Category: Funded Partner Spotlight

When LaKesha O’Neal joined the staff at New Hope Missionary Baptist Church in South St. Pete, she knew building the group’s capacity would be pivotal to achieving their organizational goals. The 114-year-old church’s buildings were in need of preservation and care. The work would be significant with a price tag to match. However, to effectively […]

In 2023, the Foundation awarded Golden Generations a grant of $250,000 to help young people aging out of the foster care system find housing, local connections, and improved education and job prospects through their My Sistah’s Place program. After suffering storm damage during last year’s hurricane season, My Sistah’s Place just reopened their South St. […]

The CALL Program was conceptualized in the summer of 2020. Community members and city leaders, including former Mayor Rick Kriseman, and St Petersburg Police Chief, Anthony Holloway saw the need for a civilian response program that would divert 911 calls about mental health crises away from police officers and over to trained mental health professionals. The City […]

In 2024, the Foundation awarded Metropolitan Ministries a $250,000 programmatic operations grant to support their NeighborHOPE program in South St. Pete. Extending over the course of several years, the grant is designed to help prevent homeless by offering families both emergency assistance and more comprehensive case management as needed, including access to wrap-around services. “It’s […]

For Braiding With A Twist founder Marlo Jenkins, her years between the ages of 11 and 17 were the hardest. Money was scarce in her family. Sometimes she went hungry, which made it hard to concentrate in school. Some nights she heard gunshots, which made it hard to sleep well in her home. While she […]

Back in 2017, the Foundation issued its first grant to Community Tampa Bay, to support curriculum revision for their Camp ANYTOWN program, which brings together diverse high school students who look differently, live differently, and love differently to build a more diverse and inclusive community from the ground up. Through the years, we continued to […]

The Foundation was proud to award $15,000 in funding to support several Juneteenth activities and celebrations throughout the month. Events supported this year include the Juneteenth flag-raising June 7th, the Juneteenth Celebration at Deuces Corner Park June 14th, and Black Wall Street Shoppes last weekend. Flag Raising: Held at the Enoch D. Davis Center on […]

Ricquesha Fuller’s life changed permanently on June 13, 2023, when her son took his life at the age of 21. Looking to find meaning in her loss, and prevent others from experiencing similar tragedy and heartache, she started Keshawn’s Korner to support for people facing mental health challenges by providing a safe network of resources […]

Roughly two decades ago, reeling from personal struggles connected to her daughter’s health, Vicki Sokolik reached out to her local school district looking for a way to give back and be of service. Soon after, she started mentoring and supporting a homeless high school student who found herself outside the boundaries of the foster care […]