Gulf Coast Approves Nearly $11 Million In Grants

November 1, 2021 – Venice

Gulf Coast Community Foundation’s Board of Directors approved nearly $11 million in grants and scholarships at its October meeting. The funding, which was approved at the Board’s first meeting of the fiscal year, included almost $7 million in grants from donor advised funds, as well as $612,671 in scholarship awards.

“The true power and purpose of a community foundation is demonstrated not only through the endowed funds over which our Board has discretion, but through the hundreds of donor-directed funds we administer in partnership with generous philanthropists,” said Mark Pritchett, Gulf Coast President | CEO. “In response to the growing needs of our community fueled by the pandemic, last year we experienced an increase in donor giving by about 30 percent from years prior. We anticipate similar increased support as we enter this new fiscal year.”  

Among grants approved by the Gulf Coast Board in October were three Leveraged Grants totaling $512,500. Gulf Coast’s Leveraged Grants fund collaborative work that will address specific regional priorities identified by the foundation through periodic community assessments. These grants included:·        

$62,500 to help Conservation Foundation of the Gulf Coast launch a Nature Interpretation Program. Funding will be used to hire a Nature Interpreter and implement adult educational offerings. The Nature Interpretation Program will provide experiences in nature to increase people’s perceived value of nature, and land and water conservation throughout the region in the face of impactful population growth, rapid development, climate change, poor policy decisions, and individual indifference to green spaces and their own environmental impact.  ·        

$150,000 to theState College of Florida (SCF) Foundation to address the critical shortage of nurses in our region by supporting the SCF Nursing Center of Excellence.  Gulf Coast also awarded over $124,000 in Community Grants, which are smaller grants to fund programs and projects at regional nonprofit organizations.

These included:        

$25,000 to Venice Theatre to support AACT WorldFest 2022, an international community theater festival that will feature performances from around the globe. Hundreds of visitors from approximately 40 states and 20 countries will watch and participate. Audiences will total 7,000-10,000 and will generate more than $1 million in tourism impact. This will mark the fourth time that Gulf Coast has sponsored this event.  ·        

$14,000 to Glasser/Schoenbaum Human Services Center to determine the feasibility of developing a nonprofit human-services center in North Port. This grant comes from the Anna V. Pfister, Nellie Mae Koss, and Helen K. Hadden Memorial Endowment Fund.