Grant Opportunities | Stories of Impact | Subscribe | Archived Issues

Nonprofit News: August 2025

The Best 2024 Giving Challenge Story Prize Contest Is Now Open!

The deadline to enter is next month.

The Community Foundation of Sarasota County is looking for nonprofits with great stories to tell about their participation in the 2024 Giving Challenge, and the five nonprofits with the most compelling applications will each win a prize of $1,000.

What makes for a great story? We're looking for blog posts, newsletters, and email campaigns published between now and the end of September that do an exceptional job of demonstrating how participating in the 2024 Giving Challenge made a difference for your organization. How did donors support your mission in 2024? Why is it important for donors to support you again in the 2026 Giving Challenge?

For full details on how to apply, download the prize application outline here.

Applications are now open, and will close at 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 30, 2025.

Note: Giving Challenge prize applications are being accepted through the same system that the Community Foundation uses for grant applications. You will need to log in to your account to complete the application. This system is new as of this year, and you may need to create a new account to enter the prize contest.

Other Key Giving Challenge Dates to Know

Mark your calendars!

Registration for the 2026 Giving Challenge begins on Tuesday, Sept. 2, and closes at noon on Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025. Note: This deadline is significantly earlier than for past Giving Challenges. If your registration is not completed by the deadline, you will not be eligible to participate in the 2026 Giving Challenge.

Also: In order to participate, for any organizations with an existing Giving Partner profile, any updates to your Giving Partner profile must be completed by noon on Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025. (For more information on how to make any needed updates, click here.) The deadline for new Giving Partner profiles to be submitted is Friday, Oct. 31, 2025. (For information on how to create a new profile, click here.)

Eager to get going? Join the Community Foundation for a webinar that will cover all aspects of participating in the 2026 Giving Challenge. The webinar will be held at noon on Tuesday, Sept. 9. Register at the link below. We strongly encourage nonprofits that want to participate in the 2026 Giving Challenge to attend.

Apply Now for Community Impact Grants

Applications will close on Sunday, Aug. 31.

Community impact grants (formerly programmatic grants) are designed to support nonprofits that help families, children, and households achieve lasting economic stability and mobility. Building economic stability and mobility for individuals and families is a complex undertaking that involves addressing the many factors that affect a family's well-being. Community impact grants are designed to support the development of programs and systems that strengthen our community through neighborhood and family-focused initiatives—ultimately creating an environment rich in opportunity for all.

Interested in applying? Priority will be given to applications rooted in the foundation's 2Gen (or two-generation) Approach, which calls for nonprofits to implement strategies that intentionally support both children and the adults in their lives.

Reminder: Office Hours Happen Every Friday

In order to more quickly answer common questions about how to apply for grants, our Community Impact department will be holding regular weekly Zoom sessions that anyone can drop in on. Sessions take place from 11 a.m. to noon every Friday. This is an excellent opportunity to get direct, immediate feedback from Community Foundation staff about grants and applications. There's no need to pre-register. Just click the link below to join.

Check Out Our 2025 State of the Nonprofit Sector Report

The latest version of the annual report is now available on the Community Foundation website.

Our second annual State of the Nonprofit Sector Report is now live!

The report includes data gleaned from 780 nonprofits in Sarasota, Manatee, Charlotte, and DeSoto counties, with dozens of statistics about the organizations' budgets, expenses, staffs, and wages, plus a detailed look at the role the nonprofit sector as a whole plays in our local economy. It's chock-full of valuable information for anyone who works in or is interested in the region's nonprofit sector.

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.

Missed an issue of Nonprofit News? Review Archived Issues.

Have a Story of Impact you'd like to share? Send Us Your Story.