Everglades Wonder Gardens, Brighter Bites, Calusa Waterkeeper, Center for the Arts of Bonita Springs, Inc, Charity for Change, Inc., , Equality Florida Institute, Family Initiative Incorporated, Florida Baptist Children’s Homes Inc., Florida Department of Health in Charlotte County, Florida Gulf Coast University’s Climate Change, Immokalee Project and Panther Program, Florida Lions Eye Clinic, Gladiolus Food Pantry, Harry Chapin Food Bank of Southwest Florida, Healthy Start Coalition of SWFL, Inc., Lee County Alliance for the Arts, Inc, Massachusetts General Hospital – HomeBase, Naples Senior Center at JFCS, P.A.W.S. Lee County, Inc., Residential Options of Florida, Inc., Sally J. Pimentel Deaf & Hard of Hearing Center, Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation, Inc., and SJC Boxing Club, Inc.
“We are building on what we have learned from our peer organizations,” added Botty. “Collective learning and community support of new practices will be critical to maintaining and expanding on the progress we are seeing and leading in philanthropy.”
“We are grateful to our donors and those who have made these grants possible, many of whom are generous people who have left resources in their will or estate because they cared deeply about the region and want to be certain that nonprofits serving their causes have the resources they need to create change and opportunity in Southwest Florida,” said Sarah Owen, Southwest Florida Community Foundation president and CEO. ‘We want to lead the charge in supporting innovative nonprofits and spurring community change. The most effective giving is built on solid strategy, smart applications, thoughtful review, and meaningful reporting.”
About the Southwest Florida Community Foundation
The Southwest Florida Community Foundation, founded in 1976, cultivates regional change for the common good through collective leadership, social innovation, and philanthropy to address the evolving community needs in Lee, Collier, Charlotte, Hendry, and Glades counties. The Foundation partners with individuals, families, and corporations who have created more than 400 philanthropic funds. With assets of more than $134 million, it has provided $83.7 million in grants and scholarships to the communities it serves since inception. The Southwest Florida Community Foundation’s regional headquarters are located in the historic ACL Train Depot at Collaboratory in downtown Fort Myers, with a satellite office located in Hendry County. For more information, call 239-274-5900 or visit www.floridacommunity.com