Founders Society grants awarded
GIVING
BY CAROL MCLAUGHLIN Chief Program Officer Southwest Florida Community Foundation
The Southwest Florida Community Foundation recently awarded its Founders grants totaling more than $88,000 to area nonprofit organizations.
The Community Foundation received 75 grant requests totaling $365,000 from nonprofit organizations supporting Lee, Charlotte, Hendry and Glades counties. Of these requests, 21 were funded through this grant cycle. Grants Advisory members conducted onsite reviews of the applying agencies.
While there are so many worthy efforts out there, we must decide which grants we feel will best support the broad base of our community while also honoring our donor's wishes. The Community Foundation's board and the distribution committee work very hard to make sure that the grants awarded are going to make a difference in our community.
Nonprofit organizations are urged to discuss their program or project with Community Foundation staff to determine if it has merit and serves the mission of the Foundation before applying for grants.
This year the process was extremely difficult. There were so many more agencies applying with worthwhile projects, but the funding was limited. Agencies are encouraged to apply to the next Community Foundation grant cycle: Major Annual Grant cycle which deadlines June 19.
This year's Founders grant awards are as follows:
Abuse Counseling & Treatment, Inc., $4,000 - carpet replacement.
Amigos Center, $4,000 - funds for affordable immigration fees.
Camp Boggy Creek, $4,000 - summer camp for seriously ill children.
Charlotte County Homeless Coalition, Inc., $3,000 - enclosing and screening three transitional homes for the homeless.
Child Care of SWFL, Inc., $5,000 -funding to help teachers become certified childcare teachers.
Community Cooperative Ministries, Inc., $4,920 - meals on wheels transportation by Good Wheels when volunteers are scarce.
Empowerment Alliance of SWFL, $4,500 - tutoring program for at-risk students in Hendry County.
Footsteps to the Future, Inc., $3,000 - part-time coordinator for foster girls program.
Foster Care Advisory Services, Inc., $5,000 - financial assistance for food, clothing, and basic essentials for foster children.
Good Wheels, Inc., $5,000 - Ten percent matching funds for vehicle replacement.
Goodwill Industries of SWFL, Inc., $4,000- tran- sition program for student into independent life.
Health Planning
Council of SWFL, $3,000 - transportation to and from pregnancy prevention
program for Hendry/Glades youth.
Island Coast AIS Network, $4,000 -necessary plumbing to repair old pipes.
Lee County Alliance of the Arts, $4,000 - refurbishing Steinway piano.
Lifeline Family Center, $3,500 - replacement of deteriorated soffit with aluminum.
Literacy Volunteers of Lee County, FL, Inc., $5,000 - expansion of position to encompass Lehigh Literacy.
PACE Center for Girls, $4,500 - supplies for botany class.
Partners for Breast Cancer Care, $5,000 - mammograms for financially needy women in Lee Co.
Revolution Autism, $5,000 - stipends for playpals.
Voices for Kids, $3,300 - software to do in-house printing.
The Southwest Florida Community Foundation has been supporting the communities of Lee, Charlotte, Collier, Glades and Hendry through endowed funds for more than 30 years. With assets of more than $57 million and 314 endowed funds, the community foundation has provided more than $30 million in grants and scholarships to the communities it serves.
For more information, please call 274-5900, or visit their web site at www.floridacommunity.com.
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