Barancik Foundation recently awarded more than $8.7 million in grants that will improve access to education, career opportunities, cultural experiences, and more.
Among the largest investments is a grant to YMCA of Southwest Florida to transform the historic Speer Center in Arcadia into a hub for early learning and other family services. Other Barancik Foundation grants will help working adults advance in high-demand careers, lay the groundwork for expansion of The Legacy Trail into North Sarasota, strengthen organizations that serve families, and improve natural areas for wildlife, water quality, and public use.
“Expanding opportunities can take many different forms,” said Omar Guevara-Soto, Senior Vice President for Collaboration and Impact at Barancik Foundation. “It can mean creating something new, removing barriers to existing resources, or helping organizations respond and improve as the needs in our community change. These grants reflect that range and will support essential work that our nonprofit partners are doing across the region.”
Bringing Opportunity within Reach
YMCA of Southwest Florida, working in partnership with the City of Arcadia, will use a $1.5-million grant to build on its growing presence in DeSoto County by renovating and activating the long-underutilized Speer Center as its first physical location there. The center will house an early learning academy as well as youth development, food support, and many other services in one place, giving families easier access to resources while creating a lasting community asset in Arcadia.
Pines of Sarasota Foundation was awarded $750,000 to expand healthcare career pathways for Pines of Sarasota staff. Through on-site training and education, employees of the nonprofit senior living facility will be able to advance from entry-level caregivers through CNA, LPN, and RN positions, all while remaining on the job. The grant also funds scholarships for The Learning Tree Childcare Center at Pines, removing an additional obstacle for working parents to increase their earning potential while Pines develops the skilled healthcare workforce it needs.
Barancik Foundation awarded a $700,000 grant to the Greater Sarasota Chamber of Commerce Foundation to support and expand CareerEdge, ThinkBIG, and InternConnect. These Sarasota Chamber programs provide workforce training, entrepreneurial support, and paid internship opportunities, respectively.
Trust for Public Land (TPL) will use a $350,000 grant to advance a potential extension of The Legacy Trail to connect North Sarasota residents to the Florida Gulf Coast Trail. This new connection would put residents closer to jobs, schools, healthcare, parks, and more. TPL will work with community members and partners to shape trail planning, safety, and access priorities, while also performing the land-protection work needed to move the project toward design and construction.
Strengthening Organizations Behind the Work
For some Foundation grantees, improving access means making sure that the organizations people rely on can continue to serve them well and adapt as needs evolve.
Mothers Helping Mothers was awarded $550,000 to strengthen a family-support model that now serves more than 3,000 families and 6,500 children a year. What began as a grassroots effort to provide basic necessities has grown into a trusted, prevention-focused source of ongoing support for families facing financial strain, transportation challenges, and other pressures. MHM will use the funding to better coordinate its growing array of services and connect more families with the right resources as their needs change.
Parenting Matters will use $750,000 in operating support over three years to meet growing demand for its parenting education and early intervention services. The organization plans to enhance its staffing, improve data and technology systems, and strengthen fundraising capacity. The investments aim to reduce administrative demands on program staff, so they can spend more time with families and ultimately help more parents build safe, nurturing homes.
Resilient Retreat was also awarded $750,000 in operating support as demand for its free, trauma-informed mental-health services continues to grow. Now serving more than 6,000 participants a year, the organization will use the funding to strengthen and support staff, operations, and its therapeutic campus as it transitions from start-up growth toward long-term sustainability.
A $1.8-million grant to Sarasota County Schools will take a similar long-term approach to strengthening the people who shape student success. Building on an earlier Foundation investment, the district will expand professional learning for teachers, school leaders, and student-support staff in literacy, mathematics, leadership, and specialized student needs. The districtwide approach is designed to embed more expertise within schools through coaching, teacher leadership, and sustained professional learning, building on approaches the district credits with helping to drive recent gains in literacy, mathematics, and school performance.
Supporting Regional Resilience
Two Foundation grants will help protect and strengthen natural assets that contribute to the Sarasota region’s long-term resilience while also creating more opportunities for people to experience and enjoy them.
Big Waters Land Trust was awarded $350,000 to support the continued restoration and rewilding of protected land parcels next to the Celery Fields. This grant supports Phase II of the larger “Rewilding the Quad Parcels” project, focusing on the Southwest Parcel, where native habitat, trails, shaded gathering areas, an accessible play space, and other public amenities will be added. The broader rewilding project is designed to improve water quality, flood resilience, and wildlife habitat while expanding public access to protected green space.
Barancik Foundation also awarded $350,000 in start-up and operating support to the Myakka River Partnership, a new organization providing an independent voice for the Myakka River watershed and its long-term health. The Partnership is actively bringing together public agencies, communities, and conservation groups to strengthen stewardship of the river and help position the watershed for a potential federal designation that could bring new funding and a framework for long-term protection.
Expanding Access in Other Ways
A $550,000 grant to Ringling College of Art and Design will help Sarasota Art Museum (SAM) continue to make modern and contemporary art more approachable and relevant through its nationally significant exhibitions and wide-ranging community-engagement programming. SAM works to expand access to the arts by building relationships with community partners, creating educational programs that welcome people with different needs and experiences, and helping more residents see the Museum as a place for learning, creativity, and belonging.
The Literacy Council of Sarasota will use a $215,000 grant to expand flexible, online English-language learning for adults in Sarasota and Manatee counties. The program is designed for adults whose work schedules, childcare responsibilities, transportation needs, or other circumstances make traditional classes difficult to attend. This grant will significantly expand access to the online program in Sarasota County and extend it into Manatee County through a partnership with the Manatee Literacy Council.
Barancik Foundation also awarded $126,500 in grants to several organizations that founders Chuck and Margie Barancik supported annually during their lives.
