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Southwest Florida Community Foundation Inc (Collaboratory)

Annual Giving
$10.5M

Southwest Florida Community Foundation Inc (Collaboratory)

Quick Stats

  • Annual Giving: $10.5 million (2024)
  • Total Assets: $169 million (2023)
  • Success Rate: Not publicly disclosed
  • Decision Time: Varies by program
  • Grant Range: Varies by program (scholarships to multi-year coalition grants)
  • Geographic Focus: Charlotte, Collier, Glades, Hendry, and Lee Counties, Florida
  • Recent Grant Activity: 171 grants in 2024, 152 grants in 2023
  • EIN: 59-6580974
  • Charity Navigator Rating: 4/4 Stars

Contact Details

Address: 2031 Jackson Street, Suite 100, Fort Myers, FL 33901

Phone: (239) 274-5900

Email: info@collaboratory.org

Scholarship Inquiries: scholarships@collaboratory.org | (239) 308-1214

Women's Legacy Fund: gdengler@collaboratory.org | (239) 333-4171

Website: www.collaboratory.org

Overview

Founded in 1976, the Southwest Florida Community Foundation Inc operates publicly as "Collaboratory" and serves as the regional community foundation for Southwest Florida. With total assets of $169 million as of 2023, the organization has distributed over $132 million to the community since its founding, including $10.5 million in 2024 alone.

Collaboratory operates with an ambitious and distinctive mission: to coordinate the solving of all major social problems in Southwest Florida by 2040. To achieve this audacious goal, the foundation has shifted from traditional grantmaking to a collective impact model, building five regional coalitions that bring together cross-sector partners from nonprofits, business, government, and philanthropy. Three coalitions are currently active—FutureMakers (workforce development and education), Home (affordable housing and transportation), and Health & Wellness—with two more planned focusing on Place (built environment) and Environment (natural systems).

The foundation manages more than 107 scholarship funds, awarded over $1.2 million to 174 scholarship recipients in 2024, and operates donor-advised funds, endowments, field-of-interest funds, and agency funds. Collaboratory has earned a 4-star rating from Charity Navigator, demonstrating strong financial health and accountability.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

Competitive Coalition Grants: Multi-year funding (up to three years, contingent on performance) awarded to nonprofits serving as "backbone organizations" for regional coalitions addressing systemic issues like housing, health and wellness, or workforce development. These grants fund the organizational capacity and coordination required for coalitions to start and sustain collective impact work.

Scholarships: Over $1.2 million distributed annually through 107 scholarship funds supporting high school students, adult learners, undergraduate and graduate students. Scholarships support traditional college-bound students as well as those pursuing vocational, technical, and credentialing programs. Application deadline typically mid-January (January 14, 2025 for current cycle). Requires FAFSA submission.

Women's Legacy Fund (WLF): Established in 2007, this fund engages women donors who collectively direct annual grants to address root causes of issues affecting Southwest Florida's most vulnerable populations. The endowed fund has reached $1 million, generating approximately $40,000 annually. Past focus areas include literacy, violence prevention, mental health, homelessness, and neighborhood access to goods and services. This is a donor membership fund rather than an open application program.

Emergency Relief Grants: Partnership with United Way for disaster response. Following Hurricane Ian, Collaboratory raised over $5 million for recovery efforts, distributing more than $2.6 million through United Way, $375,000 for arts and culture recovery, and nearly $900,000 through the Rebuild Southwest Florida Fund.

Field-of-Interest and Donor-Advised Funds: Various donor-established funds that support specific areas of charitable focus. Grant availability and priorities determined by individual fund parameters.

Priority Areas

Collaboratory's funding priorities align with their 2040 goals through three active coalitions:

FutureMakers Coalition: Focused on ensuring 60% of adults aged 25-64 in the region have education beyond high school. Since 2020, has added nearly 55,000 credentials to the workforce and distributed nearly $3.5 million. Partners with Florida Gulf Coast University and received a $22.9 million federal Good Jobs Challenge award for the Southwest Florida Equitable Jobs Pipeline.

Home Coalition: Strives to ensure 80% of residents pay less than 45% of their income on combined housing and transportation costs by 2040.

Health & Wellness Coalition: Goal to make Southwest Florida communities among the healthiest in the nation by scoring above the 90th percentile for length of life and quality of life indicators.

The foundation focuses on supporting cross-sector, regional partnerships working to improve outcomes across all five counties.

What They Don't Fund

  • Political campaigns or lobbying activities
  • Advancing specific religious agendas
  • Organizations that discriminate on the basis of race, gender or gender identity, sexual orientation, age, disability, national origin, or religious affiliation
  • 501(c)(4) and 501(c)(6) organizations (not eligible)

Governance and Leadership

Executive Leadership

Dr. Dawn Belamarich, President and CEO: Appointed in September 2023, Dr. Belamarich previously served as system leader for the Behavioral Health division at Lee Health. Originally from New Jersey, she is now a permanent resident of Cape Coral. In her own words: "I take pride in a team-first approach and organizational culture, as well as using data to create sustainable community systems all while building relationships and propelling this mission-driven team forward." She has emphasized that Collaboratory's "true superpower is to remain flexible, neutral, and deeply committed to helping convene partners for regional social change."

Board of Trustees

Gary H. Griffin (Chair): President/CEO of B&I Contractors Inc., an employee-owned mechanical, electrical, HVAC and plumbing contracting firm with 2022 revenues of $168 million.

Sally Jackson (Vice Chair): Community Volunteer.

Dr. Harrison S. Knight (Secretary/Treasurer): Senior Pastor, Agency Owner, Real Estate Agent.

Gail Markham (Immediate Past Chair): CPA and founding partner of Markham Norton Mosteller Wright & CO., PA. Has served on the Collaboratory Board since 2016.

Additional Trustees:

  • Julie Ben-Susan (Retired Banker)
  • William M. Blevins (President/CEO, Gulf Coast Business Bank, 37-year banking veteran)
  • Suzanne Boy (Employment Attorney)
  • Lauren C. Drasites (Attorney)
  • Jay B. Love (Former CEO, Angel Investor)
  • Frederick Moon (Former Assistant Treasurer, Morgan Guaranty Trust)
  • Dr. Clay Motley (Dean, College of Arts & Sciences at FGCU)
  • Khandyce Mosely (Consultant, Grant Writer)
  • Damon Romanello (CEO, Studio+)
  • Benjamin A. Spence (COO & Financial Officer, Lee Health)
  • Andrew W. Sheppard (Retired, FineMark National Bank & Trust)
  • Karen Watson, MSW (Medical Social Worker)

The board represents diverse professional backgrounds including banking, construction, healthcare, legal, education, and nonprofit sectors.

Application Process & Timeline

How to Apply

Current Status: As of research date, Collaboratory does not currently have a competitive grant cycle open. The foundation states on their website: "We do not currently have a competitive grant cycle open."

Staying Informed: Organizations interested in future funding opportunities should sign up for grants news at collaboratory.org to receive notifications about funding and capacity building opportunities.

Scholarship Applications: Open November 1 annually, with applications closing mid-January (January 14, 2025 at 11:59 p.m. for current cycle). Apply at collaboratory.org. Requirements include transcript, letter of recommendation, and FAFSA 25-26 Submission Summary.

Coalition Participation: Organizations can join active coalitions (FutureMakers, Home, Health & Wellness) through signup forms on the Collaboratory website. Coalition membership may lead to grant opportunities as backbone organizations or coalition partners.

Eligibility Requirements

  • Nonprofit organizations exempt from federal income taxes under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code (501(c)(4) and 501(c)(6) agencies are not eligible)
  • Units of government are eligible
  • Must be located in and/or primarily serve residents of Charlotte, Collier, Glades, Hendry, and Lee Counties
  • Must be governed by a volunteer board of directors
  • Must conduct business without discrimination on the basis of race, gender or gender identity, sexual orientation, age, disability, national origin, or religious affiliation

Decision Timeline

Decision timelines vary by program and are not publicly disclosed for competitive grants. Scholarship recipients are typically notified in spring following the January application deadline. Coalition grant cycles operate on multi-year timelines with annual performance reviews.

Success Rates

Specific success rates and application statistics are not publicly disclosed. In 2024, the foundation awarded 171 grants, and in 2023, awarded 152 grants. However, the total number of applications received is not published.

Reapplication Policy

Not publicly specified. Organizations are encouraged to join the grants mailing list for notifications about future opportunities.

Application Success Factors

Strategic Alignment with 2040 Goals

Collaboratory has fundamentally shifted from traditional community foundation grantmaking to a collective impact model focused on their 2040 deadline. CEO Dawn Belamarich emphasizes that "explaining our audacious commitment to the community is of paramount importance right now." Organizations should understand and align with the five coalition goals (FutureMakers, Home, Health & Wellness, Place, and Environment) to position themselves for funding consideration.

Coalition and Systems-Level Thinking

The foundation explicitly seeks to fund "nonprofits that serve as the backbone for a coalition that addresses the whole system, such as housing or health and wellness." This represents a significant departure from traditional project-based grantmaking. Successful applicants demonstrate:

  • Ability to convene and coordinate multiple partner organizations
  • Cross-sector collaboration (nonprofits, business, government, philanthropy)
  • Regional impact across multiple counties
  • Systems-level solutions rather than isolated programs

Data-Driven Approaches

Dr. Belamarich has emphasized the importance of "using data to create sustainable community systems." Applications should demonstrate data collection, impact measurement, and evidence-based strategies aligned with Collaboratory's impact dashboards that track progress toward 2040 goals.

Regional Scope

Unlike many community foundations, Collaboratory explicitly focuses on regional solutions across all five counties (Charlotte, Collier, Glades, Hendry, and Lee). Single-county or hyper-local initiatives may be less competitive unless they connect to broader regional strategies.

Relationship Building and Coalition Participation

Given the shift away from open competitive grant cycles toward coalition-based funding, organizations should actively participate in relevant coalitions before seeking funding. This demonstrates commitment to collaborative work and allows the foundation to assess organizational capacity and cultural fit.

Demonstrated Organizational Capacity

Backbone organizations must have sufficient infrastructure to coordinate coalition work over multi-year timeframes. The foundation looks for established nonprofits with strong governance, financial management, and the bandwidth to support coalition coordination beyond their own direct programming.

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

  • No Open Application Cycle: Collaboratory does not currently operate traditional competitive grant cycles. Success requires relationship building through coalition participation and staying on their mailing list for future opportunities.

  • Coalition Model Required: Focus has shifted from individual nonprofit projects to funding backbone organizations that coordinate multi-partner, cross-sector coalitions addressing systems-level change in workforce development, housing, health, built environment, or natural environment.

  • Multi-Year, High-Capacity Grants: When available, competitive grants are structured for up to three years of funding contingent on annual performance, requiring significant organizational capacity for backbone/coordinating roles.

  • Regional Impact Essential: Projects must serve and impact multiple counties across Southwest Florida (Charlotte, Collier, Glades, Hendry, Lee), not single communities.

  • 2040 Deadline Drives All Decisions: Everything Collaboratory funds must connect to achieving measurable progress on their five coalition goals by 2040. Applications must demonstrate how they contribute to these specific metrics.

  • Alternative Funding Paths: Beyond competitive grants, explore scholarships (if education-focused), donor-advised fund alignment, emergency relief (disaster-related), or Women's Legacy Fund focus areas if working with vulnerable populations.

  • Flexibility and Neutrality Valued: CEO emphasizes the foundation's role as a "flexible, neutral" convener. Organizations demonstrating collaborative (not competitive) mindsets and willingness to share credit are better positioned for partnership.

References

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