At New College of Florida, the story unfolding right now is one of confidence, conviction, and community belief in what this institution represents and where it is going. You can see this directly in the philanthropic gifts we have most recently received.

Since the College began its transformation in 2023, the New College Foundation has grown from $39 million to $54 million in assets. That is a nearly 40 percent increase in three years, a remarkable trajectory for any institution, and an extraordinary one for a public liberal arts college.

This kind of growth happens because donors see where we are headed, and the incredible successes at New College. They see leadership making bold decisions, and they see a college recommitting itself to academic excellence, free speech, and a classical liberal arts education.

In 2025 alone, New College received or secured more than $7 million in gifts and pledges, nearly a 200% increase over the average annual fundraising totals prior to 2023. These contributions came from individuals, families, foundations, and community partners who believe in the College’s mission. These gifts support everything from academic programming and public engagement to endowed funds, and signature initiatives that will shape campus life for generations.

Among them are transformational investments such as a $2,500,000 gift from the DSF Charitable Foundation for the Contemplative Center, $1,000,000 from Michael and Ling Markovitz for the Socratic Stage, a $1,000,000 gift from Steve and Natalee Herrig, and a $150,00 donation from Thomas & Maureen Steiner.

These major gifts are part of a broader culture of giving: nearly 2,500 donorscontributed to New College in 2025 through events, annual giving, and targeted support. This is more than a 90% increase compared to 2022.

As the Foundation’s executive director, I have the privilege of working closely with donors, and what I hear from them is incredible. Donors want to invest in institutions that stand for something. They want to support students who are challenged to think critically and engage seriously with the world. And they want to know their gifts will be stewarded responsibly, transparently, and have a long-term impact.

These donations show us that New College’s transformation is visible, and our community is starting to take notice of all the work we are doing to make New College, the nation’s number one liberal arts college.

Philanthropy is ultimately about belief in the future. At New College, that belief is strong, and growing stronger every day.

By Sydney Gruters is the Vice President and Executive Director of New College Foundation. 

On Valentine’s Day I cannot help but reflect on the core meaning of the word philanthropy – from the Greek word philanthropia, meaning “love of humanity,” derived from philos, meaning “loving,” and anthropos, meaning “human,” or “mankind.”

In 2023, I had the privilege of meeting a most loving and daring couple: John and Marianne Moyer. Their love for the community was reflected in every action while they were with us, and in their legacy once they departed. And their hobbies included activities only the truly adventurous jump into like scuba diving, hang-gliding, flying their 1947 Cessna, and exotic travels.

They plumbed the depths and heights of life, literally, and they were well-loved as they loved others. When they passed away within a year of each other, they left a void in our community that can never be filled.

But John and Marianne also left a legacy. They cared about education, especially literacy and technical learning. Before they passed, they asked a forward-looking question I wish everyone would ask. When we’re no longer here, what support will our community need? As part of their estate planning, the Moyers created an endowment at MCF: the Moyer Foundation Fund.

Endowments are highly practical. The original gift is invested, it grows over time, and it benefits the community forever, in anonymity, or in celebration of the donor’s intent for community impact. In the Moyers’ case, they targeted two areas for continual support. The first is education, with a focus on grade-level reading and technical learning.

I appreciate their strategic choice: investments in our youth yield the deepest results over time, and technical training provides tangible opportunity in employment. And, endowed gifts like the Moyers’ provide flexibility, which allows MCF to channel their investments to fund the most pressing needs within these areas of focus and to best respond to our community’s emerging needs. They Moyers will change lives—forever.

This long view shows up in other segments of our community. For example, the Early Learning Coalition of Manatee County recently established its own endowment at MCF, acknowledging that early learning depends on sustained commitment rather than one-time funding. Endowments give organizations ongoing funding to reduce reliance on public funds, and space to plan and adjust, to keep good staff, to improve programs without having to reset every time public funding shifts, and to take necessary and measured risks to serve better and serve more. For a fast-growing county like ours, having that unrestricted support makes all the difference between maintaining operations and elevating them to new heights.

The Moyer Foundation Fund also supports the ongoing work of MCF itself. When donors support a community foundation’s work, they give staff flexibility to respond as needs shift. At MCF we steward many different funds, each with specific intent, and we also carry responsibility for the bigger picture. That flexibility helps us carry out our main function—to help people extend their values well beyond their lifetime—and to do it well. This way, when disaster strikes, or we have a chance to create a solution for a systemic community challenge, we have the funding to move forward with creative solutions.

The Moyers knew they could not imagine every challenge our community would face, so they looked for a partner that could ensure their legacy would not only be protected, but that it would build something durable to enhance our region as it evolves.

The Moyers inspire us to broaden how we think about giving. Not every gift needs to respond to the urgency of the moment. Some gifts aim to strengthen the foundation beneath the work, so future leaders and educators have room to act. Endowments make that possible. They carry a personal imprint, reflect what someone cared about during their life, and extend that care forward for the people who come.

The Moyers loved their community, and life’s adventures. And I know they are smiling from heaven as they witness how their forethought and generosity open doors for others—forever.

Veronica Thames is the CEO of the Manatee Community Foundation. 

Pictured: John and Marianne Moyer, courtesy of Manatee Community Foundation.