A Giving Team: Karin Grablin & Gulf Coast Community Foundation

By Tom Reese | March 2025

Gulf Coast Community Foundation (Gulf Coast) has been a pillar of our community since 1995, distributing over $575 million to local nonprofits and areas of need with the help of its philanthropic donors. The Gulf Coast team works side-by-side with over 850 donors to make sure their generosity gets to the right place at the right time. 

One of those donors, Karin Grablin, has been involved with the organization for over 15 years both personally, and through her company, SRQ Wealth, of which she is Co-Founder and Managing Partner. Karin was first introduced to Gulf Coast while serving on the board of a local nonprofit, where other board members were already working with Gulf Coast. After getting to know the organization and its team, she realized there was a great opportunity to help her clients meet their charitable goals through donor advised funds administered by Gulf Coast. 

Karin is actively involved in the Sarasota community and strongly believes in giving back to the region that has been so kind to her over the years. She currently serves as Treasurer for the Suncoast International Women’s Forum and is an active member of Sarasota Women’s Alliance and has served on half a dozen other boards over the years, a few of them as board chair. She is also serving as a mentor to a Take Stock in Children student scholar.

Before getting SRQ Wealth off the ground in 2010, Karin began her career as a corporate Certified Public Accountant (CPA) before becoming certified as a Certified Financial Planner (CFP). Karin is one of a small percentage of all financial advisors in the country who are both a CPA and a CFP® practitioner. 

“I spent time working in the corporate world, but gradually found myself wanting to apply my financial skills on a more personal level in a way that would help individuals and families achieve their own financial goals. Working in this field fits my dream profession very well! I learn something new every day and get to meet and work with outstanding people, always with the goal of truly making a difference in their lives,” said Karin. 

As Managing Partner and Senior Wealth Advisor for SRQ Wealth, Karin meets with clients and advises them on their financial plans and provides direction to the operations team to help ensure clients receive an excellent service experience. Many clients that come to Karin often have charitable goals in mind, but not a complete plan. That’s where Gulf Coast comes in. 

Gulf Coast’s donor advised funds allow people to be philanthropic in many different areas through a simple donation. Karin’s team at SRQ Wealth helps clients determine how much money they want to donate and processes that money through Gulf Coast, where they can pick areas of interest they would like to support. The team at Gulf Coast then grants that money directly to various local nonprofits and causes. 

“Once we meet a new client and help them plan their wealth to the point they are assured that they and their family will be taken care of in the future, we focus on what kind of legacy they want to leave. These donor advised funds enable us to not only do tax planning for our clients, but essentially provide a ‘charitable checkbook’ for them to use in the future when they do find a cause or organization they want to support. It’s been very successful for our clients.” 

In addition to introducing clients to Gulf Coast, Karin is a donor herself. Her story is heartbreaking.  About 10 years ago, Karin lost her 12-year-old son (and only child) in a tragic accident. Despite the shocking loss, Karin and her husband wanted to honor their son’s memory by creating a fund to support things that he loved. 

“Because we knew about Gulf Coast and had started to work with them already, in lieu of flowers or meals we asked people to donate. My goal was to create a fund in his memory to support children and animals in need. He was a very kind-hearted soul, and he would have wanted to do this.” 

Karin and her husband Patrick continue to maintain this fund through Gulf Coast. They collapsed their son’s college fund into it and received many donations from generous members of our community. Today, the fund continues to support children in Sarasota and Manatee counties through summer hunger programs, foster care support, guide dogs for children, and more. 

As Karin continues to connect clients to Gulf Coast, she continues to support the region in monumental ways. For her, wealth planning isn’t just a job, it’s a passion. 

“My philosophy on financial planning in general is to help clients realize that, once they have taken care of their own needs and those of their family, if they are so inclined, they can not only leave a legacy but realize the good work they can do in our community during their lifetime. That’s very satisfying for me in terms of professional achievement. Any time a client has an inkling that they would like to be charitable, we make sure that conversation takes place, and they get the opportunity to give back now.” 

As an endowed organization, Gulf Coast will be in our region forever to continue addressing community needs and ensuring that donations impact causes that their donors are passionate about supporting. Since 2009, Gulf Coast has undertaken regular regional scans to learn what is happening in our region and what challenges face our community members, donors, and public and private partners. They are committed to action across the range of issues facing our communities and are ready to lead, partner, and invest in innovative ideas and solutions.

If you feel inspired to help Karin and Gulf Coast Community Foundation fulfill their goals and objectives, please visit www.gulfcoastcf.org to learn more and explore all the different causes and organizations they support. Together as a community we can make a difference and brighten many lives.