The Charles & Margery Barancik Foundation board recently approved $8.5 million in grant funding, focusing on student success, family enrichment, and environmental stewardship. This is the largest grant cycle in the foundation’s eight-year history, bringing its total investment into the Sarasota area to more than $90 million.

The list of grants includes $1.25 million to support Barancik Foundation and its key partners’ efforts to establish an early learning initiative; a $1 million grant to Forty Carrots Family Center to support increased access to child therapy and parent education services; a $600,000 grant to the Partners for Green Places initiative for Phase 2 of the initiative to implement water and energy efficiency improvements at local nonprofits; a $598,750 grant to Barancik Foundation’s Community News Collaborative initiative as start-up funding; a $408,000 grant to YMCA of Southwest Florida to increase the quality and capacity of its early learning academies; a $320,000 grant to The Greater Sarasota Chamber of Commerce Foundation for the second Opportunities for All program; a $300,000 grant for Barancik Foundation to pilot the Time to Inspire Margie’s Educators (TIME) Initiative; a $275,000 grant for Barancik Foundation to establish an affordable housing initiative to help support regional strategies to address the housing crisis; a $250,000 grant to the Boys & Girls Club of Sarasota and DeSoto Counties for flexible funding to support the organization’s operations, programming, and scholarships for students; a $250,000 grant to Tikkun HaYam for the Repair the Sea program; a $200,000 grant to The Academy at Glengary for the Wellness Within Reach program; a $150,000 grant to Manatee Community Foundation for strategic support in Manatee County; a $150,000 grant to Operation Warrior Resolution to provide innovative, holistic treatments for mental health to veterans and their family members; a $140,000 grant to Planned Parenthood of Southwest and Central Florida to support family planning and prevention services and expand the Peer Education Program for young adults; a $125,000 grant to Teen Court of Sarasota to help the organization build capacity and meet the needs of Teen Court clients and families through mental health counseling, financial assistance, transportation and other services; a $120,000 grant to FUNducation to expand their work and expose more students of color to what’s possible in science, engineering, the arts, and math; a $100,000 grant to Sarasota Audubon to advance conservation efforts at the Quad Parcels; a $75,000 grant to Links to Success for efforts to support college and career readiness programs for students in DeSoto County; and $75,000 grant to Meals On Wheels of Sarasota County to support its meal service program for homebound and vulnerable individuals, in addition to the foundation's $2 million in annual commitments.