Centuries before the invention of the compass and certainly satellite GPS, brave seafarers would gaze up at the stars for guidance as they navigated through unfamiliar waters, unknowingly – but decidedly - charting a course. Fast forward to the year 2020 and many in our community feel like they are in the same situation, cast adrift on a boat lost at sea having weathered the storm only to brace for the waves yet to come.

The realities conjured by this pandemic have weighed on our hearts like an uncharted ocean, whose size, depth and volatility we are only beginning to understand. While no map nor compass can serve as our only guide, we must trust the resources we have been given – and sometimes look to unexpected solutions. Together our community will navigate the unknown with confidence, discovering new shores, while keeping our eyes on the horizon in search of safe harbors.

The Community Foundation of Sarasota County is here to provide some steady footing for organizations that are adjusting and innovating to care for our community.

Anticipating the long voyage ahead, we are welcoming nonprofits partners to take part in several new and reimagined grant programs that were recently announced to serve as markers in these uncharted waters:

• Longstanding needs in our community have only been exacerbated by the challenges of COVID-19, in some cases evolving beyond the scope of existing efforts. To address these changing needs, Community Impact Grants exist to empower local cause leaders to transform innovative ideas into effective programs and partnerships.  

• Capacity Building Grants recognize that a nonprofit organization’s ability to meaningfully fulfill its mission is measured by its capacity to serve. In the face of constrained operations and unanticipated losses as a result of the pandemic, Capacity Building Grants provide nonprofits the ability to withstand emergency organizational needs while laying the groundwork for excellence in fundraising, leadership, communication, and evaluation.

• The call for equity and access to services has never been greater. Equity and Access Grants serve to promote educational and health care equity to those populations who face systemic barriers in our community. These grants touch geographically underserved neighborhoods, communities of color, persons with disabilities, LGBTQ+ communities, and single mothers, among other under-represented groups.

• Other opportunities are available at differing times in the year, focusing on Grade-Level Reading and Family Success, Strategic Partnerships, Animal Welfare, and Health Care.

Navigating the COVID-19 era is not so different than earlier moments in our history when we have been called to work together as a society to create purpose in a time of unknowingness. Philanthropy is certainly not the only guide for our community’s evolving response, but it is one of the many constellations that we know will be relied upon. A constellation that ensures our nonprofit partners are equipped with the resources and supports they need to address the needs of our most vulnerable while innovating their approach and capacity.

Roxie Jerde is president and CEO of the Community Foundation of Sarasota County.