The Jaguars Foundation has awarded $274,115 in grants to 12 agencies in its second grant cycle of 2004.
This, in addition to the earlier awards in 2004, brings the total of $1,160,830 for 2004, the fourth year in a row that the Foundation’s grant making has exceeded $1 million.
The Foundation’s grand total in grant giving since 1995 is over $7,960,000 million in the Jacksonville area which includes Duval, Clay, Nassau, St. Johns and Baker counties.
Peter Racine, the Foundation’s executive director, said the Foundation’s Board has placed an emphasis on helping sustain prevention programs in the area because of the decrease in state and federal funding for prevention programs.
“Kids need quality after-school, summer and other prevention programs to give them a chance to capitalize on opportunities for success in the future that we all want our children to have, “ Racine said.
The latest grants:
• Autism Association of Northeast Florida. A $12,500 challenge matching grant, for a Community outreach program affecting children with autism in low-income families.
• Baptist Health Foundation. $15,000 for a part-time artist-in-residence position in the Art With A Heart Program at Wolfson Children’s Hospital.
• Boys’ Home Association. $5,000 for outdoor furniture for foster care children and families at the main campus.
• Cathedral Arts Project, Inc. $23,000 for after-school visual and performing arts education for disadvantaged children at four Duval County Public Schools.
• Children’s Crisis Center. $16,160 for a child abuse prevention/intervention program in the Englewood and Terry Parker Full Service School communities.
• Clara White Mission, Inc. $26,455 for the Brentwood Greater Expectations after-school and summer camp enrichment program.
• First Coast Family Center. $36,000 for a mentoring program for children at-risk for abuse or neglect.
• Local Initiatives Support Corporation. $45,000 to fund a multi-year support of revitalization of distressed neighborhoods through community-based economic development.
• Metro Kids Konnection. A $20,000 challenge matching grant for after-school and summer programs at the Cleveland Arms apartment complex.
• NBA Hollybrook Homes. $25,000 for after-school and
summer education and enrichment program for low-income families residing in the Hollybrook Homes apartments and the adjoining neighborhood.
• Nonprofit Center of Northeast Florida, Inc. $25,000 for support of the resource center to strengthen youth-serving nonprofit organizations in northeast Florida.
• The Salvation Army. $25,000 to support childcare services for homeless children.
In addition to the above grants, the Foundation, in partnership with the Weaver Family Foundation, awarded the following 2004-2005 Straight Talk grants earlier in the year for programs that work to prevent teen pregnancy and the spread of HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted infections among teens:
• The Bridge of Northeast Florida, Inc. $50,000 for The Bridge Straight Talk Program.
• Girls Inc. of Jacksonville. $50,000, for work in preventing adolescent pregnancy.
• PACE Center for Girls. $47,991 to fund the Time To Be A Girl/Pregnancy and STI Prevention Program.
• Planned Parenthood of Northeast Florida. $60,000, for the FACES Teen Pregnancy Prevention Program and FACES Teen Theater.
• The Duval County Health Department’s Institute for Health, Policy and Evaluation Research. $45,000 for an independent evaluation of the Straight Talk programs.