Gulf Coast Community Foundation Board of Directors approve more than $3.3 million in grants

Sarasota Herald-Tribune
·2 min read
The Greater Sarasota Chamber of Commerce has received a $125,000 grant from the Gulf Coast Community Foundation to continue its CareerEdge program. Dominique Campbell is a recent graduate from CareerEdge's inaugural construction training program.
The Greater Sarasota Chamber of Commerce has received a $125,000 grant from the Gulf Coast Community Foundation to continue its CareerEdge program. Dominique Campbell is a recent graduate from CareerEdge's inaugural construction training program.

VENICE — The Gulf Coast Community Foundation Board of Directors approved more than $3.3 million in grants last week at the board's final meeting of the 2022 fiscal year. The funding included support from legacy donors who allow Gulf Coast to fulfill their philanthropic goals and support their causes in perpetuity.

“Our board has approved over $36 million in grants to strong nonprofit organizations this past fiscal year,” said Mark Pritchett, Gulf Coast president and CEO. “This latest round of grants includes many donor legacy funds which will honor those individuals and the causes that were important to them.”

Donor legacy fund grants approved by the Gulf Coast board included:

• $150,000 to support Phase 2 of The Bay Park. Supported by endowments of donors who left their legacy with Gulf Coast, this grant will include shoreline restoration and enhancements inspired by the Water Quality Playbook, thanks to Frank and Elsie Bushroe Charitable Fund; Gould Family Trust Foundation; Mildred F. Currie Charitable Fund; Jarrett Family Fund; Betty Jane Helle Endowment Fund; and Carl A. Savickas Charitable Fund.

• $125,000 to Greater Sarasota Chamber of Commerce CareerEdge. Supported by the Gould Family Trust Foundation and Gulf Coast Community Foundation’s own endowment, this grant will help to continue the CareerEdge program. CareerEdge was established in 2010 by Gulf Coast’s workforce and business innovation initiative, which to date has raised over $14.5 million to support education and workforce development in the region.

• $50,000 to the Education Foundation of Sarasota County. Supported by the Gould Family Trust Foundation and Gulf Coast Community Foundation endowment, this grant will help launch “Project Wayfinder,” a curriculum aimed at supporting students as they consider post-secondary education.

“The most powerful form of philanthropy is when a donor leaves a legacy gift that is flexible and can be used to support a variety of causes,” senior vice president for philanthropy Kirstin Fulkerson said. “This allows Gulf Coast to deploy the funds in a way that will have the greatest impact.”

For more than 25 years, the Gulf Coast Community Foundation has been the philanthropic home for more than 950 families, individuals, businesses, and organizations. Since inception, Gulf Coast has granted $473 million in the areas of health and human services, civic and economic development, education, arts and culture, and the environment. Learn more at GulfCoastCF.org.

Submitted by Rachel Denton

This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Gulf Coast Foundation grants honor philanthropic legacy donors