Press Release: The Greater Escambia Community Foundation announced today that they have received a $500,000 grant from the Fund for Gulf Communities (“the Fundâ€) to continue supporting residents across Florida’s Gulf Coast still struggling to recover financially, emotionally and physically from the April 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill.
The award was made by the Fund, which was created through an anonymous donation to Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors to enhance the resiliency of the Gulf Coast’s diverse communities and address some of the unmet needs of individuals, families, and children significantly affected by the spill and its aftermath. The Fund will achieve this by working with and funding respected nonprofit organizations such as the Greater Escambia Community Foundation that have strong ties to the region and connections to community-based organizations providing direct services to people in need.
“This recent grant from RPA will enable our organization to continue in its mission to work with donors to accomplish their charitable interests. It will also enable us to continue serving the emerging needs of individuals and families in Northwest Florida,†said Paul Young, Executive Director of Greater Escambia Community Foundation.
Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors selected regional partners based on the partners’ abilities to identify and address critical local needs as well as their technical assistance and grant making capacity. Six regional partners working in four Gulf Coast states were awarded grants.
“Regional leaders like the Greater Escambia Community Foundation have a deep knowledge of communities and residents and a history of trusted, effective grant making at the neighborhood level,†said Amy Holmes, a senior philanthropic advisor at RPA who is overseeing the Fund. “Their on-the-ground experience and relationships make it possible to identify and support local groups that are addressing problems in their communities in the wake of the region’s societal and economic challenges.â€
To help Gulf Coast nonprofits strengthen their organizations and networks for the long term, Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors will also provide program guidance, technical assistance and monitoring support to the regional organizations such as the Greater Escambia Community Foundation.
Community foundations are independent public charities created by and for the people within a local area. They work with donors to establish and manage charitable funds that cover a wide range of philanthropic interests. There are more than 700 community foundations within the United States including the Greater Escambia Community Foundation, serving Northwest Florida.
The Greater Escambia Community Foundations works with donors who have an interest in long-term charitable giving. The donor directs philanthropic gifts to the charity or charities of their choice, and the donor enjoys as much or as little recognition as they wish. The community foundation manages the funds, distributes gifts on behalf of the donor, provides the accounting function, and satisfies all government reporting requirements. This arrangement leaves the donor free to focus only on their charitable interests.