New Community Foundation of Sarasota County Grants Will Strengthen Nearly 50 Nonprofits

More than $500,000 was recently distributed to organizations working in areas such as hunger, literacy, mental health, affordable housing and more.

Sarasota, Florida — The Community Foundation of Sarasota County is bolstering the region’s nonprofit sector through a new round of grants, awarding $507,255 to 46 different organizations that are addressing residents’ varied needs across the region.

Awards made through the foundation’s Community Impact grant program will help provide household items and food to families at risk of homelessness, extend grief support services to children, increase educational opportunities for children and adults in rural areas, boost in-home care programs for seniors and more. Capacity Building grants, meanwhile, are designed to help nonprofits improve their operations so that they can fulfill their missions and become more sustainable over the long run. Those grants will benefit organizations working in fields like early learning, housing, education, mental health and more.

“Nonprofits are navigating rising operating costs, funding shortages and limited staff capacity at a time when demand for their services continues to grow,” says Kirsten Russell, vice president of community impact at the Community Foundation of Sarasota County. “With this latest round of funding, we hope to address some of the sector’s most pressing needs, while also helping them grow their own internal capacity so that their vital work can continue long into the future.”

Organizations receiving Community Impact grants will help a wide range of individuals, including:

Children and Families

• Arcadia-DeSoto County Habitat for Humanity: to support the development of Maple Street Village, a multi-parcel affordable housing community
• Art Center Sarasota: to support accessible, affordable arts programming for children and families to foster creativity and strengthen family bonds
• Avenue941: to support the expansion of after-school academic coaching for Manatee County students
• Back Pack Angels: to help provide hygiene products for homeless children and children in need in North Port
• Catholic Charities Diocese of Venice: to support the Casa San Juan Bosco 2Gen Educational Program, which offers coordinated educational opportunities for children and adults in rural DeSoto County
• Children’s Home Society of Florida: to support a full-time wellness coordinator at Manatee Elementary who will link students to comprehensive health services
• CreArte Latino Cultural Center: to support bilingual performing arts and education programs that strengthen connection, cultural identity and community belonging for youth and families
• Manatee Literacy Council: to support literacy services for adults in Manatee County so that they can increase opportunity for themselves and support their children and families
• St. Vincent De Paul CARES: to support the Delivering Dreams program, which provides essential household items, community integration and emergency services to families escaping homelessness

Individuals Experiencing Mental Health Challenges

• Dragonfly Mental Health: to support mental health workshops at Ringling College of Art and Design that address urgent, yet often hidden, mental health crises
• Fabulous Arts Foundation: to support mental health care and community support for LGBTQ+ youth and their families
• G.R.A.S.P.: to help provide essential resources such as housing, food, clothing and transportation for people transitioning from rehabilitation or incarceration
• Replay Outreach: to support the Replay Success4Life program, which provides structured, trauma-informed group sessions and mentoring to help youth build self-awareness, emotional regulations, communication skills and personal responsibility
• Valerie’s House: to support peer grief support groups for children in Charlotte, Sarasota and DeSoto counties

People Experiencing Food Insecurity

• Community Harvest SRQ: to support the Suncoast Gleaning project, which recovers unharvested food from farms and delivers it to people experiencing hunger
• Meals on Wheels Sarasota: to support the Food Is Medicine program, which provides medically tailored meals to Meals on Wheels clients
• Stillpoint Mission: to support the organization’s food program, which distributes free basic food items to underserved families each week

Seniors

• AM and FM Enterprise: to support an in-home care program for homebound seniors in Sarasota and Manatee counties

Those With Special Needs

• Beyond the Spectrum: to support affordable, immersive summer camp programming for students and families with unique learning differences
• Dogs Inc: to help train service dogs for veterans, individuals with vision loss and other medical issues, and children and families with disabilities
• Loveland Center: to support speech, occupational and physical therapy programs for participants in the organization’s daytime programming

Capacity Building grants, meanwhile, will help nonprofit causes improve their operations in the areas of fundraising, communications and strategic planning through a mix of new tools, professional development and consultant support. Organizations receiving such grants include:

• Ability to Include levels the playing field in education, recreation and advocacy for children with special needs and their families
• Arcadia-DeSoto County Habitat for Humanity is dedicated to eliminating substandard housing through building, rehabilitating and preserving homes; advocating for fair and just housing policies; and providing training and access to resources to help families improve their shelter conditions
• Architecture Sarasota stewards the legacy of the Sarasota School of Architecture and provides a forum for education, advocacy and the celebration of good design in the global built environment
• Avenue941 empowers churches to open their doors throughout the week to help the next generation make academic progress, build confidence, grow spiritually and improve behavior
• Awaken Outreach works to meet the physical needs of North Port residents with dignity and respect
• Booker Promise provides college scholarships to Booker High School students through a comprehensive college and career readiness program to ensure that every student has the skills and resources necessary to develop to their fullest potential
• Conversations Across the Aisle strengthens communities by breaking down information silos and allowing people the opportunity to have meaningful discussions across lines of ideological difference
• Dragonfly Mental Health is dedicated to cultivating excellent mental health among academics through research, education and community building
• Early Learning Coalition of Sarasota County expands access to high-quality early learning programs to prepare infants, toddlers and preschoolers for lifelong success in school and beyond
• Easterseals Southwest Florida provides services for people with disabilities and their families and empowers individuals to live their lives to the fullest
• FoodRecovery.org connects organizations with surplus food to communities in need, championing sustainability by diverting edible food away from landfills
• Lakewood Ranch Wind Ensemble serves the community by providing exposure to high-quality wind ensemble literature at a professional level
• Lemur Conservation Foundation is dedicated to the preservation and conservation of the primates of Madagascar through managed breeding, scientific research, education and art
• Lighthouse Vision Loss Center educates and empowers those affected by vision loss so they may enjoy happy, healthy and independent lives
• Manatee Children's Services provides resources and shelter to alleviate abuse through prevention and intervention for children and their families
• Manatee Education Foundation provides funding for programs and enhanced educational opportunities for teachers and students in Manatee County public schools
• Manatee Literacy Council provides free, welcoming and confidential literacy services that help adults build reading, writing and English communication skills
• MCR Health provide patients access to quality primary care and preventative health education regardless of race, sex, disability or economic status
• Meals on Wheels Sarasota provides daily nutritious meals, social interaction and wellness checks for the homebound and elderly in our community
• North River Prevention Partners creates community partnerships to implement substance abuse prevention strategies to promote the health and safety of individuals, especially youth
• Risen Savior Academy provides personalized learning to encourage academic excellence, equipping students to lead with faith, love and purpose
• Samaritan Counseling Services of the Gulf Coast instills hope and transforms lives through professional, spiritually integrated counseling services
• Sarasota Farmers Market creates a social opportunity for residents and visitors to gather and interact, brings foot traffic to downtown Sarasota and provides a venue for other nonprofits benefiting Sarasota
• Second Heart Homes revives the dignity of homeless adults with mental illnesses through housing, support and love
• Spark ALC uses self-directed learning to empower children to become joyful lifelong learners who are prepared to thrive in an ever-changing world
• Star Lab is a full-time microschool that maximizes student learning and motivation in kindergarten-age children
• Teen Court of Sarasota provides peer-led programs that offer first-time juvenile offenders the opportunity to take responsibility for their actions, learn from their mistakes and make positive choices for their future
• Visible Men Academy delivers a high-quality educational experience for at-risk elementary-aged boys through the collaborative efforts of administrators, teachers, parents, the broader community and the students themselves
• Wintergarden Presbyterian Church Garden of Eatin is a community garden that feeds people physically, spiritually, mentally and emotionally
• YMCA of Southwest Florida puts Christian principles into practice through programs that build a healthy spirit, mind and body

Organizations that receive grants from the Community Foundation of Sarasota County maintain profiles on The Giving Partner, a searchable online database of more than 750 nonprofits that serve Sarasota, Manatee, Charlotte and DeSoto counties. The website, which is hosted and maintained by the Community Foundation, is a centralized directory that is trusted and used by donors, foundations, businesses and other organizations. To learn more about the nonprofits above or to further explore the region’s nonprofit sector, visit TheGivingPartner.org.