Community Foundation for Palm Beach & Martin Counties Inc.

Filing Period

Jul 1, 2011 to Jun 30, 2012

Signed

May 1, 2013

Return Version

2011v1.5

Gross Receipts

$34,245,727

Mission

Major Activities

Activity 2

Affordable housing initiativeone of the major accomplishments in this area is the affordable housing initiative:it is hard to imagine not having an affordable place to live. That's unfortunately the reality for many families in palm beach and martin counties that have been displaced because of unemployment and the foreclosure crisis. Although there are many nonprofit organizations in our region to help the growing number of families facing this dilemma, these organizations are facing a crisis of their own - the elimination of public and private funding to support their programs. The community foundation for palm beach and martin counties recognizes the undue burden on the very organizations which we have entrusted to assist families and individuals facing homelessness and becoming self-sufficient members of our communities. We believe that the need for capacity building funds and operating resources warrants an unprecedented investment in the operations of our grantee partners. Nonprofit partnerships play a vital role in the foundation's ability to achieve its mission. To support the agencies we trust to help individuals secure affordable housing, the foundation approved an unprecedented investment in general operating support and awarded $2,086,700 (several of which fell under the category of health & human services) in grants in may 2012 to 12 nonprofit organizations focused on providing affordable housing in our communities. These crucial dollars help the organizations keep their core operations intact so they can focus on helping families find an affordable place to live.

Activity 3

One of the major accomplishments in this area is the steam (science, technology, engineering, arts, math) initiative:with careers in health care, financial services and information technology earmarked to be the fastest growing professions by 2018, nationwide efforts continue to promote stem as critical to developing a workforce to address those future demands. Recently, however, infusing the arts into a stem education has been recognized as a transformative concept that adds creative thinking, analysis and problem solving - all vital components to help develop future innovators. Adding the arts to stem expands education to steam and provides students a multi-faceted education that's crucial for meeting the needs of a changing world. On december 7, 2011, the board of directors of the community foundation for palm beach and martin counties approved $902,400 in grants from the john d. And catherine t. Macarthur fund to support steam (science, technology, engineering, arts, math) curriculums to help prepare youth for future, innovative professions. Ten nonprofit organizations located throughout palm beach and martin counties were awarded grants for programs that integrate steam activities in their curriculums. Steam initiativeone example of a steam project is the energetic environment at the seminole ridge high school construction academy where students clamor to help with the latest project - building a home from foundation to roof - for habitat for humanity, palm beach county. As one of the foundation's steam grantees, habitat for humanity palm beach county partnered with seminole ridge to bring steam into the academy to challenge students to learn and think differently. Together, the school and habitat provide students a hands-on experience that teaches them about construction and how to creatively collaborate, problem solve, and brainstorm new ideas. It's an opportunity to expand their thinking skills and provide inspiration for their futures.these students get an added bonus in the construction academy - an understanding of what it means to give back. When habitat for humanity turns over the new home to another deserving family, the students who helped build the home will be right there.

Filer

EIN

23-7181875