18-03-2025
A record year of grants by Naples Children & Education Foundation: $34 million
The Naples Children & Education Foundation awarded more than $34 million in grants Monday to nearly 50 nonprofit organizations that support children who are disadvantaged and in need of a helping hand to grow and thrive.
The grant award ceremony held at The Ritz-Carlton Naples, Tiburón is the hurrah moment for NCEF as sponsors of the annual Naples Winter Wine Festival, which raises millions to better the lives of local children.
Part of the behind the scenes work that takes place ahead of the wine festival weekend of events every January is extensive vetting of the nonprofits and their grant applications.
Despite the outward appearance that Collier is a wealthy community, an estimated 17% of local children live in poverty, according to a 2023 community assessment by the Collier Community Foundation.
Federal Reserve economic data released in December puts the figure at a high of 19.7% of children aged five to 17 who lived in poverty in Collier in 2023.
NCEF emphasizes collaboration between organizations and that includes public and private resources.
This year's award of $34 million is a record, and it includes $8 million that will target much needed expansions to early learning programs as more younger families move to Collier County.
More: Child care tough to find in Collier, but new projects could bring some relief
Child care centers with early learning programs are hard pressed to keep up with the need and it results in wait lists and children starting school already behind if they did not have the benefit of early leaning education.
In addition to the award of $6.7 million in traditional grants to 32 nonprofits that each have a core service focus, NCEF is allocating $16.5 million to multi-year strategic initiatives to address gaps, plus another $2.9 million for future projects.
More: 'Quite significant': Wine fest foundation distributes $33.2M to Collier charities
The strategic initiatives are in four categories of early learning, health care, out-of-school time and special projects.
This year's wine festival, in its 25th year, was held Jan. 25 at The Ritz-Carlton Naples, Tiburón. More than $34 million was raised.
Since its inception in 2001, the wine festival has raised more than $336 million, making a profound and nearly immeasurable difference in the lives of local children ever since.
Stephanie Pezeshkan, grant committee chairwoman this year, said wine festival attendees and supporters showed incredible generosity.
More: Naples Winter Wine Festival raises $34M-plus for Collier County nonprofits
'By investing in the most effective organizations, we ensure that our dollars drive meaningful change, improving lives and strengthening communities for the long term,' she said in a news release.
The traditional grants awarded annually goes to a long list of nonprofits that run the gamut from Able Academy that serves children with developmental disabilities, to MusicScore Violin that provides violin lessons to youngsters.
The amounts awarded to each organization also run the gamut with leaders of each entity grateful to NCEF's consideration and support.
The largest of the traditional grant awards this year is $686,000 to Children's Advocacy Center of Collier County, which for decades has been at the helm of a multi-disciplinary approach to minimizing trauma of children who have been abused or neglected.
Their comprehensive services start with the initial meeting with each child in the safe environment of the center's offices as opposed to a hospital or at law enforcement agency.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, reports and investigations of abuse or neglect dropped way down because children were not being seen; now case volumes are where they were before the pandemic and because of population growth, said Jackie Stephens, chief executive officer.
The nonprofit works alongside law enforcement and the state Department of Children and Family Services.
'We had a total of 1,400 referrals, and provided ongoing services to almost 1,600 parents and children,' she said, citing data for the year ending June 30, 2024. 'It is a big job. It is an important job.'
The grant from NCEF is about 25% of the organization's budget so it is crucial, she said.
'This helps us unify all our services,' she said.
The Boys & Girls Club of Collier, which serves kids after school and in summer, is receiving $450,000 this year.
The agency serves more 3,500 children and teens in its clubs in Naples and Immokalee and seven school-based sites.
NCEF funding plays a crucial role in advancing the mission to inspire and empower the youth in the community, Megan McCarthy Beauvis, president and chief executive officer, said in an email.
'These funds directly support essential programs that provide academic enrichment, character development, and workforce readiness initiatives for thousands of children and teens in Collier County,' she said. 'With this support we can continue to create a safe, nurturing environment where young people have access to the resources and opportunities they need to prepare for their successful futures.'
NCEF officials commissioned the Florida Chamber Foundation for its help in framing the early learning program going forward.
The chamber foundation conducted a study to identify the critical needs, offer recommendations and best practices,
Using the foundation's findings, funds will be targeted for building and other physical improvements, program enhancement and staff salaries.
'This significant investment in early learning aims to close persistent gaps in early childhood education and marks the start of a transformative initiative to create lasting impact for children and families in our community,' Maria Jimenez-Lara, chief executive officer of NCEF, said in a news release.
This article originally appeared on Naples Daily News: In its 25th year, NCEF went big with grants and a new initiative
