The Community Foundation of Tampa Bay strives to leverage the dollars entrusted to it by generous donors in our community. In accordance with its mission to build a better community through creative philanthropy, leadership, and vision, the Foundation holds itself accountable to those donors and to the community as a whole by asking, "What difference does the Foundation make in the community? What are we doing that might not be addressed otherwise?"

Our response comes in the form of the following special programs, which are unique, powerful, and meaningful examples of living our mission and walking our talk.


Connected by 25

No home. No transportation. No job. No high school diploma. No credit. No sense of belonging. No hope.

Many foster youth have had virtually no safety net and few prospects when they turn 18 and are instantly held accountable for their own lives and livelihood. In far too many cases, once they turn 18 and the government checks stop coming, they are turned out of their foster homes, and 75% of those are still in high school!

Diane Zambito, Executive Director of Connected by 25, is working feverishly to change that. With leadership and convening efforts on the part of the Foundation, donors have stepped forward to support her efforts and help duplicate the services now being provided in Hillsborough County for Pinellas County.

The Community Foundation of Tampa Bay, working with the Juvenile Welfare Board in Pinellas County, seeks to address and change the paths to crime, homelessness, and drugs that often accompany this forgotten segment of our society.

Financial support for this effort was provided by:

Gerry Hogan
Bud Risser
Cy and Joanne Spurlino
Community Foundation of Tampa Bay
St. Petersburg Times Foundation
Progress Energy Corporation
 

Philanthropy In Action

Community groups are empowered with philanthropic dollars from visionary donors and from the Foundation's Community Fund. The members of the community groups experience the process of making grants and, along the way, learn about the challenges of making good grant decisions and the importance of evaluating the effectiveness of the grant. They also learn about the good work being done by nonprofits in the Tampa Bay area, and many have become adept at raising additional funds and in-kind donations to successfully complete the required hands-on volunteer work that is a part of the process.

Funded initially by the Robert and Sharon Blanchard Fund, the following groups have participated in this unique method of civic engagement:

More than 250 public school principles and assistant principals from Hillsborough and Pinellas counties have participated in this nationally-acclaimed leadership course.  Originally available to nonprofit directors as well, and originally funded through the Harold Corrigan Fund at the Community Foundation of Greater Sun City Center, the program's impact has been so positive that the school systems are now partially funding the cost themselves in an effort to provide access to its tools and systems to even more participants.

Within the Foundation, it has become nearly self-sustaining as donors, impressed by the reported outcomes of stronger leadership, better test results, improved behavior and attendance, and greater parental involvement have recommended grants from their donor advised funds to support and build on these successes.

Believing that every nonprofit should have a strong endowment to assure stability in good times and bad, the Community Foundation of Tampa Bay issued a challenge:
Training in planned giving and marketing endowments have been important components to this successful program. To date, nineteen nonprofit agencies have completed their Challenge Grant program. They have successfully generated $8.7 million in endowment funds which now collectively provide more than $500,000 annually in income to improve the quality of life in our community. The Community Foundation of Tampa Bay Challenge Grant Program is proudly working with another twelve agencies toward their goals.