Barancik Foundation Board Approves Nearly $8 Million in Grant Funding

January 30, 2023 – Sarasota

Charles & Margery Barancik Foundation recently approved grants for mental health, early childhood education, emergency assistance, projects that promote environmental sustainability, and more.  Much of the funding addresses critical needs for nonprofit partners to elevate staff wages, expand programs, and stabilize organizational infrastructure.  Projects include:

Expanding Behavioral Health Services for Youth

• Our investment: A $1 million grant to Sarasota Memorial Healthcare Foundation for mental health program support.
• The big picture: There is a growing need for behavioral health services in the community and a lack of funding to support it.  Many patients are uninsured or underinsured and often, intensive outpatient programs are not reimbursable by Medicaid.  This investment supports the creation and expansion of programs that foster community behavioral health needs, including for youth ages 13 – 17.

Investing in Sarasota’s Bayfront

• Our investment: A $1 million grant to The Bay Park Conservancy to operate and maintain The Bay to the highest park conservancy quality and service standards.
• Why we support it: The Bay initiative is establishing a cultural and economic legacy for the region while ensuring open, public access to the bayfront.  With future phases that include an abundance of green space and native vegetation, bioswales, and the preservation of natural shoreline, the 53-acre bayfront park is poised to enhance the future well-being of our environment and community.

Redefining Early Learning: Investing in the YMCA

• Our investment: A $668,332 grant to YMCA of Southwest Florida for Redefining Early Learning: Investing in the YMCA’s Quality and Capacity.
• Why it matters: The YMCA is the region’s largest childcare provider, making this investment hugely important and beneficial to hundreds of local students, families, and teachers.  As a model of professionalism and innovation, the YMCA has become the anchor institution and backbone of the local early learning community.

Supporting Dreamers within the Hispanic/Latino Community

• Our investment: A $550,000 grant to UnidosNow for general operational support and to create the Luz Corcuera Educational Endowment.
• Their team is dreaming big: The existing gaps in the Hispanic/Latino community related to educational attainment rates, healthcare access, and civic engagement inform every decision made at UnidosNow.  Their team is emboldening students and their parents to create opportunities to bridge these gaps.  This investment strengthens their infrastructure and allows for continued success.

Enabling Young People to Reach their Full Potential

• Our investment: A $300,000 grant to Boys & Girls Clubs of Sarasota and DeSoto Counties for capacity building and to expand teen programs.
• It Takes a Village: Recruiting quality staff to do the critical work of supporting youth is challenging in the highly competitive job market.  This investment increases hourly pay and staff benefits and bolsters the organization’s recruitment efforts.  Funding will also enhance the Club’s nationally recognized teen programs.

A Collaborative Approach to Healthcare

• Our investment: A $250,000 grant to We Care Manatee to create a community collective that provides direct healthcare to uninsured residents of Manatee County.
• How it works: Manatee County’s complex safety net of care lacks cohesion, which makes navigating the system difficult for uninsured patients in need of medical services.  Manatee County Connects for Care is envisioned as a collective of organizations creating an access point for uninsured residents to receive the care they need.

Building Confidence through Adventure

• Our investment: A $186,800 grant to Adventure for All for the Adventure Biking Program.
• What caught our attention: It is often assumed individuals with exceptionalities will never ride a bicycle because they lack the ability to master the task.  The problem, however, does not lie within their exceptionalities but rather within society’s disbelief in their abilities.  Adventure for All teaches individuals to ride independently and overcome the adversities they face.

Fostering Champions for Clean Water on the Suncoast

• Our investment: A $175,000 grant to Suncoast Waterkeeper to create new community engagement programs.
• Why it matters: With diminished monitoring and enforcement of environmental laws on the Suncoast, the organization advocates for policies that restore and protect coastal waters.  With this grant, Suncoast Waterkeeper will preserve talent, increase staff capacity, and engage citizens through new community programming.

Policy Research to Promote Shared Prosperity in Florida

• Our investment: A $175,000 grant to the Florida Policy Institute for general operations in the study and support of reducing barriers to economic opportunity and reducing health inequities.
• They understand policy change: Florida Policy Institute’s staff of experts in healthcare, education, housing, criminal justice, and child well-being provide thought leadership and a credible analysis on critical issues facing Floridians.  They take a non-partisan approach to research and are committed to equity, which improves people’s quality of life and strengthens our state’s economy.

Direction During Crisis

• Our investment: A $150,000 grant to Second Chance Last Opportunity for capacity building and emergency assistance.
• Context: The global pandemic, recent hurricanes, and market inflation has made living increasingly difficult for many.  In response, Second Chance Last Opportunity equips individuals in crisis with tools to manage their lives successfully despite the obstacles standing in their way.

Emergency Stabilization for Food Insecure

• Our investment: A $50,000 grant to Kim’s Krew to expand services in Manatee County.
• A true grassroots effort: According to Feeding America, more than 44,000 Manatee County residents are food insecure. Kim’s Krew is responding by delivering food, basic necessities, and case management to residents, many of whom have major medical issues and/or no transportation.  This investment expands the organization’s food pantry while increasing its staff and capacity for delivery services.

Produce Rescue and Feeding Those in Need

• Our investment: A $50,000 grant to Transition Sarasota for operating support.
• It’s timely and transformative: With more than 46,000 Sarasota County residents lacking access to food, Transition Sarasota is harvesting excess farm and backyard produce to support the food-insecure community.  Their efforts feed people, support the environment, and help local farmers through free labor.

An Outdoor Theatre Experience

• Our investment: A $20,000 grant to the FSU/Asolo Conservatory for Actor Training to support an outdoor production at The Ringling of William Shakespeare’s “Love’s Labour’s Lost.”
• An experience for all: Producing outdoor theatre benefits the actors, who learn new methods of vocal projection and forge unique and interactive relationships with diverse audiences.  Not only do outdoor performances celebrate the origin of the theatre, which dates to the 10th century, but they also bring communities together.  This investment further allows local students to enjoy the performance at free or reduced costs.

Renewing Passion for Educators  

• Our investment: A $310,000 grant for the third year of the Time to Inspire Margie’s Educators (TIME) Initiative for teacher revitalization.
• Her legacy as an educator: To honor Margie Barancik’s chosen profession, the TIME Fellowship supports as many as 25 Sarasota County School District educators to help refresh and renew their commitment to teaching.  Selected Fellows receive up to $12,000 to gain new experiences and perspectives.

CMBF’s Early Learning Initiative, 2023

• Our investment: Barancik Foundation is investing $1,350,000 this year to continue its Early Learning Initiative.
• What’s next: Along with key partners, Barancik Foundation continues to identify gaps in the early learning system with a focus on teacher recruitment and retention, behavioral health, business development and leadership, and policy and planning.  A new Teacher Recruitment Campaign and Early Learning Directors Collaborative piloted by YMCA of Southwest Florida is on the horizon.

Additional Investments

An additional $1,506,250 in grants was awarded for annual operating costs and programs of organizations that Chuck and Margie held close to their heart.