The Beaches Community Fund, an initiative of The Community Foundation for Northeast Florida, recently made more than $260,000 in grants to 14 Beaches-serving nonprofits. These latest grants bring the fund’s Beaches-area investments to more than $1.8 million since the fund was established in 2015.
The Beaches Community Fund continued to prioritize direct financial aid and food assistance, while also funding needs for additional educational supports for students and people with special needs. Through the grants, fund members also invested in the long-term sustainability of Beaches nonprofits by funding capacity-building strategies provided in partnership with the Nonprofit Center of Northeast Florida.
“We appreciate hearing first-hand how these organizations bring expertise and a servant’s heart to help those in need at the Beaches,” said Melissa Roland, a member of the Beaches Community Fund. “The Beaches Community Fund shares their desire to create long-term impact in the area and improve the quality of life for its citizens.”
In 2023, fund members will be involved in learning opportunities around affordable housing and health disparities to better understand how these issues affect life for Beaches residents.
Agencies that received grants to improve the lives of those living between Mayport and Guana include:
- Baptist Health Foundation ($25,000) for a third year of ‘Tipping the Scales,’ a mentoring and employment program at Baptist Beaches.
- Beaches Habitat ($15,000) to assist low-income seniors with home repair and rehabilitation.
- BEAM ($40,000) for food assistance, emergency financial assistance and case management programs.
- Communities in Schools ($18,000) to continue the Student Enrichment Program at Mayport Middle School.
- Feeding Northeast Florida ($30,000) to support food distribution at the Beaches.
- Ferst Readers of Duval County ($5,000) to send age-appropriate books and monthly parent engagement newsletters to children from birth to age 5 (already awarded).
- First Coast Blessings in a Backpack ($15,000) to provide weekend food packs for students at Beaches schools who rely on free and reduced-price lunch during the school week.
- Fitness and Character Education ($5,000) to support the FACE4Kids program at two Beaches-area elementary schools in the 2022-23 school year.
- Mission House ($22,000) to expand its crisis care case management team to enhance staff capacity in Mission House’s Crisis Care team.
- Nonprofit Center for Northeast Florida ($17,000) for the Eleanor Ashby Beaches Leadership Series and customized consulting services for Beaches nonprofits.
- PossAbilities Plus ($5,000) to begin a drama program for teens and adults with developmental disabilities and autism to build and practice verbal and nonverbal communication and social skills.
- John the Baptist Catholic Church Emergency Assistance Ministry ($15,000) to provide emergency financial assistance to residents during times of need in the West Atlantic Beach/Mayport area.
- M. Sulzbacher Center for the Homeless ($33,000) to add a dental assistant to provide dental care services for uninsured and underinsured patients at the Sulzbacher Beaches Clinic.
- We Care Jacksonville, Inc. ($18,000) to provide a Community Health Worker who will support patients with chronic diseases through the Beaches Health & Wellness Collaboration.
