The William G. and Marie Selby Foundation
At a glance
Key takeaways
- If your organisation is a 501(c)(3) based in or mainly serving Sarasota, Manatee, Charlotte or DeSoto, its priorities of education, human services, arts and community projects may suit you, but it does not fund operating or programme expenses, completed projects, expenses already incurred, endowments, travel or research.
- Choose the route by budget: Traditional Grants (from $10,000) are for organisations with budgets greater than $300,000, and Small and Mighty grants ($5,000 to $20,000) are for budgets of $300,000 or less, while about 8 in 10 of its grants fall between $5,000 and $90,000, a typical band with a median of about $22,500, although its largest grant was $250,000.
- Traditional applications are accepted from December 1 to January 15 and from July 1 to August 15, Small and Mighty applications open on the first business day of February, June and October, and capital requests should contact the Grants Manager before applying.
- Requests for less than 10% of the total project cost, and those showing other funding sources, are usually given priority, and 27% of its grant dollars to organisations in its most recent filing went to organisations it had already funded, so meeting staff early is worth the effort.
- Churches and other religious institutions, individuals, and (under Traditional Grants) public or private K-12 schools should not apply.
Overview
The William G. and Marie Selby Foundation is a US private foundation based in Sarasota, FL.
What they fund
Profile derived from the foundation's IRS Form 990-PF filings (TY2024, TY2023, TY2022) and its website, with every statement checked against those sources. Sources read on 7 October 2026.
Priority Areas
The Foundation invests in young leaders through renewable scholarships and in local non-profits through capital support. Its capital grants support construction, acquisition and renovation of facilities, equipment and software, and related technical services. Traditional Grants serve 501(c)(3) non-profit organisations with budgets greater than $300,000; Small and Mighty grants serve organisations with budgets of $300,000 or less. Applicants primarily serve, or are located in, Sarasota, Manatee, Charlotte and DeSoto counties; traditional grants can exceptionally consider an outside organisation whose majority of clients come from the four-county area. Education, human services, arts and community projects, including history, science and the environment, receive top priority. Renewable scholarships support local graduating students pursuing full-time undergraduate degrees.
Themes
- Education
- Human services
- Arts
- Community projects
Geographic Focus
Sarasota; Manatee; Charlotte; DeSoto.
What They Don't Fund
- Operating/program expenses
- Projects that have already been completed
- Expenses already incurred
- Endowments
- Deficit financing/debt reduction
- Conferences, seminars or workshops
- Travel
- Surveys, advertising, or marketing materials
- Research
- Traditional Grants only: Individuals; Public or Private K-12 Schools (including charter schools and booster organizations); Churches, synagogues, mosques, temples and/or any other religious institution; Fire or police departments (including volunteer organizations)
- Small and Mighty grants only: Individuals; Private K-12 Schools or school clubs; Individual Public K-12 Schools (including Charter Schools and Booster Organizations) or school clubs; Churches, synagogues, mosques, temples and/or any other religious institution; Individual Fire or Police Departments (including volunteer organizations)
How to apply
Applicants for capital grants must contact the Grants Manager to discuss their planned request before applying.
Deadlines:
- Traditional Grant applications have two annual cycles: spring opens December 1 and closes January 15; fall opens July 1 and closes August 15.
- Small and Mighty applications open on the first business day of February, June and October and close on the first business day of the following month.
Application success factors
- Repeat giving: In its TY2024 filing, 27% of its grant dollars to organisations went to organisations it had also funded in its TY2022 or TY2023 filing.
- Grant size: Across its TY2022, TY2023 and TY2024 filings, half of its 176 grants to organisations were about $22,500 or less.
What the foundation says:
- Applicants who demonstrate other funding sources or request less than 10% of the total project cost are usually given priority.
- The Foundation encourages organisations to list future needs and meet with staff to explore possible fits.
- After submission, the President and CEO meets with the applicant organisation’s chief executive and a board member to discuss the project.
- The Board reviews the project's value, the requesting organisation's soundness, and future maintenance and funding.
Where grants go
From grants to organisations in the foundation’s filings for tax years 2022–2024.
Grant dollars by state
- The largest single recipient received 5% of grant dollars to organisations.
- In tax year 2024, 27% of grant dollars went to organisations The William G. and Marie Selby Foundation had funded in earlier filings.
- No grants were paid directly to organisations outside the US.
- 10% of grant dollars went to intermediaries that regrant to other organisations.
Grants
How much do they typically give?
Share of 63 grants in tax year 2024 by size
Median $25,000 (tax year 2024)
The largest grants to organisations in the foundation’s latest filing:
- All Faiths Food Bank · Organizational grants$115,0002024 tax year
- Loveland Center · Organizational grants$100,0002024 tax year
- Jewish Family and Children's Service of the Suncoast · Organizational grants$100,0002024 tax year
- Foundation for Dreams · Organizational grants$90,0002024 tax year
- State College of Florida Foundation · Institutional scholarship$75,0002024 tax year
- Family Promise of South Sarasota County · Organizational grants$63,0752024 tax year
- Centerstone of Florida · Organizational grants$60,0002024 tax year
- Sarasota Opera Association · Organizational grants$50,0002024 tax year
Grants to organisations listed in the foundation’s Form 990-PF filings. Grants to individuals are not shown.
Officers and directors
- Susie Bowie — President and CEO
- Carolyn Johnson — Secretary / Treasurer
- Barbara Zdravecky — Vice Chair
- Susan Hines — Chair
- Clolita Vitale — Director
- Tom Tryon — Director
- Laura Spencer — Director
- E Keith Dubose — Director
From the latest Form 990-PF filing
3 years of tax filings
| Year | Total expenses | Grants paid | Assets | Filing document |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 tax year | $3,312,575 | $2,646,641 | $67,207,196 | Filing for 2022 tax year |
| 2023 tax year | $3,735,376 | $2,983,658 | $73,740,810 | Filing for 2023 tax year |
| 2024 tax year | $3,382,512 | $2,629,593 | $78,312,524 | Filing for 2024 tax year |
Figures from the foundation’s IRS Form 990-PF filings. Assets are at fair market value at year end. The document icon links to each year’s filing on ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer.
Sources
Registers and filings
Other sources
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At a glance
Applying to The William G. and Marie Selby Foundation?
Hinchilla drafts your answers around this funder's priorities, using your organisation's own documents.
No credit card required
Contact
- (941) 957-0442
- info@selbyfdn.org
- epower@selbyfdn.org
- Sarasota, FL
- selbyfdn.org
Applying to The William G. and Marie Selby Foundation?
Hinchilla drafts your answers around this funder's priorities, using your organisation's own documents.
No credit card required
Contact
- (941) 957-0442
- info@selbyfdn.org
- epower@selbyfdn.org
- Sarasota, FL
- selbyfdn.org