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Description, Funding, and Eligibility

Capacity Building grants are designed to strengthen and support local nonprofits as they navigate an evolving landscape and prepare for success in the upcoming Giving Challenge (April 15-16, 2026).

These grants are intended to help organizations build internal capacity, resilience, and long-term sustainability, with a specific focus on aligning efforts for a successful Giving Challenge campaign.

Eligible applicants must be participating in the Giving Challenge and are required to attend at least one of the training sessions offered. These sessions are designed to equip nonprofits with the tools, strategies, and insights necessary to maximize fundraising, deepen donor engagement, and sustain momentum beyond the campaign.

Focus Areas

Funding may be used to support a wide range of organizational priorities, including:

  • Leadership Development: Executive coaching, staff training, and leadership development
  • Strategic Planning: Board development, organizational strategy, facilitation, and consulting
  • Evaluation & Learning: Building data systems, developing evaluation frameworks, and supporting a culture of continuous improvement
  • Fundraising Capacity: Training and consultant support to strengthen fundraising strategies and campaign execution
  • Financial Health & Sustainability: Access to financial consultants and professional assistance to improve financial management and long-term planning

These grants are designed to help your organization build the foundation needed for long-term growth, while ensuring you are prepared and positioned to succeed during the Giving Challenge and beyond.

If you have an emergency need outside of our regular grant calendar, please reach out to the Community Impact team. 

Organizations may receive up to $15,000 through this grant cycle within a 365-day period.  

In order to receive a grant through this program, organizations must also have: 

  • An IRS Letter of Determination that shows the organization is a 501(c)3 public charity  
  • At least one current program with local impact in one of the following counties: Sarasota, Manatee, Charlotte, or DeSoto
  • An approved/current profile in The Giving Partner, a powerful, searchable online database with over 700 profiles of charitable organizations serving Sarasota, Manatee, Charlotte, and DeSoto counties
  • Eligible applicants must be participating in the Giving Challenge and are required to attend at least one of the training sessions offered. 

Organizations are not eligible to apply if they have received a capacity building grant within the last 365 days or have an outstanding grant report with the Community Foundation of Sarasota County.  We also require organizations to have a physical presence in Sarasota, Manatee, Charlotte or DeSoto County. 

 

Please note: Organizations that have already received capacity building funding as part of a 2025–2026 Community Impact Grant award are not eligible to apply for this Capacity Building Grant cycle.

 

Any organization that is not sure if they meet the criteria should direct their questions to impact@cfsarasota.org

Eligibility

Apply and Review Process

Review Process

Grant Cycle Dates: October 1, 2025 and February 16, 2026
Each grant cycle will remain open for 30 days from the date of launch.

An information session will be held during the week each application opens, offering an overview of the grant process, eligibility, focus areas, and opportunities for asking questions before submitting a strong proposal.

Applicants are strongly encouraged to attend the information session and apply during the open window that best aligns with their programming and organizational needs.

The Community Foundation of Sarasota County has a new grant application platform.

 If you have not submitted a grant to the Community Foundation of Sarasota County since April 21, 2025, you will need to create a new user profile (even if you have applied for other grants prior to that date).

Since other Foundations are also using the same grant platform, please make sure you see the Community Foundation of Sarasota County logo at the top of the apply page.

*It may be helpful to clear your cookies/cache or use a different browser so that the email and password you used for another organization doesn't pre-populate in the login space.

Information Sessions

An information session will be held during the week each application opens, offering an overview of the grant process, eligibility, focus areas, and opportunities for asking questions before submitting a strong proposal.

Applicants are strongly encouraged to apply during the open window that best aligns with their programming and organizational needs.

Watch the information session here.
Passcode: UVAw!X7X

Office Hours

Each Friday from 11am-noon the Community Impact Team will be available to answer questions or discuss applications on an open Zoom Call. Click here to attend the meeting. The first session will be on Friday, August 8th. Please visit this site regularly – any cancellations will be listed here.

There will be no office hours on Friday, November 28th.

There will be no office hours on Friday, December 26th.

Questions?

Learn More

Grant Reporting

Grant Reporting

As a grantee of the Community Foundation, we have grant reporting expectations and requirements to showcase the results of the great work you are accomplishing with this funding.

Share Your Story of Impact

Already received a Community Impact Grant within the last year? Share how this funding contributed to your organization's work and success within our community. 

What can be a Story of Impact?
  • Press Release
  • Blogs
  • Videos
  • Testimonials
  • Articles
  • Podcasts / Audio Recordings

Please reference our Press Kit to help draft your message and coordinate review with Cooper Levey-Baker, Communications Manager, at cooper@cfsarasota.org .

Looking for examples? Check out the Stories of Impact below shared by our Community Impact Grantees.

Resources for Grantees

Eligibility Requirements

Press Kit for Grantees

Additional Questions?

If you have questions about the Community Impact grant cycles that were not answered on this page, please view one of our past information sessions or bring them to an upcoming information session with our team. Videos and registration for upcoming information sessions below.

Need Assistance?

Michelle Croft
Director, Community Impact

941‑556‑7114

mcroft@cfsarasota.org