Following a Thrilling Live Auction, Naples Children & Education Foundation Awards $12.25 Million to Support Collier County
Thirty-four of the most effective organizations in Collier County, as well as five long-term Strategic Initiatives that fill fundamental gaps in children’s services, received grants totaling more than $12.25 million today thanks to the generous support of those who bid high during the Naples Winter Wine Festival’s (NWWF) Live Auction. The funds will support a wide variety of programs and organizations that improve the physical, emotional and educational lives of children in Collier County. Trustees of the Naples Children & Education Foundation (NCEF), the founding organization of the NWWF, celebrated the grant recipients today at the annual Grants Award Ceremony at the Bay Colony Golf Club in Naples.
“Every year, we work hard to ensure that the Naples Children & Education Foundation continues to be a critical resource to dozens of nonprofit organizations that provide essential services to Collier County,” said Susie McCurry, 2017 Grant Committee Chair. “Our heartfelt thanks go to everyone who contributed to the great success of this year’s Festival. Because of their generosity, we are giving the community a tremendous boost that will change the lives of thousands of children well into the future.”
Of the $12.25 million awarded today, more than $3 million will support five multi-partner, multi-year Strategic Initiatives that are fundamentally changing service delivery for the county’s most vulnerable children. The Initiatives are the result of studies commissioned by NCEF in 2005, 2010 and 2015 that identified significant gaps in basic services for the children of Collier County. Knowing that solutions to these problems would require the resources and expertise of many in the community, NCEF convened a coalition of partners to work together in innovative ways.
This year’s Fund a Need, which supports Children’s Healthcare, received $1.6 million thanks to the kindness of those who raised their paddles during the Naples Winter Wine Festival. These funds will ensure that all children receive the high-quality, in-depth medical attention they deserve in the areas of mental health, oral health, primary care and vision.
In addition, more than $7.5 million in grants were awarded to 34 organizations, including three organizations that had not been previously funded by NCEF, to continue their critical work with at-risk and underprivileged children in Collier County.
The following is the full list of funds awarded by NCEF in 2017:
Organization | Allocation |
ABLE Academy | $250,000 |
Angels Undercover | $50,000 |
Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Sun Coast | $93,500 |
Boys & Girls Club of Collier County | $950,000 |
Cal Ripken, Sr. Foundation | $150,000 |
Catholic Charities | $225,000 |
Children’s Advocacy Center | $490,000 |
Collier Child Care Resources | $100,000 |
Conservancy of Southwest Florida | $22,000 |
Florida SouthWestern State College | $102,000 |
*FlourishNow, Inc. – Safe Families | $100,000 |
Friends of Foster Children Forever | $325,000 |
Fun Time Early Childhood Academy | $157,000 |
Gargiulo Education Center | $85,000 |
Golisano Children’s Museum of Naples | $200,000 |
Grace Place for Children and Families | $330,000 |
Greater Marco Family YMCA | $365,000 |
Greater Naples YMCA | $200,000 |
Guadalupe Center | $810,000 |
Immokalee Childcare Center | $230,000 |
Legal Aid Service of Collier County | $410,000 |
*Literacy Volunteers of Collier County | $55,000 |
MusicScores! | $50,000 |
Naples Botanical Garden | $63,000 |
Naples Equestrian Challenge | $200,000 |
Redlands Christian Migrant Association | $415,000 |
Safe & Healthy Children’s Coalition | $52,000 |
Special Olympics | $75,000 |
St. Matthew’s House | $42,000 |
The Immokalee Foundation | $200,000 |
The Shelter for Abused Women & Children | $320,000 |
United Arts Council | $50,000 |
*Valerie’s House | $50,000 |
Youth Haven | $350,000 |
Grant Total | $7,566,500 |
Strategic Initiative | |
Early Learning | $1,417,175 |
Mental Health | $305,000 |
Oral Health | $70,000 |
Out of School Time | $1,000,000 |
Vision | $250,000 |
Strategic Initiative Total | $3,042,175 |
Fund a Need | |
Children’s Healthcare | $1,646,889 |
Total Awarded on March 13 | $12,255,564 |
Fund for Future Programs and Strategic Initiatives | $2,863,742 |
Total Raised at 2017 NWWF | $15,119,306 |
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