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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