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August 24, 2021

Local Black-Led Nonprofit Organizations Join National Give 8/28 Giving Day to Build a More Equitable Community

By Press Release,

Categories: Donors, Nonprofits, Diversity, Equity, Inclusion,

Grant support from the Community Foundation of Sarasota County will help organizations kickstart their campaigns.

SARASOTA, FL – To culminate the month-long celebration of Black Philanthropy Month in August, several local nonprofit organizations will participate in the fourth annual Give 8/28, a national giving day hosted by the Young, Black and Giving Back Institute to inspire philanthropy by and for Black communities.

For the second year in a row, the Community Foundation of Sarasota County awarded $250 kickstart grants to more than 10 nonprofits in Sarasota, Manatee, Charlotte, and DeSoto counties to encourage local involvement and help build greater support for a more equitable community. This year, these local organizations will be joined by more than 300 Black-led and Black-serving causes across the nation.

Local participating organizations include*:

*With more organizations potentially joining Give 8/28 pending participation 

“Within the spirit of Give 8/28 lies the steadfast truth that any step taken by each of us can combine to drive macro changes for generations to come,” says Roxie Jerde, President and CEO of the Community Foundation. “This is the power of charitable giving, during Black Philanthropy Month, and every month, to give individuals and communities opportunities to shape and invest in our shared future.”

To join this year’s celebration of Black philanthropy and support these local causes on Saturday, August 28, visit www.give828.org.

Last year for the first time in the giving day’s four-year history, 15 organizations based in Sarasota-Manatee took part, joining nearly 500 other nonprofit causes across the country. Over the 15-hour digital event – similar to our local “Giving Challenge – our community’s participants garnered more than $20,000 and competitive rankings on the leaderboard, with three local organizations ranked in the top 20 overall in the nation.

Give 8/28 was created by the Young, Black and Giving Back Institute, a nonprofit organization who seeks to educate, inspire, and empower Black Gen-Xers and Millennials to invest in changing their communities through philanthropy. Held annually on August 28, the date holds both historic and symbolic significance for Black communities, reflecting the day when Emmett Till was murdered in 1955, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his “I Have A Dream” speech, and Barack Obama accepted the Democratic nomination for President of the United States, among others.  

In order to participate, nonprofit organizations must demonstrate that their board, leadership, and staff are predominantly Black and that the organization’s primary purpose is to work to build the political, economic, and/or social power of Black communities. Registration ended on August 13. 

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About the Community Foundation of Sarasota County: The Community Foundation of Sarasota County is a public charity founded in 1979 by the Southwest Florida Estate Planning Council as a resource for caring individuals and the causes they support, enabling them to make a charitable impact on the community. With assets of $418 million in more than 1,500 charitable funds, the Community Foundation awarded grants and scholarships totaling $21.5 million dollars last year in the areas of education, the arts, health and human services, civic engagement, animal welfare and the environment. Since its founding, the Community Foundation has been able to grant more than $274 million to area nonprofit organizations to our community thanks to the generosity of charitable individuals, families, and businesses. For more information, visit www.CFSarasota.org or call (941) 955-3000.