Gulf Coast Community Foundation surpasses $500 million milestone
VENICE — The Gulf Coast Community Foundation has surpassed $500 million in grants, marking a historic milestone in the foundation’s 27 year history.
“In 2010 we celebrated our $100 million mark in grants made,” Gulf Coast Community Foundation president Mark Pritchett said. “Together with our donors, in 12 short years, we have quintupled our impact.”
Gulf Coast’s $500 million achievement reflects the power of partnership, philanthropy, and endowment, Pritchett said. Established with an $85 million endowment from the sale of Venice Hospital, Gulf Coast has grown to nearly 1,000 funds that support a wide range of nonprofit organizations in addition to its own endowment.
“Our donor families are dedicated to making this world a better place than when they found it,” Pritchett said. “Not only are our donors giving today, but they are setting up endowments at Gulf Coast that will support good causes and their favorite charities in perpetuity.”
Examples of Gulf Coast's impact include:
· In 2016, Gulf Coast supported the creation and expansion of the Legacy Trail by funding initial surveys and engineering. In 2018, Gulf Coast provided a grant to the Trust for Public Land to increase public awareness of the economic, recreational, health, and quality of life benefits of the Legacy Trail and its extension. To date, together with its donors, Gulf Coast has provided over $300,000 in monetary support.
· Gulf Coast has provided over $1.5 million in their historic partnership with Venice Area Beautification Inc., including $400,000 in grants to support the Venice Urban Forest.
· Through a five-year, $18 million collaborative investment in students, Gulf Coast partnered with the Charles & Margery Barancik Foundation, Sarasota Schools, and generous donors to establish the STEMsmart and 21st Century Schools initiatives.
· As a founding partner, Gulf Coast has invested over $1.7 million in the regional workforce development program, CareerEdge. To date, CareerEdge has invested $14.5 million to train over 6,600 workers, create over 1,600 new jobs, and realize $35.2 million in new wages and raises for our local workforce.
· Gulf Coast has committed over $3 million in recovery aid after Hurricane Ian. Through its Hurricane Ian Recovery Initiative, over 50 nonprofit organizations have been provided with transformational assistance.
· More than $10 million has been awarded to help students of all ages pursue their dreams of higher education since Gulf Coast established its scholarship program in 1997.
· Over $6.3 million has been invested by Gulf Coast and its donors since 2012 to support local service providers to help families and individuals overcome homelessness.
· Nearly $5 million in unrestricted Arts Appreciation grants have been approved by Gulf Coast since 2014 to world class arts and cultural organizations.
· Together with the Barancik Foundation, Gulf Coast has assisted 60 different organizations and invested $7 million in total for COVID-19 relief.
Submitted by Kelly Carlstein
This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Gulf Coast Foundation surpasses historic milestone for philanthropy
