New Grants Awarded from Joint COVID-19 Response Initiative

Gulf Coast and Charles & Margery Barancik Foundation awarded 16 grants totaling $573,550 through our joint COVID-19 Response Initiative over the past week. These grants provide immediate relief to key nonprofit organizations assisting those hit hardest by impacts of the coronavirus pandemic here in our region.

The new grants bring total funding through the initiative to $885,300. Key areas in which these community investments are being made include healthcare and mental health, basic needs such as food and housing assistance, and reemployment counseling and training.

The following grants were awarded from April 9 to 15:

Healthcare and mental health

Tidewell Hospice – $100,000 to support additional staffing and medical supplies amid a surge in need for in-home care as area hospitals must manage their bed capacity

Jobs and financial security

Goodwill Manasota – $33,700 to hire back five of its GoodPartner coaches in Sarasota County, who will provide counseling and assistance connecting with available services to more than 330 Sarasota-area team members who the agency was forced to furlough because of the pandemic

CareerEdge – $20,000 to support displaced workers in Sarasota and Manatee counties. Funded by a $10,000 gift from the Truist Charitable Fund that was matched from the COVID-19 Response Initiative Fund

CareerSource Suncoast – $20,000 to support displaced workers in Sarasota and Manatee counties. Funded by a $10,000 gift from the Truist Charitable Fund that was matched from our COVID-19 Response Initiative Fund

Basic needs

All Faiths Food Bank – $40,000 to provide hunger-relief services in Sarasota County. Funded by a $20,000 gift from the Truist Charitable Fund that was matched from our COVID-19 Response Initiative Fund

All Faiths Food Bank – $110,000 to address increased demand for food in Sarasota and DeSoto counties due to the pandemic. Funded by an $85,000 gift from the William G. and Marie Selby Foundation that was matched with $25,000 from our COVID-19 Response Initiative Fund

Harvest House – $50,000 to help meet the immediate needs of clients, including increased demand at its community food pantry 

SPARCC (Safe Place and Rape Crisis Center) – $10,700 to deep clean its shelter facility, supply food for clients, offer virtual therapy, and provide hazard pay for shelter staff

The Salvation Army – Sarasota Area Command – $650 to provide emergency assistance to North Port residents

Education and Childcare

Early Learning Coalition of Florida’s Heartland – $24,500 to provide virtual home visitation to mothers and grandmothers to address their children’s developmental concerns

Children First – $50,000 to support staff, children, and their families in Sarasota County during the pandemic. Includes a $10,000 gift from the Truist Charitable Fund that was matched from our COVID-19 Response Initiative Fund

Education Foundation of Sarasota County – $20,000 to support its services to Sarasota County Schools during the pandemic. Funded by a $10,000 gift from the Truist Charitable Fund that was matched from our COVID-19 Response Initiative Fund

Suncoast Technical College – $4,000 to produce personal protective equipment on 3D printers for use by local healthcare providers

Youth services

Teen Court of Sarasota – $10,000 to maintain support of students and their families during the pandemic through opportunities including virtual jury duty and community service, increased counseling, and help with other unexpected needs