At the one-year anniversary of Hurricane Ian, the Community Foundation of Sarasota County awarded a second round of grants totaling $625,000 to nonprofits to address ongoing impacts of the catastrophic storm. Combined with the nearly $1 million in grants awarded in June, and $720,000 reserved for future funding, more than half of the $5 million raised through the Suncoast Disaster Recovery Fund in the storm’s immediate aftermath has been deployed or committed to serving the region in ongoing recovery efforts. Programs supported through this grant include hurricane survivor advocacy and case management, youth services, home repairs, and delivery of essential assets, such as appliances and furniture, to households. Grants were announced for nonprofit organizations undertaking the recovery of communities in Sarasota, Manatee, DeSoto, and Charlotte counties with emphasis placed on the areas hardest hit by the storm, namely south Sarasota County, Charlotte County and DeSoto County. This grant cycle follows an initial round of Suncoast Disaster Recovery Fund grants that were awarded in June. Funding supports organizations in their efforts to bring stability to people’s lives by addressing needs that emerged as most critical through listening sessions and expert consultation. The list of priorities that shape this best-practices approach includes areas of existing challenges that were exacerbated by Hurricane Ian.

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