Tallahassee – Volunteer Florida announced today it is awarding $286,000 in federal funding to 22 nonprofits and service organizations across the state. Each organization will receive a $13,000 grant. The nonprofits and service organizations will match the funding with $286,000 in local investments, bringing the total investment in Florida communities to $572,000.

Volunteer Florida CEO Vivian Myrtetus said, “As the lead agency for service and volunteerism in Florida, we are proud to announce this investment in communities across the state. Our grantees will put volunteers to work providing education opportunities, helping job-seekers find employment, and teaching financial literacy, work readiness, and entrepreneurship to Floridians.”

The Volunteer Generation Fund (VGF), which is funded by the Corporation for National and Community Service and administered by Volunteer Florida, will help the nonprofits and service organizations use skills-based volunteers to serve Florida students, families, and communities. Skills-based volunteerism expands the impact of community organizations by leveraging the skills of professionals, such as accountants, IT consultants, attorneys, and teachers. Special consideration was also given to organizations involved in disaster services and organizations that work to reduce or prevent prescription drug or opioid abuse.

In 2017-2018, Volunteer Florida’s VGF program will help its grantees recruit, manage, and support approximately 6,600 skills-based volunteers, who will collectively contribute a minimum of 44,000 hours of service throughout the state – a value of $998,800.

The 2017 Volunteer Florida VGF grantees are as follows:

Broward Education Foundation
Broward County
The Broward Education Foundation develops, promotes, and funds emerging educational initiatives that benefit the Broward County community; serves as a catalyst for educational excellence; and provides financial support so that students will be college and career-ready.

Caridad Center Inc.
Palm Beach County
Caridad is a free health care clinic that uses volunteer doctors and dentists to provide services to patients and their families who do not have insurance. Caridad has more than 400 volunteer doctors, dentists, and community volunteers with yearly patient visits totaling more than 26,000.

Catholic Volunteers in Florida Incorporated
Orange County
Catholic Volunteers in Florida Incorporated provides support to the St. Vincent de Paul Re-Entry Project, which improves job access and economic opportunities for formerly incarcerated individuals across the State of Florida.

Changing Homelessness, Inc.
Duval County
Changing homelessness coordinates efforts and advocates for the prevention and reduction of homelessness.

Feeding Tampa Bay
Hillsborough County
Feeding Tampa Bay, part of the national Feeding America network, focuses on providing food to the more than 700,000 hungry in the 10-county area of West Central Florida.

Girls on the Run of the Big Bend, Inc.
Leon County
Girls on the Run of the Big Bend, Inc. is a non-profit program for girls from third grade through eighth grade. Designed to allow every girl to recognize her inner strength, the Girls on the Run curriculum inspires girls to define their lives on their own terms.

Gulf Coast Jewish Family and Community Services, Inc.
Pinellas County
Gulf Coast Jewish Family and Community Services, Inc. is a non-sectarian, community-based nonprofit that serves families and individuals in crisis.

Habitat for Humanity International, Inc. (WV Affiliate)
Volusia County
West Volusia Habitat for Humanity, an affiliate of Habitat for Humanity International, is a non-profit organization dedicated to the elimination of poverty housing throughout Volusia County.

Jewish Family and Community Services of Southwest Florida
Collier County
Jewish Family and Community Services of Southwest Florida is a non-sectarian human service agency serving the communities of Collier and southern Lee Counties. JFCS offers a wide array of human services for all ages.

Junior Achievement of North Florida
Leon County
Junior Achievement of North Florida, a satellite office of Junior Achievement North Florida, will put community volunteers to work to provide relevant, hands-on experiences that give K-12 students knowledge and skills in financial literacy, work readiness, and entrepreneurship.

Learning for Success
Miami-Dade County
Learning for Success, Inc. manages the KAPOW program throughout South Florida. KAPOW is a national network of business and elementary school partnerships which introduce students to career paths by bringing business volunteers to the classroom and facilitating visits to work sites.

Lightner Museum of Hobbies
St. Johns County
The Lightner Museum is a nonprofit museum in the historic downtown district of St. Augustine. Skills-based volunteers will create public learning experiences in each of the Museum’s gallery spaces and support education initiatives.

Monticello Opera House, Inc.
Jefferson County
Monticello Opera House, Inc. celebrates and preserves the historic Monticello Opera House, inspires cultural and artistic excellence, and advances educational opportunities in the community and beyond.

New Hope for Kids
Orange County
New Hope for Kids helps Central Florida children and families in need. The organization grants approximately 50 wishes annually to children with terminal or life-threatening illnesses and is a specialized community resource for children and families suffering from grief, loss or life-threatening illnesses.

Parker Street Ministries
Polk County
Parker Street Ministries is a non-profit organization committed to individual, family, and community development beginning in Lakeland’s Parker Street community.

Performing Arts Center Trust, Inc. (Arsht Center)
Miami-Dade County
As a focal point of Greater Miami-Dade’s diverse cultural life, the Adrienne Arsht Center enlightens, educates and entertains the community through transformational arts and cultural experiences.

Rebuilding Together Tampa Bay, Inc.
Hillsborough County
Rebuilding Together Tampa Bay, Inc. (RTTB) repairs homes of those in need. RTTB intends to preserve and revitalize houses and communities in the Tampa Bay Area ensuring that low-income homeowners live in warmth, safety, and independence.

Schott Memorial Center, Inc.
Broward County
Schott Memorial Center, Inc. is a private, non-profit organization founded in 1986 to address the needs of persons who are deaf or who are physically or intellectually challenged in South Florida.

Seniors on a Mission, Inc.
Duval County
Seniors on a Mission is a “team-oriented” community service opportunity for live-alone-at-home senior citizens.

Speak Up For Kids of Palm Beach County, Inc.
Palm Beach County
Speak Up for Kids supports the Guardian Ad Litem Program to advocate for and protect the lives of children in the dependency (including foster care) system – facilitating their development, ensuring their right to a safe and permanent home, and building their future.

United Way of Palm Beach County
Palm Beach County
United Way of Palm Beach County serves as the local leader dedicated to identifying and addressing critical community issues to improve the lives of residents.

United Way of the Florida Keys
Monroe County
United Way of the Florida Keys leads a community-wide partnership with a diverse set of established volunteer-selected nonprofit agencies in Monroe County, Florida. Volunteers will be engaged in VITA programming and disaster services.

 

Click here to see a list of VGF grantees.