GiveWell Community Foundation

08/21/2026

Congratulations on this exciting new chapter of care! The Balance Center is a wonderful addition to the services Central Florida Speech and Hearing Center provides to our community.

08/21/2026

GiveWell Community Foundation is proud to sponsor the Polk Young Professionals Awards that recognize the impactful work of dedicated young leaders who are making a difference in our communities.

Congratulations to the nominees and winners from EMERGE Lakeland, Endeavor Winter Haven, and Engage Bartow who were honored this year!

07/20/2026

We’re happy to share that one of the grants honoring Mabel Schaefer’s legacy is already making an impact on the lives of children in Highlands County!

Thank you to the Florida Children's Museum and the Children's Museum of the Highlands for your partnership that enables children in our community to benefit from these unique high-quality early learning experiences.

The Children’s Museum of the Highlands unveiled a new interactive exhibit for children on July 13: Away We Go. This is the first of four exhibits coming to the museum.

07/16/2026

Doug McPherson, GiveWell Community Foundation’s 2026-2028 board chair, is a thoughtful leader with deep local roots and a heart for service.

Learn more about Doug, his goals for the future, and how the Community Foundation will continue making a lasting difference in the communities we serve:

Get to know Doug McPherson, GiveWell Community Foundation's 2026-2028 Board Chair.

07/09/2026

Congratulations to Angels Care Center of Eloise, Central Florida Health Care, and The Haley Center, grant recipients from this year’s Community Clinic Grant Program! These nonprofit health clinics play a vital role in offering essential care to uninsured and low-income families in the Winter Haven area.

Now in its 20th year, the Community Clinic Grant Program has awarded more than $200,000, thanks to annual funding from the Yardley, England, Trimmer, and Orlich Charities Fund at Central Florida Foundation, and matching grants from GWCF fundholders. This year’s matching grant was from the Bell-Barnett Family Fund within GiveWell Community Foundation.

This year's Community Clinic Grant Program will help these local clinics serve those who are financially unable to obtain medical care.

07/04/2026

Today, we celebrate the 250th anniversary of our nation's Independence Day. We're grateful to serve our community in the land of the free and the home of the brave. Happy Fourth of July from GiveWell Community Foundation!

07/01/2026

Please join us in welcoming the newest GiveWell Community Foundation board members! Mark Arquitt, Chad Barron, and Christen Johnson begin their three-year terms on the GWCF board of directors today. We are grateful for their commitment to serve.

Learn more about these dedicated community leaders: bit.ly/448n6Ln

06/11/2026

One of the ways we support local nonprofit organizations is through Empower Hardee, Highlands & Polk grants that provide resources to help them become more efficient and sustainable. This year, 32 organizations received grants to fund improvements in areas such as training, technology, and marketing.

GWCF has now awarded more than $1 million of Empower grants since the program began in 2018! Thanks to the support of generous donors, and the dedication of our grants committee volunteers, these grants help empower nonprofit organizations making a difference in our community.

This year, 32 grants were awarded to nonprofits serving Hardee, Highlands, and Polk counties through GWCF's capacity-building grant cycle.

05/26/2026

This free event will provide valuable information to help you get storm-ready!

05/22/2026

We recently had the opportunity to tour the Orlando Health Watson Clinic Lakeland Highlands Hospital before it opens this summer. Access to care remains one of our community’s most pressing challenges, so expanding high-quality, accessible healthcare is essential to improving overall quality of life in our region.

A big thank you to Katie Worthington Decker and her Orlando Health Foundation team for providing a fascinating look at the new facility and the focus on both state-of-the-art technology and patient care.