Community Foundation of Sarasota County Invests Nearly $900,000 in Strategic Partnerships With Key Nonprofits

A new series of grants expands opportunities for local families to experience the arts and opens educational pathways for young people.

The Community Foundation of Sarasota County recently issued grants totaling nearly $900,000 to 19 nonprofits to boost their educational opportunities for young people and make their programming more accessible to local families, among other causes. The grants were made as part of the foundation’s strategic partnership initiative, in which long-running nonprofits receive ongoing support for community outreach, engagement and access. The grants support everything from youth programming at local theaters to author talks and family togetherness events.

“Our strategic partnership grants are designed to increase access to our area’s incredible cultural resources for local families and to give young people a broad range of educational opportunities,” says Kirsten Russell, the Community Foundation’s vice president of community impact. “Each of these 19 grant recipients is a trusted foundation partner with a long track record of excellence. These grants will augment the organizations’ programming and ensure that as many local families as possible have access to their incredible offerings.”

Nonprofits receiving support through strategic partnerships this year include:

• Asolo Rep: to support the theater’s season and family togetherness and youth programming
• The Bay: to support community programming and other events
• Boxser Diversity Initiative: to support the organization’s Building Bridges Discussion Series
• The Circus Arts Conservatory: to support the conservatory’s Circus Sarasota 2026 season
• Embracing Our Differences: to support the organization’s Unity Day, which promotes empathy, respect and resilience among students
• Hermitage Artist Retreat: to support the retreat’s Greenfield Prize and surrounding events
• Key Chorale: to support the chorus’ youth performances and leadership programs
• Library Foundation for Sarasota County: to support the organization’s Love Our Libraries Luncheon
• Marie Selby Botanical Gardens: to support youth education and family togetherness events
• Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium: to support events and educational outreach to underserved teens
• The Ringling: to support health and accessibility programming, the museum’s Community Gallery and other outreach
• Ringling College Library Association: to support the association’s Town Hall lecture series
• Ringling College of Art and Design and Sarasota Art Museum: to support museum exhibitions, galleries and art walks, and the college’s YEA! (Youth Experiencing Arts) Program
• Sarasota Ballet: to support the ballet’s Dance — the Next Generation program for underserved children
• Sarasota Opera: to support Sarasota Youth Opera and other events
• Sarasota Orchestra: to support the orchestra’s dinner performance series and youth outreach and education
• Venice Art Center: to support the South County Art Show for youth and family fun day
• Venice Symphony: to support the symphony’s annual Patriotic Pops concert
• Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe: to support theatrical events and youth educational opportunities, including Stage of Discovery

The Community Foundation is deeply invested in increasing access to arts and culture for young people because data shows how important such experiences can be for a child’s development. According to a National Endowment for the Arts study published earlier this year, participation in out-of-school arts experiences was found to be positively associated with in-school student engagement among students from kindergarten through high school. For younger students, participating in arts activities outside of school was positively associated with positive approaches to learning, greater interpersonal skills and lower rates of problem behaviors. For high school students, participation in arts activities was associated with higher math scores, grade point averages and graduation rates.

“We know, and the data shows, that when young people are exposed to cultural opportunities at a young age, it can supercharge their education and lead them to greater success inside the classroom and beyond,” says Russell. “Our strategic partnerships are aimed at maximizing those opportunities for the greatest number of local families possible.”

Funding for the Community Foundation’s strategic partnerships comes from a wide range of funds at the foundation. Overall, money from 33 different funds supported this round of grantmaking, illustrating the high level of investment for these initiatives and the generosity of local philanthropists in supporting them.