Community Foundation Tampa Bay commits $1.2M to hurricane relief

The Community Foundation Tampa Bay is committing $1.2M to ongoing hurricane relief and recovery efforts. To inspire additional donations, a portion of this commitment will be used to match grants from Community Foundation Tampa Bay fundholders.  

The grants will fund nonprofits that are providing immediate relief, such as food and shelter, along with supporting ongoing recovery efforts, such as housing and job placement.

“We are deeply saddened by the catastrophic losses so many of our neighbors have suffered from Hurricanes Helene and Milton. As the community’s foundation, we serve a key role in recovery by supporting nonprofits who aid impacted families with the financial resources that will help them continue their vitally important work,” said Marlene Spalten, President and CEO of the Community Foundation Tampa Bay. “By connecting philanthropists to our nonprofits, we can together bring back our communities, returning people to their homes and their work.”

Nonprofits affected by Hurricanes Helene and Milton can request support through the Community Foundation’s Critical Needs List, an always-active list of nonprofits with unexpected, unbudgeted and urgent needs.  

Nonprofits can request financial support for post-hurricane increases in demand for its services, repairs to buildings and facilities, interruptions in operations and other unexpected challenges. on the Critical Need Request Form.  

Those who wish to support nonprofit efforts can view the Critical Needs List and donate to an organization in need. Click on the button for “Hurricane related” needs to see only hurricane-related requests. Those who give to a project on the Critical Needs List through funds held at Community Foundation will have a portion of their support matched.  

In addition, the Community Foundation has activated the Tampa Bay Rapid Response Fund, which is a trusted and reliable way to make tax-deductible donations to address emergency situations in our community, including the aftermath of Hurricanes Helene and Milton. The Community Foundation will distribute the funds to organizations operating locally to address the aftermath of the hurricanes.