Polk County nonprofits receive more than $665,000 through Impact Polk 2025

Thanks to GiveWell Community Foundation fundholders, 92 nonprofits received Impact Polk 2025 grants.

The following organizations and programs received full or partial funding through Impact Polk 2025:

• 1st Veterans’ Kids Care Youth Eyecare Services (YES) Vision and Literacy Initiative received $15,000.
• A Woman’s Choice’s Teen Impact Summer Abstinence Education and SHARE Program received $2,500.
• Achievement Academy’s Creating Brighter Futures Through Therapies received $5,000.
• Anchor House Ministries’ Transition to Success received $20,000.
• Angels Care Center of Eloise’s Women’s Health Initiative received $15,000.
• Best Buddies’ Polk County School Friendship Expansion Project received $2,500.
• Better Tomorrows’ After-School Program 2025-2026 received $5,000.
• Big Brothers Big Sisters of Tampa Bay’s Comprehensive Mentoring received $2,500.
• Bok Tower Gardens’ Bok Tower Gardens For All Program received $12,500.
• Boys & Girls Clubs of Polk County’s Bright Futures, Strong Foundations received $10,000.
• Breast Cancer Foundation of Central Florida’s Supporting Breast Cancer Clients during Active Treatment received $5,000.
• Brianna’s 2nd Chance’s Future Fuel youth harm reduction + prevention received $5,000.
• Bruised but not Destroyed’s BBND Housing Program Expansion received $3,000.
• Camp Fire U.S.A. Sunshine Council’s “Summer of Sparks” within Camp Light A Spark received $10,000.
• Camp Gilead CBM Ministries of Florida’s Summer 2025 Scholarship and Financial Aid received $10,000.
• Central Florida Speech and Hearing Center’s Voices Unlocked: A Children’s Book Library for Language and Literacy received $17,000.
• Children’s Home Society of Florida’s Parents as Partners received $13,588.
• Combee Connection Ministries and Church’s More Tummies Filled and Lives Saved with Resources through Combee Connections received $5,000.
• Cypress Junction Montessori’s Early Education Scholarship Fund received $5,000.
• Destiknee Place’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 $5,000.
• Faith in Action North Lakeland’s Thriving Seniors received $15,000.
• Faith Without Works’ Camp Compassion- Mental Health Matters 2K25 received $10,000.
• Faith Xtreme’s Food for All received $5,000.
• Family Literacy Academy of Lake Wales’ Food Security Feeds Education received $5,000.
• Florence Villa Community Development Corp.’s Youth Leadership Development Program received $10,000.
• Florida Children’s Museum’s Able Arts at Florida Children’s Museum received $10,000.
• Florida Southern College’s Giving Polk County Children with Dyslexia the Tools to Achieve Success received $2,500.
• Greater Tampa Bay Area Council Boy Scouts of America’s School Based Cub Scout Programs received $5,000.
• Healthy Start Coalition of Hardee, Highlands & Polk Counties’ Beds 4 Babies Project received $5,000.
• Heart for Winter Haven’s Dollars & Sense: Financial Literacy Camp received $10,000.
• Heartland for Children’s Creating Safety and Security for Children in the Child Welfare System received $5,000.
• HELP of Fort Meade’s Family Security, Helping Supply Basic Needs received $15,000.
• Hero Revolution’s Be a H.E.R.O. received $5,000.
• Homeless Coalition of Polk County’s Building Resources for Individuals to Gain Dignity and Empowerment received $10,000.
• Humane Society of Polk County’s Spay Away received $2,500.
• Idols Aside Ministries’ Sons without Fathers received $10,000.
• Integrity Youth Association’s Career Pathways Technical Skills Program received $10,000.
• Jaylens Challenge Foundation’s Operation: Banish Bullying! received $5,000.
• Jazz Hamilton Arts Foundation’s Notes of Change: Empowering Youth through the Power of Music Performance received $5,000.
• Lake Wales Arts Council’s Youth Arts Education Program received $15,000.
• Lake Wales Care Center’s C.A.R.E. Plan received $10,000.
• Lake Wales Little Theatre’s Teen and Children’s productions received $5,000.
• Lakeland Community Theatre’s Out of the Box Theatre Troupe for Individuals with Developmental Disabilities received $5,000.
• Lakeland Habitat for Humanity’s Leaky Roofs received $5,000.00.
• Lakeland Kiwanis Charitable Foundation’s Stuff the Bus 2025 received $5,000.
• Lakeland Leads Partnership dba ConnectED Polk’s Polk Supports Polk RISE Program received $5,000.
• Lakeland Police Athletic League’s 45-Day Mentoring Program received $10,000.
• Lakeland Police Foundation’s Police Explorer Program Transportation Purchase received $5,000.
• Lakeland Volunteers in Medicine’s Lab Work for Personalized Healthcare and Optimal Health Outcome  received $5,000.
• Lakes Education Action Drive’s Engaging families in Environmental Education received $3,000.
• Learning Resource Center of Polk County’s Ready! Set! Read! (RSR!) received $5,000.
• Learning Resource Center of Polk County’s Camp READY! Lakeland 2025 received $19,034.
• Leverage International’s Middle School Youth Mentoring Breakfast Club received $10,000.
• LifeChoice Pregnancy Resource Center’s Earn While You Learn Parenting Program received $2,500
• Lighthouse for the Blind and Low Vision’s Transition Program for Teens who are Blind or Low Vision to Achieve Economic Independence received $10,000.
• Magnolia Montessori Academy’s Pre-school scholarships 2025 received $2,500.
• Meals on Wheels of Polk County’s Angel “No Cost” Meal & Reduced Cost Program received $10,000.
• Mentors, Music, & Sports’ Youth Empowerment Through Music and Arts 2025 received $5,000.
• Mi Escuela Montessori’s Brain Building Beginnings: Birth to Four received $2,500.
• Museum of Science & Industry (MOSI)’s MOSI in Motion Programming for Polk County Title I Schools received $10,000.
• Narrow Path Outreach’s Robotics STEM Camp For Elementary and Middle School Students received $15,000.
• Noah’s Ark of Central Florida dba ROAR Florida’s Project ROAR received $5,000.
• Operation Warm’s New Shoes for Polk County Children in Need received $5,000.
• Options for Women Pregnancy Help Clinic’s Rapid Syphilis Testing and Communication Service Trice received $4,000.
• Parker Street Ministries’ Empowering Futures: Sustaining Workforce Skills for Lifelong Success received $7,000.
• Platform Art’s PlatformKids 2025/2026 received $2,500.
• Polk County Public Schools’ Fort Meade Middle Senior High School Food Pantry received $5,000.
• Polk Education Foundation’s Basics for Building Better Readers received $10,000.
• Polk Vision’s Early Literacy Initiatives received $5,000.
• PunchWorX’s Exercise for Parkinson’ Disease Program received $10,000.
• Randy Roberts Foundation’s 2025 Civic Scholar Program received $5,000.
• READ Lakeland’s Technology in the 21st Century: Transportable Literacy Connection received $3,000.
• Sexual Integrity Project’s Polk Prison and Post-Prison Recovery Groups Project received $5,000.
• Society of St. Andrew’s The Fresh Produce Gleaning and Distribution Program- Polk County received $5,000.
• Society of St. Vincent de Paul South Pinellas’ SVdP CARES-Delivering Dreams Polk $5,000.
• StepN2ourlane’s Filling The Lane received $5,000.
• The Cosmo Project’s Serving the homeless and at-risk of homeless population of Lakeland received $3,000.
• The Finley Project’s 7-Part Holistic Support Program: Counseling received $3,000.
• The Haley Center’s Health Screenings and Supplies for Homeless and Indigent Population in Polk County received $10,000.
• The Mission of Winter Haven’s Nourishing Connections: A Community Care Initiative received $2,500.
• Theatre Winter Haven’s Arts for the Underserved received $5,000.
• Top Buttons’ Wearing Confidence Program received $5,311.73
• Victoria Helping Veterans’ Veteran Outreach Day Project received $5,000.
• Victory Ridge Academy’s Bridging Digital Divide for Students with Disabilities received $2,500.
• Warner University’s Scholarships for Low-Income Students from Polk County received $10,000.
• Watson Clinic Foundation’s The Art of Resilience received $2,500.
• Webber International University’s Webber Skilled Workforce Training Scholarship Program received $20,000.
• Wheelchairs 4 Kids’ Let’s Roll received $10,000.
• WonderHere Education Foundation’s Families on the WonderHere Farm received $2,500.
• YMCA of West Central Florida’s Safety Around Water: Kindergarten Learn to Swim Program received $10,000.
• Young Life of Polk County’s Young Life Summer Camp Transportation received $5,000.
• Youth Driven by Purpose’s Next Generation Leaders received $5,000.

Impact Polk 2025 Overview

Grants By Program Type:

The United Community Needs Assessment (UCNA) for Polk County, Florida, conducted by GiveWell Community Foundation and United Way of Central Florida, identified six (6) domains that impact the lives of residents in Polk County. This year, Impact Polk’s focus was on the following areas: