Promising ideas can take on a life of their own when they are rooted in purpose. Impact NOW! puts that idea into practice, bringing Gulf Coast Community Foundation and the Elsa & Peter Soderberg Charitable Foundation together in a philanthropic partnership that connects philanthropic resources with the most pressing needs across Charlotte and DeSoto Counties. Each grant is reviewed and evaluated by a committee that includes a local representative from each county. Across both counties, grantees are using Impact NOW! funding to expand disability services, make homes safer, grow early learning, and bring mental health care closer to home.
Expanding Accessibility in Charlotte County
Goodwill Industries of Southwest Florida
Impact NOW! funding is helping Goodwill Industries of Southwest Florida expand NavAbilities, a comprehensive disability navigation program designed to assist those with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The program provides tools and training for families to improve accessibility and inclusion, along with personalized guidance through complex systems like Social Security and the Medicaid Waiver.
That support is taking shape in new ways. The organization recently opened a Disability Navigation Office that includes a training room for community workshops and partner meetings. Goodwill also hired a new Disability Navigator, who provides one-on-one support for families.
Rebuilding Together Greater Florida
For some Charlotte County homeowners, a relatively small repair can make a significant difference in whether a home remains safe and accessible. Rebuilding Together Greater Florida (RTGFL) uses Impact NOW! funding to address health and safety needs that often fall outside traditional recovery or rehabilitation programs. The organization has identified 41 area households in need, many of them home to older adults, people with disabilities, or disaster-impacted families.
With this support, RTGFL can complete projects more efficiently, providing wheelchair ramps, grab bars, tub-to-shower conversions, flooring repairs, and other modifications that can make daily life at home more comfortable.
Strengthening Families in DeSoto County
YMCA of Southwest Florida
For children and families in DeSoto County, early learning, literacy, and access to essential resources can shape outcomes well beyond the classroom. With a longstanding presence in the region, the YMCA of Southwest Florida saw an opportunity to build upon its foundation (literally and figuratively) and bring more of its efforts together in one place.
Supported in part by Impact NOW! Funding and in collaboration with the City of Arcadia, the YMCA is transforming the Speer Center into a comprehensive hub for early learning, youth development, wellness, and family support. The renovation will create more space for programs serving children from early learning through high school, as well as families and seniors, and give the YMCA room to grow its offerings in the years ahead.
Catholic Charities Diocese of Venice
For some DeSoto County families, finding mental health care can mean traveling more than 45 minutes away from home, a challenge made harder by the shortage of mental health professionals in the area. Catholic Charities Diocese of Venice aims to ease that burden by incorporating more behavioral health services alongside the housing and food assistance programs they already provide. The ultimate goal? Reaching people who may not otherwise seek assistance and helping them feel more supported as they navigate life’s challenges.
Impact NOW! funding is helping the organization bring that idea to life through a full-time Licensed Mental Health Counselor at its Arcadia office. Recently filled, the position provides individual and group therapy, family counseling, crisis intervention, and trauma-informed care in both English and Spanish. Demand has grown quickly since the counselor was hired, prompting the organization to explore new programs and approaches to further extend these services.
As Impact NOW! takes root in Charlotte and DeSoto Counties, its potential is coming into focus. The work underway offers an example of how thoughtful donor partnerships can respond to local priorities while helping philanthropic resources go further. What began as a partnership serving two counties is showing what can happen when donors and communities have a shared role in shaping where philanthropy can make the greatest difference.
