The Community Foundation of Sarasota County is proud to announce that our open call grant opportunities for 2021-22 are now available on our website. You may view our current opportunities below.
Community Impact Grants
Community Impact Grants (up to $10,000) are designed to address community needs by helping local organizations transform innovative ideas into new programs and expand their reach into additional populations. Applications are reviewed monthly.
Additional questions? Please bring them to an upcoming virtual info session with our team! Register at the link below.
Capacity Building Grants
Capacity Building Grants (up to $10,000) respond to organizational needs and are designed to help improve a nonprofit's ability to fulfill its mission. Applications are reviewed monthly.
Additional questions? Please bring them to an upcoming virtual info session with our team! Register at the link below.
Equity and Access Grants
Equity and Access Grants ($5,000 - $30,000) support projects that promote equity and access to services amongst populations who face systemic barriers in our community. These grants are an opportunity for the Community Foundation to partner with organizations that are focusing on Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Access in local, direct service work.
Additional questions? Please bring them to an upcoming virtual info session with our team! Register at the link below.
Animal Welfare Grants
Animal Welfare Grants ($10,000 - $50,000) support organizations that serve domestic animals and promote their humane care in Sarasota, Manatee, Charlotte, and DeSoto counties. Please note, the 2021-2022 Animal Welfare grant cycle date has changed. The application will open on October 5th, 2021, and close on December 17th, 2021.
Additional questions? Please bring them to an upcoming virtual info session with our team! Register at the link below.
Strategic Partnerships
Strategic Partnerships are requests for support for events and/or public programs that do not meet other grant opportunities. These requests should represent the diversity of our region and uphold and promote activities that ensure accessibility for all.

This opportunity will be available in three cycles. To learn more, visit the link below.
For those interested in applying for a grant opportunity but unsure where to begin, we have compiled helpful resources to guide you along the application process:
If you have any questions about available grant opportunities, reach out to impact@cfsarasota.org.
Interested in Participating in Give 8/28?
Connect with us for an opportunity to kickstart your campaign!
To culminate the month-long celebration of Black Philanthropy Month, the Young, Black, and Giving Back Institute (YBGBI) is hosting its fourth annual Give 8/28 giving day for Black-led and Black benefiting nonprofits on August 28, 2021.

Last year, more than 470 nonprofits raised more than $250,000 during the 24-hour challenge. Locally, more than 15 nonprofits participated - many for the first time. Read about their success.

To participate in Give 8/28, YBGBI requires that at least 50% of the nonprofit leadership, board AND staff are Black, thereby accurately reflecting the population they serve. 

Nonprofit registration is currently open until August 13. Interested in participating? Please send us an email at nonprofits@cfsarasota.org. The Community Foundation of Sarasota County is looking to kickstart giving and cover your organization's $25* registration fee.

For more information on Give 8/28 and to register, follow the link below.

*This fee helps the YBGBI cover costs associated with running this event and supports the Give 8/28 initiative.
Community Foundation 101
Webinar Workshop

Curious about community foundations? Come learn about the Community Foundation of Sarasota County and how it differs from other local foundations. You'll have a chance to hear from key staff members and learn how to access community and capacity-building resources.

What You'll Learn:

  • Participants will understand the role of the Community Foundation of Sarasota County in the local community

  • Participants will leave with an understanding of how best to utilize the nonprofit community resources available to them through the Community Foundation of Sarasota County

Who Should Attend: 
Senior management, programmatic team leads, and development staff may find this training beneficial. Trainings and other opportunities through the Community Foundation of Sarasota County are available only to organizations with Approved/Current profiles in The Giving Partner.  

Join us virtually:
Wednesday, August 18th from 1:30 PM - 3:00 PM
Please contact Madeline Hansen at mhansen@cfsarasota.org with questions about this event. This webinar will be recorded and shared.
Leveraging Peer to Peer Fundraising: 
During the Giving Challenge & Beyond

Join GiveGab, the Neuro Challenge Foundation of Parkinson's, and Community Foundation staff to learn how to add Peer to Peer (P2P) fundraising to your fundraising toolkit. P2P fundraising allows your biggest supporters to tell their stories of your organization’s impact and helps expand your donor network.

What You'll Learn:

  • Strategies for building a strong team of fundraisers

  • How to attract new donors and increase engagement – for both the Giving Challenge as well as throughout the year via The Giving Partner

Who Should Attend: 
Future Giving Challenge team leads and development staff may find this training beneficial. Trainings and other opportunities through the Community Foundation of Sarasota County are available only to organizations with Approved/Current profiles in The Giving Partner.  

Join us virtually:
Tuesday, September 14th from 10:00 AM - 11:30 AM
Please contact Madeline Hansen at mhansen@cfsarasota.org with questions about this event. This webinar will be recorded and shared.
Peer-to-Peer (P2P) fundraising can take giving to your organization to new heights.

As nonprofits across our region prepare for the 2022 Giving Challenge and consider implementing P2P fundraising into their campaigns, check out the below statistics reflecting the impressive successes of funds raised strictly through P2P by our local nonprofit organizations during two recent giving days.

Note: Other donations raised separately from P2P during these giving days are not included in the numbers below.

2020 Giving Tuesday (utilizing only P2P Fundraisers): 
  •  $16,870 Raised (138 Total Gifts, 34 Local Organizations)  
 
2020 Giving Challenge (utilizing only P2P Fundraisers): 
  • $821,845.66 Raised (online and offline)
  • 240 Local Organizations (40% of all local participating organizations) used P2P  
  • Total Online donors: 8,092
  • 2,188 unique P2P fundraisers 
  • 1,399 P2Ps were invited to participate, another 804 signed up on their own via the organization’s profile page
  • 1,233 P2Ps raised funds

Curious how to leverage P2P fundraising in your own campaigns? Join us for a virtual webinar on September 14th. Details above. Register here.
Lakewood Ranch Business Alliance's
4th Annual Volunteer Event Returns
October 2021!
The Lakewood Ranch Business Alliance is pleased to announce its 4th annual Alliance Gives Back Volunteer Days that will take place October 7-9, 2021. This volunteer initiative connects business members and their families with Alliance member nonprofit organizations* to positively impact the community through various activities.

This is not only an opportunity to receive some assistance from Alliance members, it’s also an opportunity to showcase your organization, its mission, and its impact on the community. Since 2018, the Alliance Gives Back Volunteer Days have strengthened our community by contributing a total of 1,500+ volunteer hours with member nonprofits in the Lakewood Ranch/Sarasota/Manatee region. 

Details and registration for this year’s Volunteer Days are live at www.lwrba.org/AllianceGivesBack

Registrations for Volunteer Activities must be received by Tuesday, August 3rd.
Volunteer Sign-Ups go live on August 10th.

*This opportunity is only available for nonprofit members of the
Lakewood Ranch Business Alliance.
There are many communications that get generated from the GiveGab platform that contain important information about your Giving Partner profile and status. Please make sure you are subscribed to receive emails from GiveGab.

If you are unsure of your subscription status, you can reach out to GiveGab's wonderful customer success team via the blue chat bubble when you are logged in to your Giving Partner profile or by emailing customersuccess@givegab.com

With the 2022 Giving Challenge just around the corner, you don't want to miss these updates!

To make sure these emails continue to make it to your inbox, follow these quick steps:

Gmail users—move us to your primary inbox
  • On your phone? Hit the 3 dots in the top right corner, click "Move to" then "Primary"
  • On desktop? Back out of this email then drag and drop this email into the "Primary" tab near the top left of your screen

Apple mail users—tap on our email address at the top of this email (next to "From:" on mobile) and click “Add to VIPs”

Everyone elsefollow these instructions
sure these two easy steps:


Again, these communications are imperative to keeping your profile up to date, as well as to see what new features and functions are available on the platform.


Nonprofit Job Bank

Whether you're seeking a new nonprofit position or you want to post an open position at your organization, your local resource is the Association of Fundraising Professionals Southwest Florida Chapter's Job Bank, supported by the Community Foundation of Sarasota County.
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