Charlotte Community Foundation Fall 2026 Unrestricted Grants

Charlotte Community Foundation Fall 2026 Unrestricted Grants is sponsored by Charlotte Community Foundation. Provides unrestricted grants to nonprofit organizations in Charlotte County, Florida, supporting various community initiatives.

Grants/Scholarships | Charlotte Community Foundation Fall 2026 Grants Cycle for Unrestricted and Program Support The Charlotte Community Foundation (CCF) announces a competitive grant cycle for Fall 2026. The program — focused on five areas of local nonprofit service delivery — will distribute $195,000 in donor-designated contributions through two different grant opportunities. Please see full details on our Grants page.

Spring 2026 Grant Cycle Provided Unrestricted Support, Strengthened and Expanded Building on the momentum of our renewed approach to competitive grantmaking launched in 2025 as well as our growth as a community foundation, CCF in the 2026 Spring grant cycle more than doubled the amount of funding available for the unrestricted grants cycle we piloted last spring.

Led by Grants Manager Whitney Stout, and chaired by Board Secretary, JoAnn Tompkins, the Spring 2026 Grants Cycle was intended to offer $160,000 in awards but a generous donor boosted that award amount to $172,500. In all, there were 18 grantees at $2,500 each and 17 grantees at $7,500 each. The funding levels were determined by an organization’s staff and budget size.

Grantees were evaluated on their organizational strength in finances, leadership, and programs, through a simple online application reviewed by a Grants Committee of community volunteers from across Charlotte County. The organizations, which represent the spectrum of sectors (education, health, etc.) and service across the county, were selected because of organizational strength in finances, leadership, and programs.

The grantees were celebrated at a May 5, 2026 event at the Charlotte Harbor Event and Conference Center, attended by nonprofit staff and board leaders, volunteer reviewers, CCF Board of Directors and the donors who made the grants possible. Watch May 5, 2026 awards evening recap here. Be sure to read our Spring 2025 Grants Impact Report to see the impact these funds are making.

Note: The Fall 2025 12-month final report is due by 12/22/26. Fall 2025 grantees may upload 12-month Final reports here. In addition to many donors to the CCF Community Fund, numerous supporters have established named, permanent endowments that are pooled together to support CCF’s competitive grant making program in perpetuity.

The CCF Board of Directors established the new “Charlotte Forever” endowed fund option in 2024—starting at just $5,000—to involve many community members in having a broad impact and lasting legacy for Charlotte County. Today there are 19 such named funds, which are highlighted on a new webpage about Charlotte Forever Funds on charlottecf.

org Volunteer as a Grants Reviewer “Our grants committee includes 24 community members who come from across Charlotte County—from Englewood to Deep Creek to Babcock Ranch,” noted President and CEO Shelley Strickland, PhD. “They have diverse backgrounds and experiences, and some have been brand new to engaging with CCF.

Reviewers have an in-person training on a new evaluation rubric and meet again in person after extensive review of the applications individually to make some tough collective group recommendations for our Board’s review and approval. ” Chaired by CCF Board Secretary JoAnn Tompkins, the grants committee has helped CCF rebuild its competitive grant program “with broad community engagement and enhanced transparency,” said Tompkins.

CCF has implemented the program with a straightforward application that recognizes the differences in nonprofits based on their size and structures, including whether they are volunteer-led or professionally-staffed.

CCF taps the expertise of volunteer reviewers – community members from across Charlotte County with different life experiences and perspectives – to serve on our Grants Committee, led by Board Secretary and longtime Charlotte County resident JoAnn Tompkins. In-person training is provided to reviewers on the online grants system. Please let us know your interest in serving your community in this time-limited but critical capacity.

Contact Grants Manager Whitney Stout for a job description and timelines: [email protected] . Click this link to check out our previous Spring 2025 Grants Program: Pilots for Unrestricted/Operating Support. The 2026-27 Scholarship Cycle is now closed.

(The new cycle begins November 16, 2026 when the portal on the CCF Scholarships page will reopen. Check back then to set up your student portal for your application.) Recipients were notified in April and awards were made May 13.

Please see the Scholarships page for the on-line application and Frequently Asked Questions with important details. CCF awarded 65 recipients scholarships totaling $263,500 in awards for the 2026-2027 academic year for post-secondary education and training at all levels, from trade certificates to graduate programs.

Scholarships were split between traditional students (high school graduating seniors) and adults who have been out of school at least two years, with many of those working adults in the health care field. A committee chaired by Board Member Deelynn Bennett composed of two dozen educators and health care professionals reviewed a record number of applications. See Scholarship Committee members .

Many of the scholarship funds memorialize local residents, with the most significant fund established as a lasting legacy by Betty Conley Brooks and Robert Charles Brooks providing 30 awards—divided among students pursuing a technical school/certificate program, a two-year college/state school degree, and a four-year college/university degree.

The CCF Scholarship Fund for Charlotte County: Supporting Future Local Leaders Like Leo Wotitzky is the Foundation’s general fund—accepting gifts at any level—to increase support for the educational pursuits of CCPS graduates who are committed to working hard, helping others and serving the community—the lasting legacy of leadership by CCF’s founding member and first chairman. Click here to learn more about scholarships.