The St. Joe Community Foundation (“Foundation”) approved grants totaling more than $5.39 million in 2023 to be paid to local non-profit organizations, the highest for a single year since its inception in 1999. Following the Foundation’s stated goal of enriching quality of life for the people who live, work and play in Northwest Florida, the Foundation provides grants to other local 501(C)(3) entities that strive to make a positive difference for the community to strengthen education, improve healthcare, support cultural arts, and protect the environment.
By category, in 2023 The St. Joe Community Foundation’s grant awards included a total of more than $2.6 million for Education, $1.1 million for Healthcare, $630k for Community Outreach Programs, $521,000 for Cultural Arts, and $407,000 for Environmental programs.
Examples of local non-profits receiving grants from the Foundation in 2023 include Bay Arts Alliance and the Cultural Arts Alliance of Walton County, Education Foundation for Bay District Schools, Walton Education Foundation for the Walton County School District, Emerald Coast Children’s Advocacy Center, Food for Thought, Emerald Coast Theatre Company, Alaqua Animal Refuge, Boys & Girls Club of the Emerald Coast, Special Olympics Florida, FSU Foundation, Gulf Coast State College Foundation, Florida State Parks Foundation, Guy Harvey Foundation, Angel House, and many others. (A full list of grant recipients can be found at www.joefoundation.com.)
“At the end of each year, it’s exciting to see the continuous growth that The St. Joe Community Foundation has been able to generate in terms of grants awarded to deserving local charities,” said April Wilkes, Executive Director of The St. Joe Community Foundation. “But it’s even more exciting to see what happens when those funds get out into the community and start to make real differences in the lives of people in Northwest Florida.”
“Thanks to our local not for profit partners, we are achieving improvements in quality of life for people in our community who may have been struggling to receive healthcare before, or to fund educational, environmental, or cultural art programs,” said Jorge Gonzalez, President and CEO of The St. Joe Company and Member of the Foundation’s Board of Trustees. “By working together, we believe we are making important improvements in Bay and Walton counties.”
In total, the Foundation has now granted over $43 million since 1999 to 501(C)(3) organizations dedicated to making a positive difference in Northwest Florida.
To apply for a grant, or to learn more about the Foundation visit www.JoeFoundation.com. A full list of The St. Joe Community Foundation’s giving can be found on the website.
About The St. Joe Community Foundation: The St Joe Community Foundation’s mission is to enrich the quality of life of the people who live, work, and play in Northwest Florida. Created in 1999, the Foundation provides grants to other 501(C)(3) entities for the areas of education, environmental stewardship, building healthier communities, and programs that honor the cultural arts. The Foundation is funded exclusively by a transfer fee on the sale of real estate in certain communities and resorts St Joe develops. This fee applies the first time a property is sold, and on each resale. The Foundation is a separate entity from The St. Joe Company and has a separate Board of Directors. www.JoeFoundation.com
