During the fourth annual "Give 8/28" national giving day on Aug. 28, 15 local Black-led and Black-serving nonprofit organizations raised more than $20,000 from nearly 200 donors in support of a more equitable community in Sarasota, Manatee, Charlotte, and DeSoto counties. Six of those organizations secured competitive spots on the leaderboard, coming within the top 25 out of more than 300 causes nationwide. Half of them were first-time participants.

For the second year in a row, the Community Foundation of Sarasota County kickstarted local campaigns and covered registration fees, with grant support totaling more than $4,000. Local organizations that participated include Creative Arts Academy, D.I.V.A.S. of Sarasota, Family Oriented Community United Strong Inc (FOCUS), Gamma Xi Boulé Foundation, Horizons Unlimited Christian Academy, Learn My History Foundation, Making an Impact, Margwine Organization, Minorities in Shark Sciences, SOAR Learning Center Inc., Suncoast Black Arts Collaborative, Multicultural Health Institute, Truly Valued, Visible Men Academy and Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe

Give 8/28 was created by the Young, Black and Giving Back Institute, a nonprofit organization that seeks to educate, inspire, and empower Black Gen-Xers and Millennials to invest in changing their communities through philanthropy. Held annually on August 28, the date holds both historic and symbolic significance for Black communities, reflecting the day when Emmett Till was murdered in 1955, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his “I Have A Dream” speech, and Barack Obama accepted the Democratic nomination for President of the United States, among others.