The Florida Center for Early Childhood received a $20,000 grant from the Gulf Coast Community Foundation and the Atlanta Braves Foundation to assist families at our Starfish Academy in North Port impacted by Hurricane Ian.

The Gulf Coast Community Foundation has now provided over 50 local nonprofit organizations with transformational assistance post-Hurricane Ian, totaling over $2 million dollars. Over fifty grants have been awarded from their initiative thanks to generous donors’ contributions and their match to provide life-sustaining support after the devastating storm.

“Our team has been diligently working around the clock to assist our region as it recovers from this monstrous storm. We are grateful to work with such inspirational and resilient nonprofit partners who utilize the initiative’s funding to provide opportunities for all. We have reached over 50 nonprofit organizations with funding and our commitment will be steadfast into the future,” said President|CEO Mark Pritchett of Gulf Coast Community Foundation.

The impact of the Hurricane Ian Relief Fund is also made possible by gifts that came in from people and organizations across the United States, as far west as Oregon and north to Atlanta, Georgia. They heard the call for help and reached out to GCCF as a trusted partner.

The Atlanta Braves Foundation partnered with the Gulf Coast Community Foundation to provide a $20,000 grant to Florida Center for Early Childhood to assist families at their Starfish Academy in North Port impacted by Hurricane Ian. “The unfortunate impact of Hurricane Ian affected a lot of Southwest Florida. The Atlanta Braves Foundation is proud to help support recovery in North Port and Sarasota County through Gulf Coast Community Foundation,” said Michael Dunn, Vice President, Florida Operations for the Atlanta Braves.

With continuing generosity from our community, additional support will be provided. The transformative Hurricane Ian recovery from Gulf Coast Community Foundation will be ongoing for many months to come.

Excerpted from Gulf Coast Community Foundation Press Release, December 14th.