Four SWFL nonprofits awarded Gannett Foundation's A Community Thrives grants

Gannett Foundation’s crowdfunding initiative, A Community Thrives, has announced its annual recipients of grants. Four organizations from Southwest Florida were chosen to receive grants:

This year, the initiative sponsored by the Naples Daily News and The News-Press parent company, Gannett, raised $3.1 million in an effort to support local organizations that alleviate hardships their residents face on a daily basis.

The organizations cater to issues surrounding homelessness, pre- and perinatal care, immigration reform, addiction services and more.

Here are snapshots of the four Southwest Florida recipients:

Florida Wildlife Federation

Local Operating Grant: $2,000

Location: Naples and Tallahassee based

Website: floridawildlifefederation.org

Mission: The work of thousands of Floridian and non-Floridian residents, an engaged board of volunteer leaders, and dedicated staff, powers the Federation’s commitment at the grassroots level to conserving Florida’s fish and wildlife and their natural habitats.  The Federation is proud to be associated with affiliate organizations that share our conservation mission. With affiliates across the state, the Federation increases its advocacy to more localized areas and bring to light more diverse viewpoints.

Better Together

Local Operating Grant: $5,400

Location: Naples

Website: bettertogetherus.org

Mission: Better Together is, fundamentally, about building community. We connect helpers to the hurting at the local level, giving parents the support and encouragement needed to make a plan and get their lives back together. And we’ve proudly spent years fostering relationships between volunteers and families in need that will last a lifetime, consistently seeing the fruits of this in action.

Pick up the Ball, Inc.

Local Operating Grant: $10,000

Location: Fort Myers

Youtube:  https://youtu.be/zQRkf7MAkR8

Mission: Community building begins with changing the mindset of individuals.  We believe that the only way to accomplish this is one-on-one, one person at a time.  This doesn’t need to be a slow process, as the more mindsets can be changed and trained, the more individuals can be reached.  The more individuals we can reach, the more of a movement towards transformation can be developed.

St. Martin de Porres Outreach Community Ministries, Inc.

Local Operating Grant: $5,300

Fundraising Grants: $3,000 and $4,000

Location: Fort Myers

Website: https://www.smdpoutreach.org/

Mission: Stabilizes food sources for families and homeless;  provides interaction in sit down dinner environment where diners can meet and have friendly banter with others of the community; and with us, identify needs we can help with and/or point to resources they can access.  We work with local schools to understand student needs and how best to assist them in homework, ESL who have really fallen behind because of Covid. Collaborating with them we will again provide assistance with homework, tutoring,

“We are incredibly proud of the positive impact A Community Thrives grants have in communities across the country," said Chairman of the Gannett Foundation and Gannett CEO Mike Reed. "From providing essential services to enhancing the lives of underserved groups, our grants will enable these incredible organizations to expand their reach and empower their communities even more."

More than 200 local nonprofit organizations will receive operating and fundraising grants from $2,500 to $25,000. The local grants are chosen by leaders in one of the 250 news sites from Gannett’s USA TODAY Network.

Sue Madden, the Director of the Gannett Foundation, states that, “In 2022, the A Community Thrives program leveraged the Foundation’s investment and USA TODAY consumer base resulting in a $6M social impact investment in nonprofits doing important work across the country. We are thrilled to engage with these impressive grantees .”

For the full list of grant recipients, go to https://www.gannettfoundation.org/act/.

This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Gannett Foundation announces 2022 grant recipients