Polk County nonprofits receive $750,523 from Impact Polk 2023 grant cycle

More than $750,000 in grants have been awarded from the George W. Jenkins Fund through Impact Polk 2023.

LAKELAND, FL (June 26, 2023) – GiveWell Community Foundation (GWCF) is pleased to announce that a total of $750,523 has been awarded to 90 nonprofit organizations through the Impact Polk 2023 grant cycle. Impact Polk is GWCF’s annual competitive, donor-directed grant program with the goal of addressing community needs throughout Polk County. Impact Polk grants often support a broad range of needs, such as animal welfare, arts and culture, education, and health and human services. To learn more about this grant cycle, please visit impactpolk.org.

501(c)(3) organizations serving in Polk County were invited to apply for Impact Polk 2023 funding from September 9 – October 17, 2022. The Foundation received 134 applications requesting a total of more than $2 million. The George W. Jenkins Fund within GiveWell Community Foundation selected the following organizations and programs to receive full or partial funding through Impact Polk 2023:

• 1st Veterans’ Kids Care, Inc.’s Youth Eyecare Services Vision and Literacy Initiative received $5,000.
• A Woman’s Choice’s Teen Impact Summer Abstinence Education Program received $5,000.
• Abounding in Faith, Inc.’s Camp Career & Empowerment for Girls received $5,000.
• AdventHealth Polk Foundation’s Access to 3D Mammography received $5,000.
• Aerospace Center for Excellence’s Redbird MX2 Simulator received $5,000.
• Anchor House Ministries’ Transition to Success received $15,000.
• Best Buddies’ Friendship & Leadership Programs in Polk County received $5,000.
• Better Tomorrows’ After-School Program received $2,000.
• Big Brothers Big Sisters of Tampa Bay, Inc.’s Comprehensive One-to-One Mentoring Programs received $5,000.
• Bok Tower Gardens, Inc.’s Neighborhood Pass Program received $10,000.
• Boys & Girls Clubs of Polk County, Inc.’s Increasing the Hope Trajectory for Polk County Kids received $20,000.
• Bread of Life Fellowship, Inc., d/b/a Southeastern Food Bank’s Mobile Food Pantry Program for Seniors received $5,000.
• Bruised but not Destroyed, Inc.’s Housing Program Expansion received $5,000.
• Camp Fire U.S.A. Sunshine Council’s Science Rocks Expansion Program received $10,734.
• Camp Gilead CBM Ministries of Florida, Inc.’s Summer Camp Scholarship Fund received $10,000.
• Center for Independent Living in Central Florida’s Step Ahead: Work Force Training Opportunities for Youth with Disabilities received $5,000.
• Central Florida Speech and Hearing Center’s Ensuring Successful Amplification for Patients received $17,070.
• Children’s Home Society of Florida’s Parents as Partners Continuation received $14,468.
• Circle of Friends Ministry, Inc.’s Financially Equitable Life Enhancing Programming for Low-Income Intellectually/Developmentally Differently Abled Individuals of Polk Co. received $5,000.
• Cypress Junction Montessori, Inc.’s Early Education Scholarship Fund received $20,000.
• Destiknee Place Inc.’s Helping pre and post incarcerated women regain their lives for a brighter future received $5,000.
• Dream Center of Lakeland’s Food Distribution and Meals received $10,000.
• Drug Prevention Resource Center dba InnerAct Alliance’s Tackling KILLER Drug Trends received $10,000.
• Faith in Action North Lakeland Inc.’s Great Opportunity to Serve the low income Seniors who are aging in place received $15,000.
• FAM Church’s Migrant Children After School Program received $20,000.
• Family Literacy Academy at Lake Wales’ It’s Working! Arts are Making a Difference for Our At-Risk Children and Their Families received $5,000.
• Feeding Tampa Bay’s Feeding Minds School Pantry Program in Polk County received $5,000.
• Fire Youth Sports, Inc.’s Project FIRE- Find Invest Return Excel received $5,000.
• First Baptist Church of Imperial Lakes’ Family Center received $2,000.
• First Friday Kids Support Group’s Weekend Backpack Program received $7,500.
• Florence Villa Community Development Corp.’s Youth Leadership Development Program received $5,500.
• Florida Children’s Museum’s Museums for All, Community Admission Initiative received $20,000.
• Florida Southern College’s Giving Polk County Children with Dyslexia the Tools to Achieve Success received $5,000.
• Frostproof Dawgs’s Literacy for Athletes 2023 received $4,600.
• Girl Scouts of West Central Florida’s Community Troop Program received $5,000.
• Good Shepherd Hospice’s Camp Brave Heart: Grief Camp for Children and Teens received $20,000.
• Greater Tampa Bay Area Council Boy Scouts of America’s School Based Scouting in Jesse Keen Elementary School received $9,245.
• Green and Gold Foundation of Lake Wales’ B Street Center Summer Enrichment, Academic, & Recreational Program received $2,500.
• Habitat for Humanity of East Polk County, Inc.’s Sponsorship Build received $5,000.
• Harvest Assembly of God’s Back to School Bash / Kidz Xplosion received $5,000.
• Healthy Start Coalition of Hardee, Highlands & Polk Counties, Inc.’s Beds 4 Babies Project received $10,000.
• Heartland for Children, Inc.’s Behavioral Health Supports and Interventions for Children received $10,000.
• HELP of Fort Meade, Inc.’s Home Security and Healthy Foods = Happy Families received $15,000.
• Idols Aside Ministries, Inc.’s Sons without Fathers received $19,800.
• Junior League of Greater Lakeland’s Clothe Our Community received $7,000.
• Lake Wales Arts Council, Inc.’s Youth Arts Education Program received $5,000.
• Lake Wales Little Theatre’s Teen and Children’s Productions received $3,000.
• Lakeland Community Theatre, Inc.’s Out of the Box Theatre Troupe for Individuals with Developmental Disabilities received $10,000.
• Lakeland Habitat for Humanity’s Neighbor Helping Neighbor received $5,000.
• Lakeland Kiwanis Charitable Foundation’s Stuff The Bus received $5,000.
• Lakeland Leads Partnership Inc.’s 3DE Junior Achievement Student Investment & Support Sponsorship received $5,000.
• Learning Resource Center of Polk County’s Camp READY! Lakeland Summer 2023 received $18,606.
• LifeChoice Pregnancy Resource Center’s Earn While You Learn Parenting Program received $5,000.
• Lighthouse for the Blind and Low Vision, Inc.’s I Can Do it Myself! With Early Intervention Tools received $5,000.
• Magnolia Montessori Academy’s Pre-school scholarships received $10,000.
• Meals on Wheels Polk County’s Angel Meals & Reduced Cost Program received $15,000.
• Mi Escuela Montessori’s Brain-building Beginnings: Birth to Three received $10,000.
• Mulberry Community Service’s Meeting Community Needs One Family at a Time received $5,000.
• Narrow Path Outreach Incorporated’s Summer Learning Program received $10,000.
• Noah’s Ark of Central Florida’s The Great Patch: A Garden to Learn, Sow, & Grow received $5,000.
• Options for Women Pregnancy Help Clinic’s Prenatal Vitamin Program received $3,000.
• PJJR Ranch Corp’s Working with Veterans, First Responders, & Children who have lost loved ones in the line of duty through Equine Therapy received $5,000.
• Platform Art, Inc.’s PlatformKids 2023/2024 received $10,000.
• Police Athletic League of Lakeland, Inc.’s Taking to the Streets received $10,000.
• Polk Co. School Readiness Coalition Inc AKA Early Learning Coalition of Polk Co.’s School Readiness Match received $10,000.
• Polk County Public Schools’ Cyclones Creative Solutions received $10,000.
• Polk Education Foundation’s Building Better Readers – AmeriCorps Polk Reads received $10,000.
• Polk Vision, Inc.’s Polk County Literacy Resource Directory received $5,000.
• READ Lakeland, Inc.’s Technology in the 21st Century: Transportable Literacy Connection received $2,000.
• Robin Nable Wagman Against All Odds Scholarship Foundation, Inc.’s Student Scholarships received $5,000.
• Southeastern Guide Dogs’ Guide Dog and Service Dog Alumni Support for 16 Polk County Residents received $10,000.
• SPCA Florida’s Pitties and Kitties received $10,000.
• Step It Up Ministries’ Operation Homefront received $5,000.
• StepN2ourlane (FTL)’s “Filling The Lane” for At-Risk Student Athletes with Tutoring & Mentoring received $7,000.
• The Mission of Winter Haven’s Feed the Need 2023 received $5,000.
• The Public Education Partnership of Winter Haven, Inc.’s Advanced Curriculum and Academies received $4,000.
• The Salvation Army – West Polk County’s Homeless Education/Training Pathway of Hope received $5,000.
• The Vanguard School of Lake Wales, Florida, Inc.’s Polk County Student Scholarships received $20,000.
• Theatre Winter Haven’s Arts Academy Outreach received $5,000.
• Top Buttons, Inc.’s Wearing Confidence Program Educational Sessions / “Building Up Girls” received $3,000.
• Victory Ridge Academy’s Augmentative Alternative Communication Program received $3,000.
• Warner University’s Scholarships for Low-Income Students from Polk County received $15,000.
• Watson Clinic Foundation’s Arts in Medicine Program received $4,500.
• Webber International University’s Hometown Need Based Funding for Health Science Scholarships received $10,000.
• West Central Florida Fellowship of Christian Athletes’ The Emerging Leader Experience received $5,000.
• Winter Haven Chamber Foundation’s Youth Leadership Winter Haven received $5,000.
• Women’s Resource Center of Florida, Inc.’s Independence Program at the Well received $5,000.
• YMCA of West Central Florida’s Safety Around Water: Kindergarten Learn to Swim Program received $15,000.
• Young Life of Polk County’s Summer Camp Scholarships received $10,000.
• Youth for Christ of Polk County’s Summer Camps with “At-Risk Youth” in Polk County received $15,000.

Impact Polk 2023 Overview

Grants By Program Type: