Late Sarasota resident L. Thomas Melly and his wife Judith Hershey Melly made a historic $70 million gift to Hobart and William Smith Colleges, where L. Thomas Melly was an alum and trustee. The largest donation in the institution’s history, and among the biggest to any U.S. college or university in 2024, will expand student access, drive academic innovation, and strengthen HWS for generations to come. Melly passed away in December 2024.

The Charles & Margery Barancik Foundation board of directors recently approved $8 million in grant awards. The funding will help improve access to quality educational opportunities, connect vulnerable residents to vital services for their health and well-being, expand water-quality monitoring along our coast, and more. Organizations that received funding include UnidosNow, the Sarasota Housing Authority, Project 180, Suncoast Waterkeeper and more.

The Community Foundation of Sarasota County announced that its annual Season of Sharing campaign has raised a record-breaking $7.2 million from 2,743 gifts. The dollars raised provide crucial financial relief to individuals and families facing hardship across Sarasota, Manatee, Charlotte, and DeSoto counties. The campaign’s success comes after a devastating hurricane season and rising economic strain on local residents, highlighting the community's commitment to supporting its neighbors in times of need.

Ronnie Shugar has donated $4 million to the Jewish Federation of Sarasota-Manatee. The donation will establish the Shugar Pool Club, an aquatic facility featuring three distinct pool styles tailored to different age groups and skill levels on the Greenspon Campus for Jewish Life. 

The Patterson Foundation has announced it will provide a capping gift of $1 million in unrestricted funding to The Bay, the public park along Sarasota Bay. The gift completes The Patterson Foundation’s cumulative investment into The Bay at $10 million from individual gifts and donation match opportunities.

Planned Parenthood of Southwest and Central Florida hosted its annual Sarasota-Manatee fundraising dinner at The Ora earlier this month. The event, themed “Care. No Matter What,” was the most successful in PPSWCF’s history in the region, with a record number of attendees, sponsors, and almost $900,000 dollars raised.

All Faiths Food Bank (AFFB) received grants from numerous funders totaling $436,000 in support of its disaster relief efforts in the wake of last year’s hurricanes. Grants were awarded by Feeding America ($222,000); Bank of America Charitable Foundation ($85,000); Comcast ($50,000); United Way Suncoast ($49,000); William G. and Marie Selby Foundation ($15,000); Elevance Health Foundation ($10,000); the Starbucks Foundation ($5,000); and Gerald A. & Karen A. Kolschowsky Foundation. Additionally, six local organizations awarded grants totaling $155,500 to the food bank in support of its BackPack program, which provides healthy, ready-to-eat food to students in Sarasota and DeSoto counties to eat over the weekend and during school holidays. They are The Harry Sudakoff Foundation ($40,000); Roberta Leventhal Sudakoff Foundation ($40,000); Bank of America Charitable Foundation ($40,000); Solar Quest Foundation ($20,000); Harold C. and Jacqueline F. Bladel Foundation, Inc. ($8,000); St. Boniface Episcopal Church, ($5,000); and Heron Creek Community Foundation ($2,500).

The Library Foundation for Sarasota County welcomed 600 guests to its 13th annual "Love Our Libraries" author luncheon at The Ora on Feb. 7, raising a record-setting $509,240 to support Sarasota County public libraries. This year's guest speaker was international best-selling author Ann Patchett.

The University of South Florida Sarasota-Manatee's Brunch on the Bay, the university's signature philanthropic event, raised more than $400,000 for student scholarships on Sunday, March 2.

Embracing Our Differences raised more than $300,000 at its annual fundraising luncheon on Feb. 21 at The Ora, propelled by a $100,000 contribution from philanthropists Eliza and Hugh Culverhouse, which helped kickstart the campaign.

Local nonprofit Harvest House raised more than $300,000 at its 13th annual Home Again Luncheon in support of its mission to champion hope and transform lives through supportive housing, addiction recovery programs and food security.

At its annual Forks & Corks grand tasting in January, Sarasota-Manatee Originals representatives presented Gulf Coast Community Foundation president of philanthropy Joe Carter and board vice chair (and Sarasota Magazine CEO) Anand Pallegar with a check for more than $26,000. The funds will bolster Gulf Coast's  Rapid Response Fund, providing ongoing relief to local hospitality workers impacted by last year's storms. 

All Star Children’s Foundation has received a $15,000 grant from Gulf Coast Community Foundation to support evidence-based, trauma-informed services for children with foster care or child welfare involvement in Sarasota and DeSoto counties, Lakewood Ranch, and Longboat Key.