New grant supports Tampa Bay hurricane recovery & preparedness efforts

The Community Foundation Tampa Bay received a $300,000 grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, which is committed to improving health and health equity in the United States, to further address the aftermath of Hurricane Idalia and increase the resiliency of local nonprofits that support our community in the wake of hurricanes, tropical storms and other emergencies.

The Community Foundation awarded $124,000 through two grants to organizations that had lasting effects from Hurricane Idalia and two grants to nonprofits for community preparedness and resiliency efforts.

“The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s grant could not have come at a better time,” says Marlene Spalten, President and CEO of the Community Foundation Tampa Bay. “We were able to help two nonprofits address long-term issues tied to Hurricane Idalia, and we’re positioned to quickly respond to the 2024 storm season.”

The Community Foundation provided $45,000 to the Community Food Bank of Citrus County, which feeds more than 70,000 people monthly. The grant was used to replenish supplies after the Community Food Bank fully stocked more than sixty food pantries, ministries, shelters, and soup kitchens across the Nature Coast’s Hernando, Sumter, and Citrus counties in the wake of Hurricane Idalia.

It also supported Pasco Kids First, a children’s advocacy center that prevents, intervenes and heals child abuse and neglect. Pasco Kids First’s building was flooded by Hurricane Idalia, and the $30,000 grant was used to rebuild the center. With a repaired building, local families can receive Pasco Kids First’s services.

“Addressing post-storm needs is essential, and we need to use the lessons from each storm to better prepare our communities for the next one,” says Dr. Katie Shultz, Senior Director, Community Investments at the Community Foundation Tampa Bay.

A recent World Bank study rated Tampa as the planet's seventh-most vulnerable city to major storms, accentuating the need to become more resilient in the face of increasing stronger and wetter storms. Tampa Bay could sustain $175 billion in damage if a major storm makes a direct hit on Tampa.

Forecasters are predicting that the 2024 hurricane season (June 1- November 30) will be a record year for the North Atlantic, with the storm basin producing 30-33 named storms. To prepare our community for the risks ahead, the Community Foundation Tampa Bay provided $49,000 to organizations that are working on community preparedness and resiliency efforts.

The Community Foundation awarded a $25,000 grant to Rebuilding Together Tampa Bay, an organization focused on repairing homes of Floridians on fixed incomes. With the grant, Rebuilding Together Tampa Bay will educate residents about hurricane preparedness steps and assist homeowners with repairs in the wake of natural disasters. In addition, the grant funds will support Rebuilding Together Tampa Bay’s Hurricane Response Distribution Center, which provides short- and long-term recovery support to low-income homeowners in hurricane-impacted areas of Citrus, Hernando, Hillsborough, Pasco and Pinellas Counties.

In addition, a $24,000 grant was provided to Sol Relief, an alliance of local and international organizations, government agencies, educational partners, and community leaders with a common goal of effectively responding, strengthening, and serving communities affected by disasters. The grant supports Sol Relief’s Hurricane Preparedness Workshops that engage the Tampa Bay community in disaster planning and preparation and in building resilience before the next major disaster.

The four initial grants were provided through two of the Community Foundation’s many funding vehicles: Critical Needs List and Competitive Grants. The Community Foundation will distribute the remaining funds from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation grant to local nonprofits that help Tampa Bay’s most vulnerable residents survive, recover and thrive after a disaster. These recovery and resilience efforts could include restoration, mitigation, disaster simulation exercises, continuity of operations planning, and distribution of preparedness supplies.

About the Community Foundation Tampa Bay
The Community Foundation Tampa Bay is the leading philanthropic investor in Tampa Bay. Founded in 1990, the Community Foundation Tampa Bay connects philanthropists, nonprofits, business and community leaders for fundamental change in Citrus, Hernando, Hillsborough, Pasco and Pinellas counties. Over the past 30 years, Community Foundation Tampa Bay and its donors have fostered collaboration, sought creative solutions and invested more than $382 million in nonprofit organizations to help our community thrive. Learn more at CFTampaBay.org.