$17 Million Granted to Local Charities Supporting Education, Mental Health and the Environment as Reported in Foundation’s 2022 Annual Report

WEST PALM BEACH, FLORIDA, UNITED STATES, December 21, 2022 /EINPresswire.com/ -- The Community Foundation for Palm Beach and Martin Counties, a not-for-profit organization that leads partnerships with donors, nonprofits and community members to solve the region’s chronic and emerging issues, celebrated its 50th Anniversary this year. To highlight its many achievements, the organization has released its 2022 Annual Report, which offers key insights into the strength of the foundation’s local impact and the generosity of its donors.

“For over 50 years, our organization has served as an engine of opportunity for Palm Beach and Martin Counties,” said Danita R. DeHaney, President & CEO, Community Foundation for Palm Beach and Martin Counties. “We are extremely proud to celebrate 50 years of philanthropic impact, including more than $200 million in grants and scholarships specifically aimed at closing our area’s opportunity gaps.”

The Community Foundation’s impact continues to grow. This year alone, between 2021-2022, the Community Foundation reported:
• $230 million in total assets
• $20 million in total contributions with donor advised funds averaging $500,000
• $17 million granted, including 1,177 individual grants and scholarships distributed to 575 nonprofit organizations
• 500 total funds (including 42 new funds)

The Community Foundation also reports annually on its robust scholarship program. Supported by over one hundred scholarship funds, this year the foundation awarded a total of $1.2 million for 127 awards, at an average of $10,000 each, 25% of which went to first-generation students. Since 1983, the Community Foundation has awarded 2,500 scholarships, totaling $15.4 million.

Additionally, the Community Foundation has supported a number of nonprofit partner initiatives this year, including:

Initiative: “Rebound and Recovery”
• Nonprofit Partners: Boys & Girls Clubs of Palm Beach County; Florida State University School of Social Work’s Center for the Study and Promotion of Communities, Families and Children
• Details: Working with its philanthropic partners, the Community Foundation has underwritten the development and launch of Rebound & Recovery in Palm Beach County, which launched in August 2022. The Stoops Family Foundation, led by local philanthropists Aggie and Jeffrey Stoops, provided the lead gift for the Palm Beach County initiative. Additional support from Julie Fisher Cummings has bolstered the initial investment; Christina M. and Benjamin S. Macfarland III’s gift helped to tailor the curriculum to teens.

Initiative: “Keep Banner Beautiful” - Hobe Sound, Martin County
• Nonprofit Partner: Banner Lake Club
• Details: In October 2021, after a very heavy rainfall, the roof of a Banner Lake senior citizen’s home collapsed while a family of seven slept under it. A lack of resources prevented them from moving into a safer space, leaving the family homeless — until the Banner Lake Club stepped in. The Hobe Sound nonprofit’s “Keep Banner Beautiful” project purchases properties and abandoned homes and was able to quickly prepare a nearby home for the entire family, providing them with safe, temporary housing just in time for the holiday season. The Banner Lake Club has been serving children and families since 1939. Over the last year, the project has helped many other residents in similar ways, with 12 critical home revitalizations and four community-wide cleanups that involved removing abandoned cars, refrigerators, stoves, furniture and more than 1,500 pounds of litter. In addition, volunteers helped residents with household repairs and landscaping around the community.

Initiative: Project LIFT Belle Glade - Belle Glade and Palm City
• Nonprofit Partner: Project LIFT
• Details: This year alone, Project LIFT has impacted the lives of more than 500 youths in Palm Beach County, with an 87 percent success rate in helping at-risk teens and young adults secure employment. In Belle Glade, the organization grew its Strong Families program, with more than 20 parents or guardians completing a 16-week program that teaches economic self-sufficiency, including understanding credit and writing a business plan.

Strategic Plan
Following a successful 2022 campaign, the Community Foundation continues to look forward. The foundation’s Board of Directors, along with a dedicated Strategic Planning Steering Committee, has built a blueprint to work toward closing the area’s opportunity gaps through philanthropic and nonprofit partnerships. The Strategic Plan outlines planned priorities and actions over the next five years, setting the stage for the decades that follow, focusing on:

• Serving as a leader and changemaker for the community
• Growing philanthropic resources and providing exceptional service to its donors
• Ensuring the Community Foundation’s longevity as a best-in-class organization

About the Community Foundation for Palm Beach and Martin Counties
The Community Foundation for Palm Beach and Martin Counties is a nonprofit organization that leads philanthropy locally. The foundation provides charitable expertise and vehicles to increase the investment options on behalf of individuals, family foundations, and corporations. Since 1972, the foundation has distributed over $200 million in grants and scholarships aimed at closing the area’s opportunity gaps. With its vast network of donors and nonprofit partners, the foundation supports initiatives that improve youth and education, economic opportunity, thriving communities, and crisis preparation and response. Learn more at https://yourcommunityfoundation.org.

Melissa Perlman
BlueIvy Communications
5618338300 ext.
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