Southwest Florida Community Foundation

About Southwest Florida Community Foundation

Southwest Florida Community Foundation Inc. channels major support into regional coalition work, with its largest recent grant going to United Way of Lee Hendry Glades and Okeechobee Counties for general operating support and specific program purposes. That gift sits alongside a broader pattern of funding nonprofits that serve Southwest Florida’s education, housing, health, and disaster-recovery needs. The foundation’s grantmaking is also visible in its support for organizations tied to the region’s future workforce and community infrastructure, including Habitat for Humanity of Lee and Hendry Counties Inc. and Florida Southwestern State College. Across its recent grants, the foundation uses a mix of general operating support and program-specific awards, suggesting an approach that combines flexible funding with targeted investments. It also supports intermediary and pooled-fund structures, which appears in programs such as Collaboratory Grantmaking and coalition-linked funding. The result is a funder profile centered on long-term regional capacity rather than a single issue area or isolated project. Its stated community aim is to help bring Southwest Florida together to solve major social problems by 2040.

What Southwest Florida Community Foundation Funds

Education and workforce development are a clear through line in the foundation’s recent giving. It awarded $229,000 to Florida Southwestern State College for a specific program, $226,924 to Florida Gulf Coast University for a specific program, and $150,000 to Hendry County School District for a specific program. The foundation also supports scholarship activity through its centralized scholarships program for students in Charlotte, Collier, and Lee counties. Housing is another visible priority. Habitat for Humanity of Lee and Hendry Counties Inc. received $626,845 for a specific program in 2024 and $123,771 for general operating support and specific program purposes in 2023, followed by another $109,468 general operating support grant in 2025. In health, Lee Health Foundation received $250,000 for a specific program in 2023 and $170,000 for general operating support and specific program support in the same year. The foundation also funds disaster recovery and resilience through its SWFL Resilience Fund, a pooled fund for long-term recovery after urgent events or disasters.

How Southwest Florida Community Foundation Gives