Charitable Foundation of the Islands Funds Capacity Building Opportunities for Island Non-profits

The Charitable Foundation of the Islands (CFI) has selected six island non-profit organizations to receive Capacity Building Grants in 2016. The foundation’s Capacity Building Initiative aims to help non-profits accomplish work that requires time, energy, expertise, and innovative thinking beyond everyday operations.

This year's recipients include the Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation (SCCF), the Children’s Education Center of the Islands (CECI), Big Arts, Community Housing and Resources (CHR), the Sanibel Community Association (SCA), and Sanibel Sea School. Funds awarded to SCCF will support the development of a new website, CECI will receive grant money to enroll staff members in professional development courses, and Big Arts will receive support to develop a new and improved database management system. Two CHR staff members will receive financial support to attend the Florida Housing Coalition’s Annual Affordable Housing Conference, SCA will use funds to upgrade its outdated technology infrastructure, and Sanibel Sea School will receive funds to hire a professional strategic planning consultant. 

“Having a local foundation like CFI is so meaningful, because it allows island non-profits to better fulfill our missions with professional assistance and local support,” said Dr. Bruce Neill, Sanibel Sea School’s Executive Director, “It really is a demonstration of how special the Sanibel community is.”

CFI’s mission is to promote philanthropy to help people in need on Sanibel and Captiva, and to strengthen island non-profit organizations that will build a spirit of community for generations to come – through the distribution of annually raised funds and the stewardship of permanently endowed funds. Since 2000, CFI and its predecessor have awarded millions of dollars in grants to those in need on our islands. To learn more, visit CharitableFoundationoftheIslands.org.