Newtown just showed us that big things happen when a community comes together! A new community-led grantmaking initiative is putting local voices at the center of decisions that will help shape Newtown's future.
Nine nonprofit organizations serving Newtown have been awarded a combined $100,000 in grants through a partnership between the Newtown Business Council and the Community Foundation of Sarasota County: the Newtown Recovery & Resilience Participatory Grantmaking Initiative.
The funding from the initiative will support programs that matter to Newtown residents, from hurricane recovery and preparedness to youth enrichment, health and wellness, and support for seniors.
But here's what makes this initiative especially meaningful: Newtown residents helped decide where the funding would go.
Through a process called participatory grantmaking, community members shared their perspectives on Newtown's greatest needs and helped identify the programs best positioned to address them. The Community Foundation provided funding and technical support, while the Newtown Business Council led the decision-making process alongside community members.
“This process was about more than distributing grant dollars,” said Mary Butler, president and CEO of the Newtown Business Council. “It was an opportunity for people who know and care about Newtown to help determine how philanthropic resources can respond to the needs of Newtown.”
Mary Butler, President & CEO, Newtown Business Council
Mary Butler, President & CEO of Newtown Business Council (second from right) and Jessica Muroff, President & CEO of the Community Foundation of Sarasota County (far right) pose with two attendees of the celebratory gathering.
Nine Organizations Making an Impact
The grants will support programs from nine organizations:
Multicultural Health Institute: Disaster recovery and community health navigator training.
Sarasota African American Cultural Coalition: After-school enrichment for youth ages 5–14.
Children First: Trauma-informed education and caregiver support.
Making an Impact: A Newtown-specific disaster recovery resource guide.
J5 Experience: Family wellness, financial preparedness and hurricane recovery support.
Business and Professional Women of North Sarasota: Disaster resilience education for seniors.
SRQ Strong: Emergency preparedness and assistance replacing essential documents.
Sarasota Prostate Initiative: Free blood tests and men's health resources.
Sarasota Housing Funding Corporation: Emergency food assistance through the Newtown Community Fridge.
On October 19, 2026, Newtown residents, business and nonprofit leaders gathered at the Leonard Reid House (headquarters of Sarasota African American Cultural Coalition, one of the 9 grant recipients) to celebrate the successful completion of the Newtown Recovery & Resilience Participatory Grantmaking Initiative.
Funding for several of the Newtown grants was made possible by the foundation’s Suncoast Disaster Recovery Fund, which anchors the foundation’s environmental resilience and recovery work. Other funding sources included the Leslie and Margaret Weller Fund, the James Franklin Warnell & Dorothy J. Warnell Fund and the Evelyn R. Talbert Unrestricted Fund.
More than an investment in nine programs, the initiative was designed as an investment in the people, partnerships and community knowledge that make Newtown strong. While hurricane recovery was a central focus, residents also highlighted the importance of supporting Newtown's youth, strengthening families and improving access to healthcare.
As Butler shared, “Communities have often been asked what they need. Participatory grantmaking goes one step further by asking communities to help decide how resources intended to serve them are invested.”
She added, “When we trust community knowledge, share decision-making and connect resources with lived experience, we do more than fund programs—we strengthen community.”
