Grant Recipients

2023 Grant Recipients

• ABLE Academy

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  $180,000

  ABLE Academy provides intensive applied behavior analysis and therapy for children with Autism and related disorders. NCEF funding supports the Early Intensive Intervention Institute for developmentally delayed children, ages 1 through 7, who do not qualify for other funding or services elsewhere.

• Avow Hospice

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  $105,000

  Avow provides hospice care, palliative care and grief support services. NCEF funding supports the Avow Kids program, which enables children (ages 5-17) to successfully manage the grief and loss caused by adverse events such as death, divorce, deportation, incarceration or the recent pandemic.

• Better Together

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  $180,000

  Better Together works to prevent child abuse, strengthen families and promote independence by leveraging the power of the local community to support and equip families struggling with poverty and other life crises. NCEF funding supports the Better Families program, which provides families in crisis with a safety net of support to protect children and prevent them from entering the foster care system.

• Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Sun Coast

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  $90,000

  Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Sun Coast’s (BBBSSC) mission is to create and support one-to-one mentoring relationships that ignite the power and promise of youth. NCEF funding supports the One-to-One Mentoring Program, which provides opportunities for BBBSSC to pair youth with mentors as well as expand site-based mentoring and the Beyond School Walls mentoring program.

• Boys & Girls Club of Collier County

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  $450,000

  Boys & Girls Club of Collier County provides daily after-school and summer enrichment programs to inspire and enable children in Collier County, especially those from disadvantaged circumstances, to reach their full potential. NCEF funding supports the academic and youth development programming for over 800 at-risk children in Golden Gate and East Naples.

• Cal Ripken, Sr. Foundation

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  $75,000

  Cal Ripken, Sr. Foundation helps to build character and teach critical life lessons to at-risk youth living in America’s most distressed communities through sports-themed programs. NCEF funding supports multiple Ripken Foundation Direct Service Events for at-risk youth ages 9 to 14, in addition to providing Healthy Lifestyles programs to various Collier County youth organizations.

• Catholic Charities

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  $286,000

  Catholic Charities seeks to serve and empower all in need, regardless of race, nationality or creed. NCEF funding supports Catholic Charities’ bilingual youth counseling program for sexually abused, neglected and behaviorally impaired children.

• Champions For Learning

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  $200,000

  Champions For Learning, The Education Foundation of Collier County, makes it possible for our community to impact lives of children by enriching the environment for student learning. NCEF funding supports the Real-World Learning Model: College & Career Prep Program, which provides underserved students with a college and career readiness curriculum, helping students connect to their futures.

• Child's Path

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  $200,000

  Child’s Path supports the needs of Collier County’s children, families and early learning professionals by providing high-quality education, resources and childcare services. NCEF funding supports the ability to provide scholarships for low-income children, ages birth to five.

• Children’s Advocacy Center

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  $545,520

  Children’s Advocacy Center (CAC) provides services to the most severely abused and traumatized children in the community. NCEF funding supports payment for medical and social evaluations, case management, trauma-focused therapy and counseling. CAC is the only entity able to provide medical diagnoses of child abuse, child forensic interviews and safe custody exchanges.

• Conservancy of Southwest Florida

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  $150,000

  Conservancy of Southwest Florida’s mission is to protect Southwest Florida’s unique natural environment and quality of life. NCEF funding supports the Conservancy’s Mobile STEM Learning Adventures Bus (STEM LAB) which is an innovative way to reach students typically underserved by high quality environmental education.

• Educational Pathways Academy

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  $75,000

  Educational Pathways Academy’s mission is to build innovative programs to improve the academic, social and emotional well-being of students with language-based learning disabilities. NCEF funding supports an Outreach Reading Therapist and student scholarships.

• First Tee

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  $75,000

  First Tee enables children to build a strength of character that empowers them through a lifetime of new challenges. By seamlessly integrating the game of golf with life skills curriculum, First Tee creates learning experiences that build inner strength, self-confidence and resilience that kids can carry into everything they do. NCEF funding supports the expansion of the program through an Outreach Coordinator and additional staffing.

• Friends of Foster Children Forever

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  $389,500

  Friends of Foster Children Forever provides abused, neglected and abandoned children with the social, educational and financial support the state does not. NCEF funding supports educational and out-of-school time opportunities for children in foster care, enabling thousands of foster children to discover hidden talents, boost their self-esteem, sustain good academic grades and most importantly, begin to realize their individual potential.

• Fun Time Early Childhood Academy

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  $236,000

  Fun Time Early Childhood Academy provides safe, quality, affordable education and care for children of low-income working families in the River Park area. NCEF funding supports tuition assistance for 96 toddlers and preschoolers to receive quality child development services year-round. Funding will also assist with the expansion of Fun Time’s services to additional children hosted at Poinciana Elementary School.

• Gargiulo Education Center

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  $115,000

  Gargiulo Education Center supports the academic and social development of migrant children in North Naples through a free, safe and structured after-school program. NCEF funding supports scholarships for 70 children in need of after-school and summer programming.

• Grace Place for Children and Families

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  $375,000

  Grace Place for Children and Families strives to break the cycle of poverty by ensuring students graduate from high school, seek continued higher education and enter the workforce as hard-working, prepared professionals. NCEF funding supports a service learning and high school leadership program that will serve as a pathway to college for at-risk youth in the Golden Gate area, afterschool services for elementary school-aged children and the Bright Beginnings program to increase family literacy.

• Healthy Start Coalition of Southwest Florida, Inc.

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  $40,000

  Healthy Start Coalition of Southwest Florida is a community-based organization that assists pregnant women and babies up to age 3 who are at-risk for poor birth or developmental outcomes. NCEF funding supports the Help Me Grow program expansion to Collier County promoting cross-sector collaboration to build efficient and effective early childhood systems that mitigate the impacts of adversity and support protective factors among families, so that children can grow, develop and thrive to their full potential.

• Leadership Collier Foundation

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  $60,000

  The Leadership Collier Foundation’s (LCF) goal is to
  grow its own workforce talent in Collier County by
  developing students’ soft skills and exposing them to
  work-related opportunities. LCF’s work-based learning
  initiative supports the development of emerging talent
  to become economically self-sufficient. NCEF funding
  supports the expansion of these youth development
  programs focusing on work-based learning experiences.

• Legal Aid Services of Collier County

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  $600,000

  Legal Aid provides high-quality, civil
  legal advice, representation and education at no
  cost to the residents in Collier County. NCEF funding
  supports the Legal Aid for Collier Kids Project to
  promote stability and well-being in the lives of children
  in the dependency system and those victimized by
  exposure to domestic violence, trauma and abuse.
  Free legal services are provided for at least 500 at-risk
  children annually.

• Literacy Volunteers of Collier County

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  $85,000

  Literacy Volunteers of Collier County enhances the lives of students, families and children by improving their English skills. NCEF funding supports the Children and Parents Reading Together (CPRT) program which supplements and
  reinforces what the child is learning in class, in addition to educating the parent by promoting parental engagement in their child’s education.

• Midwest Food Bank of Florida

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  $50,000

  Midwest Food Bank works to alleviate hunger, malnutrition and the effects of disaster
  locally and throughout the world without discrimination. NCEF funding supports
  Midwest Food Bank’s Partner Pantry and Disaster Relief program in Collier County.

• MusicScores Violin

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  $50,000

  MusicScores provides violin instruction for preschoolers to enhance literacy, self-regulation and focus, as well as social and motor skills. NCEF funding supports over 300 Head Start children to participate in this research-based and data-driven program.

• Naples Therapeutic Riding Center

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  $249,000

  Naples Therapeutic Riding Center improves the lives of children and
  adults with special needs through therapeutic riding and other equine-related programs. NCEF funding supports therapeutic horsemanship and riding lessons,
  occupational therapy with horses customized for children with a wide range of special needs and Equine Facilitated Psychotherapy.

• NCH Healthcare System

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  $81,000

  NCH Healthcare System is the largest non-governmental institution in
  Collier County. NCEF Funding supports a Bilingual Perinatal Community Educator.
  Perinatal education plays a critical role in improving birth outcomes and reducing maternal health disparities, and NCEF is working with NCH to ensure all expecting parents are set up for success and have access to relevant information and
  resources.

• NCH Safe & Healthy Children’s Coalition of Collier County

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  $50,000

  NCH Safe & Healthy Children’s Coalition of Collier County focuses on saving children’s lives through injury prevention and health promotion.
  NCEF funding supports the drowning prevention/water safety program Swim Central.
  This program provides layers of protection through water safety education for at-risk
  and underserved families and water safety lessons for 1,300 children.

• Our Daily Bread Food Pantry

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  $70,000

  Our Daily Bread Food Pantry’s mission is to offer nourishing food choices, encouragement and hope. Their goal is to wipe out hunger in Marco Island and Naples by engaging daily with families and children who experience food
  insecurity. NCEF funding supports the purchase of food for over 8,000 children.

• Pace Center for Girls

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  $100,000

  Pace Center for Girls’ mission is to provide girls and young women an opportunity for a better future through education, counseling, training and advocacy. NCEF funding supports therapeutic counseling services to provide early
  identification, expert diagnosis and effective individual treatment of psychiatric and
  behavioral disorders that will help prepare girls for academic and social-emotional success as well as their futures.

• Pan-Florida Challenge

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  $56,700

  Pan-Florida Challenge is a non-profit organization based in Naples,
  Florida on a mission to engage the community in cancer prevention
  by providing elementary school-aged children with nutritious Power Pack meals that set the foundation for a healthy lifestyle and lower a child’s odds of developing
  cancer later in life. NCEF funding supports the Power Pack meals, containing 13 kid friendly,
  nutritious, shelf-stable meals that meet or exceed USDA recommendations
  for protein, calories and carbohydrates for elementary-aged children. To ensure
  children who are enrolled in the free and reduced lunch program receive stable nutrition outside of school hours, Power Packs are provided for the weekend and over summer break.

• Special Olympics

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  $102,500

  Special Olympics helps people with intellectual disabilities participate as productive and respected members of society by offering a fair opportunity to develop and demonstrate their skills and talents through a structured athletic program. NCEF funding supports the Young Athletes Program and Unified Champion Schools. The funding also supports the continuation of Camp Shriver in Collier County.

• St. Matthew's House

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  $75,000

  St. Matthew’s House exists to change the lives of vulnerable and hurting individuals and families. NCEF funding supports the Essential Child Services Program, which serves many of the most vulnerable children and families in Collier County. It ensures the personal well-being, physical health and educational success of at-risk children in crisis situations. Funding will be used for childcare, urgent necessities such as medical and mental health care, tutoring and school-related expenses and more.

• STARability Foundation

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  $80,000

  STARability Foundation provides social, vocational and educational connections to the community for
  individuals with intellectual and/or developmental
  disabilities while strengthening awareness and
  respect for individual abilities. NCEF funding supports STARability’s Junior Trailblazer Academy, which is an after-school and summer program providing high
  school students with intellectual and/or developmental
  disabilities with continuing education, vocational and
  life skills training and life-enriching experiences.

• Taste the Impact

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  $100,000

  Taste the Impact provides high school students in
  Immokalee and Naples, Florida with real-world business experience and foundational
  soft skills needed to make them career ready. NCEF funding supports Taste of
  Immokalee, a student-run, real-world entrepreneurship program where students learn, through “hands-on” experience, how to run a successful business.

• The Salvation Army of Collier County

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  $75,000

  The Salvation Army is a multi-faceted human services organization
  providing services in 131 countries. In Collier County, the Salvation Army is placing
  an emphasis on education and the need for quality early learning programs for our
  community’s most vulnerable youth. NCEF funding supports the Child Development
  Center’s expansion, quality and scholarships.

• The Shelter for Abused Women & Children

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  $150,000

  The Shelter for Abused Women & Children provides safety, intervention, education and support to victims and survivors of
  domestic violence. NCEF funding supports the Primary Prevention program, which creates a learning environment that
  inspires children and youth to create peaceful and nonviolent relationships.

• United Arts Collier

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  $40,000

  United Arts Collier enriches the lives and strengthens the community
  through the power of the arts. NCEF funding supports 1,100 children
  to participate in academic and enrichment services during after-school hours.

• Valerie's House

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  $200,000 

  Valerie’s House is devoted to providing children and their families, who have experienced the death of a loved one, a safe place to share and experience support with others who are also grieving, while moving through the healing process. NCEF funding supports art, music and group therapy to help youth identify, express and process grief and to become mentally stable,
  healthy and successful in school and life. Funding will also support the expansion of
  programs and services in Collier County.

• YMCA of Collier County

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  $400,000

  The YMCA of Collier County has established out-of-school programs that build a strong mind, body and spirit for children in the community. NCEF
  funding supports over 600 children in the Everglades City, Manatee and East Naples areas with after-school and summer programs.

• Youth Haven

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  $400,000

  Youth Haven’s mission is to protect and empower children and to strengthen families in Southwest Florida through comprehensive care and community collaboration. NCEF funding supports the Homeless Teen Transitional
  Living Program (HTTLP) which provides safe, reliable and life-changing resources for vulnerable youth. Funding also supports Youth Haven’s Emergency Shelter and Group
  Home.