Community Foundation of Sarasota County Awards $500,000

July 19, 2024 | Sarasota

The Community Foundation of Sarasota County has awarded more than $500,000 to 33 local nonprofit organizations through its Programmatic Grants cycle to support organizations that provide access to education, health care, or basic human needs for people who face systemic barriers in Sarasota, Manatee, Charlotte, and DeSoto counties.

Awards reflect growing needs for support to access necessities, with $75,000 funding programs that provide food to families, $164,000 funding programs that provide healthcare (including mental health) services to uninsured and vulnerable populations, and another $264,000 funding family support services, including childcare, academic support, and specialized educational programs to empower people living with disabilities.

“A lot of families are struggling to achieve security and basic needs,” said Kirsten Russell, vice president of Community Impact at the Community Foundation. “These nonprofits are stepping in with innovative and thoughtful solutions to challenges that face our neighbors and are halting their ability to achieve stability and independence.”

Nutrition and health services for people grappling economically

Most of the funding invests in programs that help people experiencing financial difficulties. These investments come at a time when, in Sarasota, Manatee and Charlotte counties, more than 40 percent of families currently live below the ALICE (Asset Limited, Income-Constrained, Employed) threshold, meaning they are working but cannot afford necessities. In DeSoto County, 62 percent of families currently live below this threshold.

Programs supported that deliver nutritional food to those experiencing food insecurity include:

• All Faiths Food Bank, the largest hunger relief organization in the region, which operates a food bank and provides nourishment to individuals and families with limited access to quality food.
• Awaken Outreach Center, a faith-based organization providing nutritional food options to those in need.
• FoodRecovery.org, championing sustainability by connecting organizations to surplus food to serve communities in need.
• Mayor’s Feed the Hungry Program, collecting and distributing food and grocery gift cards to feed the hungry year-round, with a special focus on the holidays. Funding supports Thanksgiving meals.
• Meals on Wheels of Sarasota, providing daily nutritious meals, social interaction, and wellness checks for the homebound and elderly.
• Roser Church Food Pantry, a faith-based food pantry, feeding struggling residents and workers, and students of Anna Maria Island.

In addition to facing difficulty keeping up with regular household expenses like food, rent and utilities, many in our region lack access to quality healthcare. In Sarasota, Manatee and Charlotte counties, nearly 11 percent of residents are currently uninsured, compared to the national average of 8.7 percent. In DeSoto County, nearly 20 percent of residents lack insurance.

Programs supported that provide healthcare and mental health services to vulnerable and uninsured populations include:

• Boys & Girls Clubs of Manatee County, which aims to enable all young people, especially the most vulnerable, to reach their full potential as productive, caring responsible citizens. Funding will support mental health services to at-risk youth. 
• Epilepsy Services of Southwest Florida, an organization providing medical, case management, and education services to low-income and uninsured adults who have epilepsy.
• Forty Carrots Family Center, nurturing healthy child and family development through research-based, relationship-centered education and mental health services. This grant will fund a program that helps parents develop parenting skills to regain custody of their children.
• Jewish Family and Children’s Services of the Suncoast, which offers immediate mental health and human services to individuals, families, and groups. 
• Neuro Challenge Foundation, which works to improve quality of life for people with Parkinson’s and their caregivers.
• On the Spot Aid, which provides education and medical interventions to homeless individuals to prevent catastrophic and costly medical conditions.
• Pregnancy Solutions, an organization that seeks to prevent unwanted pregnancies and provides support to people experiencing crisis pregnancies; this funding will go to underserved populations seeking assistance from the organization’s DeSoto County facility.
• Tidewell Foundation, which provides free end-of-life grief counseling to those who have been diagnosed with serious illness, are experiencing perinatal loss, or have lost a loved one. The grant is designated for DeSoto County.

Ensuring educational access for a range of learners

Since 2020, student performance on a range of standardized tests that gauge proficiency, from the third-grade reading assessment to the eighth-grade mathematics assessment, are trending downward. Roughly half of all children in the four-county region entering kindergarten are prepared for the rigors of academics, according to kindergarten screener scores.

Many local nonprofit organizations focus on education as their mission, complementing the education students receive through traditional K-12 schools and offering programming for youth with disabilities or other special needs or challenges.

Programs supported that provide childcare or educational opportunities for underserved or special needs youth include:

• Ability to Include, delivering programming that creates equitable opportunities for learning, leisure, health, and wellness for children and adults regardless of ability or circumstance.
• All Rainbow and Allied Youth, which provides support, information, advocacy and other resources for LGBTQ+ youth in Charlotte County.
• Art Center Sarasota, providing a creative coalition to increase understanding of the human condition, support well-being, and build community through art.
• Catholic Charities Diocese of Venice, a human services agency empowering all in need. This grant supports a program mentoring underserved children in DeSoto County.
• Girls Inc., an organization that empowers girls to be strong, smart, and bold.
• Lighthouse Vision Loss Education Center, which educates and empowers those affected by vision loss so they can enjoy healthy, independent lives.
• Margwine Organization, which supports middle and high school-aged girls.
• Ringling College of Art and Design, to support the Sarasota Art Museum’s accessibility initiative for children with disabilities.
• Safe Children Coalition, providing education and services for at-risk youth.
• Sarasota Performing Arts Foundation, which advances education and enriches communities through the arts.
• Sisters Sowing Seeds, empowering disadvantaged young women and girls.
• State College of Florida Foundation, fundraising to support the State College of Florida.
• Take Stock in Children Sarasota County, which stimulates achievement for at-risk youth.
• Teen Court of Sarasota, a community-based alternative to the juvenile system that offers second-chance programs for at-risk teens.
• The Florida Center for Early Childhood, which supports the healthy development of young children, with a focus on those with delays, disabilities, and mental health challenges.
• YMCA of Southwest Florida, dedicated to nurturing the potential of every child and teen.

Supporting a just and accountable community

As a means of supporting people who struggle with access to basic needs and services, $50,000 this cycle has been awarded to programs that support overall equity and opportunities for those involved in the criminal justice system to integrate into society.

Programs supported that provide services and opportunities for other vulnerable populations include:

·         GRASP, Inc., which helps people struggling with addiction to recover and live healthy and productive lives and reduce the rates of drug-related recidivism.

·         Peace Education and Action Center, an organization that empowers people to build a socially just community.

·         Project 180 Sarasota, which reintegrates formerly incarcerated people into society, reducing recidivism, poverty, homelessness, unemployment, and criminal behavior. 

Programmatic Grant opportunities help support local nonprofit organizations working towards equity and access for families living in Sarasota, Manatee, Charlotte, and DeSoto counties. Open year-round, these applications are reviewed four times annually, in August, November, February, and May.

For nearly 45 years, the Community Foundation of Sarasota County has been key to unlocking possibilities for everyone who calls our area home. With the trust of the community, the Community Foundation has awarded more than $435.8 million in grants to support causes addressing education, health and human services, the arts, and the environment, animal welfare, and other needs that enhance quality of life. To learn more about available grant opportunities, visit www.cfsarasota.org/nonprofits/grants.