Member News

August 2010

Edyth Bush Charitable Foundation Announces New Mission, Focuses on Homelessness

After 37 years, the Edyth Bush Charitable Foundation has announced its new mission: “Creating Innovative Civic Solutions Helping People Help Themselves.”  In line with this mission, the foundation reached out to homelessness experts in Central Florida to develop an innovative solution to help a community affected by joblessness, home loss, and a continued weak economy. The result was more than $661,000, strategically targeted to make a positive impact on the issue, including funding a new staff position at the Homeless Services Network of Central Florida.  [Read More]

July 2010

Kids Aging Out of Foster Care Getting the Help They Need

Together with fundholders Nancy Bryant and Jerry Taylor, the Community Foundation of Broward recently raised $100,000 to help young people leaving the foster care system find stability and success in their lives.  Bryant and Taylor, two Community Foundation donors, worked with their philanthropic advisors at the foundation to create a $50,000 challenge grant, the Foster Success Challenge.  In five short weeks, foundation staff turned $50,000 into $100,000 to help former foster youth throughout Broward County make the difficult transition to independence.  [Read More]

Sea Turtles Injured by Gulf Oil Spill Arrive for Care at Disney’s Animal Kingdom

Eight sea turtles injured by the Gulf oil spill are being rehabilitated at Walt Disney World Resort under the care of Disney animal experts. In addition, Disney Worldwide Conservation Fund (DWCF) has donated $100,000 to help with environmental and animal rescue efforts, including $50,000 to The National Audubon Society for their response in the Gulf. Another $50,000 in grants from the DWCF Rapid Response Fund is being awarded to various grassroots organizations assisting with the cleanup.  [Read More]

Bank of America Invests in Youth Leadership

Bank of America is partnering with 90 nonprofits and putting 230 civic-minded high schoolers to work this summer as part of its Student Leaders program. The Student Leaders, selected in recognition of their service to the community, participate in eight-week local nonprofit internships, funded by $1 million from the Bank of America Charitable Foundation, where they gain hands-on experience and learn the finer points of nonprofit management and leadership while providing valuable service to nonprofits in need of resources.  [Read More]

Community Foundation of North Florida Fosters Local Philanthropic Efforts

The latest issue of Tallahassee Magazine describes how the Community Foundation of North Florida benefits nonprofits in the Big Bend region and facilitates local donors' charitable giving. "The Community Foundation of North Florida makes it possible for Average Joes to create lasting charitable legacies," the magazine writes.  [Read More]

Gulf Coast Community Foundation Invests in STEM Education

Gulf Coast Community Foundation of Venice has announced a five-year project to jump-start improved teaching and learning results in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM).  The innovative program will invest up to $2.5 million at five middle schools and three high schools in Sarasota and Charlotte counties.  The project is designed not only to benefit the targeted schools and children but also to act as an impetus for community-wide involvement in STEM-related activities.  [Read More]

Helios Foundation Invests in Florida's Early Childhood Education

With the ages of birth to five being the most critical stage in the growth and development of young children, Helios Education Foundation is investing close to $1 million in three early childhood education (ECE) initiatives that will expose children to positive learning environments and provide high quality training for ECE teachers in Florida and Arizona.  The largest grant recipient was the Early Learning Coalition of Polk County, Florida, which received $497,608 to support ECE teacher professional development programs that, over time, will help teachers better understand how children learn to read and develop vocabulary.  [Read More]

June 2010

Jacksonville Grantmakers Relaunch Community Safety Net Fund As Needs Continue to Soar

As the number of needy persons in Jacksonville continues to grow, the Jessie Ball duPont Fund and other private donors in the Jacksonville area have come together to reopen the Community Safety Net Fund, which sustains nonprofit organizations providing food, shelter and emergency assistance.  The Jessie Ball duPont Fund has invested $500,000 in the Safety Net Fund, the Lucy Gooding Charitable Foundation has contributed $200,000 and other private donors have added an additional $110,000.  [Read More]

Eckerd Family Foundation to Spend Last Dollar, Close Up Shop

The Eckerd Family Foundation, endowed with $100 million from Jack Eckerd's fortune from his Eckerd Drugs store chain, is winding down its long-held mission to help troubled youth and foster children, the St. Petersburg Times reports. The Tampa-based foundation plans to spend the remainder of its funds by 2012 and close its doors no later than 2014. The foundation's board met to approve that decision this month.  [Read More]

Dr. Phillips Charities Helps Ready Students for the Workforce

More middle and high school students could be financially literate and ready for the workforce by their graduation thanks to a new grant from Dr. Phillips Charities to Junior Achievement of Central Florida.  That grant, along with funding for extensive additions and renovations to three YMCAs are just a few of the benefits from more than $4.6 million in grants and pledges awarded in April and May to local nonprofit organizations by Dr. Phillips Charities (The Dr. P. Phillips Foundation and Dr. Phillips Inc.).  [Read More]

Gulf Coast Community Foundation Awards Scholarships to Deserving Students

Gulf Coast Community Foundation of Venice awarded 366 scholarships totaling more than $450,000 to students from Sarasota and Charlotte counties and Boca Grande for the 2010-11 academic year.  Through its scholarship program, the foundation assists students of all ages who will be pursuing higher education at a vocational school, two- or four-year college, or graduate institution.  [Read More]

May 2010

Southeast Florida Nonprofits Still Feeling Impact of Tough Economic Times, New Survey Finds

Many nonprofits in Palm Beach and Martin counties and surrounding areas are struggling to keep their organizations running at full capacity at a time when needs have increased dramatically, according to a new report by the Community Foundation for Palm Beach and Martin Counties and Allegany Franciscan Ministries.  But tough times have also sparked ingenuity in the sector, with organizations reporting they are collaborating more with other nonprofits and building endowments needed to weather future storms.  Nonprofits cited obtaining funding, recruiting donors and covering employee payroll and benefits costs among their top challenges.  [Read More]

April 2010

Martin County Community Foundation's Giving Day Raises Nearly $200,000

In an eight-hour flurry of philanthropy, 74 local nonprofit agencies raised nearly $200,000 as part of the Martin County Community Foundation's second annual Giving Day.  Matching donations by the Frances Langford Foundation, the Shirley Foundation, Mr. and Mrs. Lon Kight and the foundation's board raised the total to nearly $300,000.  [Read More]

FPN Members Win National Awards for Communications Excellence

Two FPN members received 2010 Wilmer Shields Rich Awards Program for Excellence in Communications, which recognize grantmaking foundations and corporate giving programs for excellence in communication strategies and techniques that advance their grantmaking goals.  In the Public Information Campaigns category, the Gulf Coast Community Foundation of Venice took home a gold award for its Because It Matters regional civility campaign, and the Community Foundation for Palm Beach and Martin Counties received a bronze award for its Nonprofits Going Green campaign.  [Read More]

Southwest Florida Community Foundation A Key Partner in New Project to Help Business Start-Ups

A new community project, the Southwest Florida MicroEnterprise Project, will provide training and loans to make it easier for people of low to moderate income to start a new business in Southwest Florida.  The Southwest Florida Community Foundation is fundraising for the project, and is a partner in the project with Goodwill Industries of Southwest Florida and Accion, USA.  [Read More]

Haitian Community Receives Help to Ease Earthquake Repercussions in South Florida

South Florida's Haitian community will receive new resources to cope with the severe local stresses resulting from the earthquake in Haiti, with support from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.  The grants, totaling $600,000, will go to five Miami-based nonprofit groups to address both short- and long-term challenges facing Haitians in South Florida.  According to FPN estimates, Florida grantmakers have contributed more than $20 million for Haiti earthquake relief and recovery efforts to date.  [Read More]

March 2010

Community Foundation of North Florida, Knight Foundation Partner to Advance "Informed, Engaged" Tallahassee

The Community Foundation of North Florida will receive up to $2.5 million over the next seven years from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation to foster an "informed, engaged" Tallahassee.  The effort is part of Knight's Community Foundation Initiative to deepen its focus on ensuring communities have the information they need to make decisions about their lives.  [Read More]

Patterson Foundation Helps Partnership for Needy Reach New Milestone

Season of Sharing, a 10-year community-wide fundraising partnership for the needy in Sarasota, Charlotte, Manatee and DeSoto counties, reached an unprecedented $1.5 million in donations in March, thanks to a $250,000 outright grant and a $250,000 matching challenge from The Patterson Foundation.  Season of Sharing was created by the Herald-Tribune Media Group and the Community Foundation of Sarasota County.  [Read More]

Community Foundation of Tampa Bay Ranked Among Nation's Most Efficient Charities

A recent editorial in the Tampa Tribune praised the Community Foundation of Tampa Bay for once again being ranked among the most efficient charities in the country, according to Charity Navigator.  [Read More]

Jessie Ball duPont Fund Helps Florida Girl Scouts Go Green

The Jessie Ball duPont Fund awarded $132,000 to Girl Scouts of the USA to pilot environmental projects in five Florida Girl Scout councils.  The grant was among 14 awards totaling $1.9 million made by trustees in February, of which four grants totaling more than $530,000 supported work in Florida.  [Read More]

Edyth Bush Charitable Foundation Backs Orlando's Google Push

The Edyth Bush Charitable Foundation has committed up to $100,000 to help community nonprofits fully implement an ultra-high-speed Internet network if Google selects Orlando as a test site for the company's experimental network.  City residents and businesses can lobby Google to choose Orlando by going to GetGoogling.com.  [Read More]

February 2010

Manatee Community Foundation, Knight Foundation Partner to Increase Local Impact

The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation announced that it will invest up to $2.5 million to foster an "informed, engaged" Bradenton over the next seven years through the Manatee Community Foundation.  The new approach will modify how the Knight Foundation works in the Bradenton region and other Knight communities. Grantseekers in Bradenton will apply for funding through the Manatee Community Foundation, and an advisory committee in Bradenton to guide the community foundation on how to use the funds.  [Read More]

January 2010

Florida Charities Feel Disney Boost

Space Coast nonprofits report boosts in volunteerism thanks to Walt Disney World's "Give a Day, Get a Disney Day" promotion, which offers volunteers who donate a day to designated charities a free pass into a theme park. [Read More]

Four Florida Foundations Are Knight Community Information Challenge Winners

Four Florida foundations are among 24 winners of the second Knight Community Information Challenge, a five-year, $24 million contest of the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation that helps community and place-based foundations find creative ways to use new media and technology to keep residents informed and engaged. Florida winners are Community Foundation of North Florida, Gulf Coast Community Foundation of Venice, Health Foundation of South Florida and Coral Gables Community Foundation.  [Read More]

The Patterson Foundation Launches Vision

With a blank charter from the late Dorothy Patterson to do good throughout Sarasota and beyond, The Patterson Foundation has launched with a mission to inspire individuals and organizations to transform communities through innovative, collaborative and efficient philanthropy.  With no grant cycle or application process, the foundation will honor the Patterson family history through nine areas of focus.  [Read More]

Health Foundation of South Florida Supports Health Services Reaching Nearly 73,000 Residents

The Health Foundation of South Florida announced $650,000 in new grants focused on increasing access to quality, primary health care; healthy lifestyles promotion; preventive health-measures and oral health.  The grants, which typically range from $30,000 to $100,000, were awarded to 14 nonprofit health-related organizations in Broward, Miami-Dade and Monroe counties. The combined impact of the funding is expected to reach and improve health for 73,000 residents.  [Read More]

December 2009

Knight Foundation Continues Investment in Community Foundations Nationwide

The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation announced that it intends to invest $70 million over the next seven years to community foundations serving cities and towns where the Knight brothers owned newspapers.  The new Community Foundation Initiative will deepen the Knight Foundation's focus on fostering informed, engaged communities.  [Read More]

Edyth Bush Foundation Teams Up With Community Leaders to Deliver 250,000-Pound Food Basket

The Edyth Bush Charitable Foundation helped community cupboards meet the demands of hungry families during the holiday season through grants of $15,000 each to Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida, Catholic Charities and Jewish Family Services of Greater Orlando, which used the funds to provide more than 250,000 pounds of food to families facing hunger.  [Read More]

Blue Foundation Honors Nonprofits for Improving Health of Floridians

Seven Florida nonprofits were honored for their work to improve the health of Florida's uninsured and underserved as recipients of The Blue Foundation for a Healthy Florida's 2009 Sapphire Awards. The top awards went to the Ann Storck Center, Fort Lauderdale, and The Education Fund - Plant a Thousand Gardens Collaborative Nutrition Initiative, Miami-Dade County.  [Read More]

November 2009

Sarasota Community Foundation Awards 30 Grants to Celebrate 30th Anniversary

The Community Foundation of Sarasota County culminated its 30th anniversary celebration in November by announcing 30 BOOST capacity-building grants totaling more than $831,000 and a new grantmaking focus on helping improve nonprofit fundraising.  [Read More]

Knight Foundation Awards Infuse South Florida Arts Scene With New Funding

Emerging from 1,562 applications, 20 winners received $3.7 million in the 2009 Knight Arts Challenge, a community-wide contest by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation to find the best ideas for the South Florida arts.  [Read More]

Gates Foundation Supports New Teacher Effectiveness Initiative in Hillsborough Schools

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has awarded a $100 million grant to the Hillsborough County School District to support an ambitious new effort to improve teacher effectiveness.  Over the next seven years, the Hillsborough schools plan to use the funds, which will be matched dollar for dollar, to transform the way the district recruits, trains and retains high-quality teachers.  [Read More]

Bank of America Supports Florida Nonprofit Leaders

Fourteen Florida nonprofits received $200,000 each from the Bank of America Charitable Foundation to participate in the Neighborhood Excellence Leadership Program with other nonprofit leaders from 45 communities in the U.S. and London.  [Read More]

Miami Nonprofits Report Growing Demand for Services, Declines in Funding

While 75% of Greater Miami nonprofits report an increased demand for their services, an equal share report their funding being down by 11% or more, according to the Dade Community Foundation's new Nonprofit Economic Impact Survey Report. The report also shows that 45% of nonprofits had to lay off staff in 2009. Yet these groups maintain a resolve to keep up with demand for their services - somehow.  [Download the Report (PDF)]

October 2009

Community Foundation Leads in Helping Nonprofits "Go Green"

The Community Foundation for Palm Beach and Martin Counties was named the first nonprofit to be certified by GreenNonprofits.org, the new gold standard for nonprofits seeking to "go green" while making a difference. [Read More]

Eckerd Family Foundation Urges Full Implementation of Fostering Connections Act

The Eckerd Family Foundation in Tampa is part of a nine-foundation coalition that has announced a nationwide effort to fully implement the Fostering Connections Act, the most comprehensive federal reforms to child welfare policy in over a decade. The announcement, which includes the launch of the Fostering Connections Resource Center, was made on the first anniversary of the passage of the law that requires safe, permanent families for foster youth, and improvement in their overall well-being, by addressing health care needs and educational stability. [Read More]

Libraries to Enrich Lives in 12 U.S. Communities Through Expansion of Digital Access

A new initiative by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation expands digital access and training through local libraries in 12 U.S. communities, aiming to enhance citizens' ability to use the power of the Internet to improve their lives. The effort comes on the heels of sweeping recommendations by the Knight Commission on the Information Needs of Communities in a Democracy. [Read More]

Health Foundation to Help Older Adults Stay Healthy and Independent

Nonprofits in Broward, Miami-Dade and Monroe Counties will be able to help older adults stay healthy and independent by offering programs recently funded by the Health Foundation of South Florida, as part of the foundation's Healthy Aging Regional Collaborative. [Read More]

September 2009

Chiles Begins "Journey of One Million Steps"

Bud Chiles of the Lawton Chiles Foundation kicked off the "Journey of One Million Steps" in Escambia County.  Through his walk across the state, Chiles hopes to raise awareness about Florida's challenges, with education being a primary focus, and to bring a call to action on the part of Florida leadership. [Read More]

 

Jacksonville Nonprofits Making Strategic Changes to Cope With Recession, According to New Report

Jacksonville nonprofits have made numerous changes in how they operate in response to the current economic downturn, according to a new report by the Jessie Ball duPont Fund. 76% of nonprofits surveyed have made strategic organizational changes, with the most common change being a shift in target client base or programmatic focus, while 59% have increased advocacy with government, 52% have changed board operations, 46% have reduced or frozen wages and benefits, and 35% have reduced staff. [Download the Report]

  
Economy Not Key in Residents' Love for Where They Live, New Study Finds

A Gallup study of 26 U.S. communities finds that the worst economic crisis in decades is not a key factor in attracting and retaining residents. The Soul of the Community survey, funded by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, reveals that a community's social offerings, physical beauty and openness to new and different people are most important to making residents love where they live. Bradenton, FL has the most resident attachment of all communities surveyed. [Read More]

  
Community Foundation Loan to Spur Affordable Rental Housing in Palm Beach and Martin Counties

In response to the growing need for affordable rental housing, the Community Foundation for Palm Beach and Martin Counties has announced a $4 million low-interest loan to the Florida Community Loan Fund (FCLF), a nonprofit statewide lending institution. It is one of the largest investments in affordable housing ever made nationwide by a community foundation to a Community Development Finance Institution.  [Read More]

 

  
New Gulf Coast Foundation Report Recommends Improvements to Florida's 911 System

A first-of-its kind analysis of 911 in Florida identifies numerous vulnerabilities and offers specific recommendations for shoring up a fragmented emergency response system. The independent study was commissioned by the Gulf Coast Community Foundation of Venice following the 2008 murder of Denise Amber Lee of Sarasota County. The study found that Florida's 911 system is not a "system" at all, but rather a patchwork of state and local agencies, protocols and technologies cobbled together to respond to 911 calls. [Read More]

2,000 Miami-Dade School Children to Hear Live Classical Music Through New Knight-Funded Project

The newly created Miami Music Project Ensemble will perform at 10 adopted Miami-Dade middle schools, reaching the ears of over 2,000 children, thanks in large part to support from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. The Miami Music Project is a dynamic ensemble of musicians from all over the country, who will perform exciting classical music concerts onsite at the schools. By teaching the students from the stage they will place the art form in a historical, political and social context.  [Read More]

Dade Community Foundation Supports Military Service Members, Veterans and Families

Twelve nonprofits have received $1.9 million from Dade Community Foundation to serve and support troops and veterans on the homefront who have served our country in Afghanistan and Iraq since 9/11.  The foundation awarded the grants through its BRAIVE Fund Initiative, which is funded by a $5 million, two-year grant from the California Community Foundation.  Two other Florida foundations are partners with Dade in the Florida BRAIVE Fund and have also awarded recent grants through the initiative: The Community Foundation in Jacksonville and Gulf Coast Community Foundation of Venice.  [Read More]

August 2009

Blue Foundation to Help Address Nursing Shortages

The Blue Foundation for a Healthy Florida is one of 10 foundations nationwide to receive funding from Partners Investing in Nursing's Future, a unique national initiative to help address the long-term shortage of available nurses across the country. The Blue Foundation will use the two-year, $250,000 grant, which will be matched by funds from Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida, to promote the use of simulation technology in Florida nurse education. [Read More]

Collaboration to Help Pinellas Seventh-Graders Master Algebra I

Helios Education Foundation, SRI International, and the University of South Florida St. Petersburg will partner with the Pinellas County school district in a half-million-dollar project to get more kids ready for Algebra I by the end of seventh grade. The initiative will merge high-tech software with cutting-edge curriculum and top-notch teacher training. Helios will provide $400,000 for the first year of the five-year project. [Read More]

Web Site Rallies Support for Jacksonville Nonprofits

The Jacksonville nonprofit community has launched a new Web site, www.IGetItJax.com, to capture responses of support for arts and social services as part of the city budget.  Operated by the Nonprofit Center of Northeast Florida, the site was created in response to the City Council's recent cuts to public service grants for social service agencies and to the Council's indication that it will cut an additional $50 million from the budget.  Social service and cultural organizations worry that those cuts could mean fewer dollars for vital safety-net services for the poor and underprivileged. [Read More]

Community Foundation of Sarasota County Launches Initiative to Boost Capacity of Local Nonprofits
The Community Foundation of Sarasota County has announced the launch of a $1 million initiative to help local nonprofits maintain their levels of service during these difficult economic times.  The multi-tiered initiative, called BOOST: Building Organizations' Operational Strength Today, will provide fundraising training, promote increased volunteerism, provide grants to help nonprofits sustain core services, and help meet the critical demand for direct human services. [Read More]

AT&T Increases Investments in Education, Environment, Volunteerism
AT&T announced that it has increased its social and environmental investments during the economic downturn, with commitments totaling $865 million for education, environmental, and volunteerism programs that strengthen communities, stimulate economic growth, and ensure the nation's global competitiveness. [Read More]