Foundation awards $2.2 million to bay area nonprofits

Community Foundation Tampa Bay has awarded more than $2.2 million to 84 nonprofit projects within the Greater Tampa Bay area. 

The grantmaking organization’s competitive grants support projects in five key focus areas. They include economic opportunity, environmental resiliency and sustainability, physical and mental health and wellbeing, quality youth education and vibrant and engaged communities.  

“The five areas of focus are based off community conversations,” said Brandi Sanchez, Senior Director, Community Investment at Community Foundation Tampa Bay.

“We have councils made up of leaders and volunteers (in each county), who really inform us on what’s going on in the community.”

Every year, nonprofits are chosen through a selective application process. Community Foundation Tampa Bay’s service area includes Pinellas, Hillsborough, Hernando, Pasco and Citrus counties. 

This year, 363 applications were submitted and reviewed. Twenty percent of the organizations were first time applicants, Sanchez added. 

Fifty reviewers went through the applications. 

“There is so much going on in the Tampa Bay community, it is beautiful to see the resilience of these organizations after a really tough year from the hurricanes and the intentionality of the projects that were submitted,” she said. 

“There is a need out there and that’s a big thing we want to highlight. Organizations always need support and how do we wrap around them to ensure that they have that support.” 

To be able to award nonprofits, the foundation partners with fundholders, or individuals, families and companies that want to have a substantial charitable impact in the community. 

Many fundholders allow Community Foundation Tampa Bay to select where their funds go.  However, the foundation also lets fundholders personally choose causes and organizations to support if they wish. 

Florida Audubon Society, AdventHealth Foundation and the MacDonald Training Center were among the organizations selected for this year’s grants. 

The Reducing Fishing Debris Program, created by the Florida Audubon Society, focuses on cleanup efforts to protect Pinellas County’s waterbirds and nesting habitats. It received $25,000. 

AdventHealth Foundation’s Exploring Health Program, which provides educational support (certifications, et cetera) and outreach opportunities for individuals who want to enter the healthcare industry, was awarded $52,000. 

MacDonald Training Center, Inc.’s CommUNITY Works Program, which will support the organization’s goal of providing job opportunities and training to individuals with disabilities, received $50,000. 

This year, Community Foundation Tampa Bay celebrated its 35th anniversary. It has now surpassed $1 billion committed to the future of the local community.

Beyond competitive grants, Community Foundation Tampa Bay offers a Critical Needs List for organizations that have urgent needs. This allows them to connect with community philanthropists quickly. 

The foundation additionally can help individuals or organizations create endowments, providing them with a way to give long-term. Through its fundholders, it also offers various scholarships for students. 

The Community Foundation Tampa Bay team, Sanchez said, is even more inspired to make a difference. 

“We’re growing and we are listening, because Pinellas County is changing, it’s moving, and it’s growing, and so we want to make sure that we’re there growing with everyone too.”

To learn more about the organization’s grants and services, visit cftampabay.org.