Bishop-Parker Foundation awards almost $3 million in grants
Funds will be used to support education, health and human services, and other community needs
BRADENTON, Fla., December 17, 2024 – Bishop-Parker Foundation recently awarded almost $3 million in grants during its fall 2024 grant cycle.
“Each grant cycle, we have an opportunity to continue building on the philanthropic legacies of our founders, Ned and Patty Bishop and Mary Parker,” said Wendy Deming, CEO of Bishop-Parker Foundation. “They helped Bradenton and Manatee County become the communities they are today, with thriving arts and cultural institutions, strong health and human services organizations, and nonprofits supporting everything from education to mental health. This round of grants ensures that this good work continues.”
A $390,350 grant to Visible Men Academy (VMA) will help that organization increase its impact in a big way. Those funds will be used for VMA’s plan to install an eight-classroom modular unit on the Just for Girls (JFG) East Bradenton Center campus to replace VMA’s prior facility. This will allow VMA to increase its enrollment from 50 at-risk K-5 boys to 120 boys as early as spring 2025, furthering its efforts to deliver a high-quality educational experience to this student population.
“Capacity to serve additional students is limited due to the size of our current space,” said Dr. Janjay Gehndyu, principal of VMA. “With this modular unit, VMA’s capacity to provide boys in Title I districts with a STREAM academic education plus character and life skills development will more than double.”
JFG will share its land and facility space with VMA in exchange for VMA’s transportation of JFG’s students to and from school. “Several Manatee County families have girls enrolled at JFG and boys enrolled at VMA,” said Dr. Gehndyu. “Moving to the JFG site will eliminate many transportation barriers for these families.”
A $62,555 grant to the State College of Florida Foundation will aid enhancements to SCF’s nursing program. Funds will support the use of the SimServeRx medication management system to prepare students to work with the medication dispensing technology used in hospitals and other healthcare settings.
“We estimate that 120 to 125 nursing program graduates from Manatee County per year will benefit from their experience with the SimServeRx medication management system, which helps reduce the number of dispensing and dosage errors in hospitals and other clinical settings,” said Cassandra Holmes, vice president of advancement/executive director for the SCF Foundation. “These students will bring their advanced knowledge and experience into the healthcare industry.”
The funds will also support SCF’s efforts to enroll and graduate more Spanish-speaking nurses and its use of Instant Language Assistance technology. “Studies have shown that language barriers can lead to poorer health outcomes, decreased patient satisfaction, and increased medical errors,” said Holmes. “By integrating this technology, SCF can more effectively recruit Spanish-speaking students for the nursing program while also addressing language barriers between students and faculty.”
Bishop-Parker Foundation’s fall 2024 grant cycle awarded 45 grants totaling $2,965,888 to support nonprofits focused on arts and culture, education, health, and human services in Manatee County:
$32,433 to ALSO Youth to support its ALSO Youth Manatee County Center
$500,000 to ArtCenter Manatee for its facility capital campaign
$30,000 to Avenue941 to support family care coordination
$200,000 to The Bishop Museum of Science and Nature for operating support
$75,000 to Boys & Girls Clubs of Manatee County to support its Great Minds Great Futures mental health and wellness program
$15,000 to Embracing Our Differences for education initiatives
$25,000 to Epilepsy Services of Southwest Florida to support client services
$25,900 to FoodRecovery.org to help launch The Fairness Project to address food insecurity
$50,000 to Forty Carrots Family Center for parenting education programs
$7,200 to Girl Scouts of Gulfcoast Florida to support upgrades to Camp Honi Hanta
$25,000 to Good Neighbors to support the Nourishing Our Neighborhoods program
$25,000 to Hand Up to Victory to support the Pathways to Living Sober project
$50,000 to Harvest House to support therapy services
$26,500 to Hope 4 Communities for Project Expand Manatee
$15,000 to JoshProvides Epilepsy Assistance Foundation to support client care management
$40,000 to Just for Girls for the Access to Success scholarship program
$45,000 to Lighthouse Vision Loss Education Center for the purchase of furnishings
$15,000 to Loveland Center for the Bradenton Adult Day Training Program
$100,000 to Manatee Community Foundation to support its Operational Resilience Program
$100,000 to Manatee Community Foundation to support Season of Sharing
$50,000 to Manatee County Habitat for Humanity for the purchase of a cargo van
$175,000 to Manatee Education Foundation for the expansion of the Align Mentor Program and development of ISS Intervention Centers for secondary schools
$35,000 to Manatee Education Foundation to support the reframing of engagement and resource allocation in the School District of Manatee County
$80,000 to Manatee Literacy Council to support adult learning and literacy programs
$15,000 to Meals on Wheels PLUS of Manatee for efforts to remove barriers to access to fresh fruits and vegetables in low-income areas
$15,000 to Mote Marine Laboratory to support accessible marine STEM experiences for underserved youth in Manatee County
$50,000 to NAMI Sarasota and Manatee Counties for the NAMI Parents for Parents Peer Support program
$10,000 to Neuro Challenge Foundation for Parkinson’s to provide capital funding to enhance Parkinson’s support for Manatee County residents
$50,000 to One More Child to support the Azinger Family Compassion Center
$15,000 to Palmetto Youth Center to support its education foundations
$30,000 to Planned Parenthood of Southwest and Central Florida for outreach support
$30,000 to Project Light of Manatee to support the TeachPath (Pathways to Support Adult English Language Learners) program
$35,000 to Reflections of Manatee to support beautification, strategic improvements, and sustainability efforts
$10,000 to Samaritan Counseling Services of the Gulf Coast to support affordable and accessible mental health counseling for Manatee County
$50,000 to Sarasota Memorial Healthcare Foundation to support First 1,000 Days Suncoast
$15,000 to Sarasota Orchestra for the 2024-2025 Sarasota Youth Orchestras
$36,000 to Selah Freedom for residential improvements and transportation needs for survivors of sex trafficking
$62,555 to the State College of Florida Foundation for nursing program enhancements
$40,000 to Step Up Suncoast for CATCH (Collaborative Action Therapy for Children's Health)
$56,000 to Tidewell Foundation for its nurse residency program
$100,000 to Turning Points to support strategic initiatives
$128,950 to United Way Suncoast to support the United4Literacy program
$390,350 to Visible Men Academy to support its new modular schoolhouse facility
$35,000 to Women’s Resource Center for mental health and wellness efforts in Manatee County
$50,000 to the YMCA of Southwest Florida for the Open Doors: YMCA Scholarship & Meal Program
About Bishop-Parker Foundation
Inspired by the philanthropic legacies of our founders, the Bishop-Parker Foundation supports nonprofit and public partners who collaborate to advance the Manatee County community for current and future generations. More information may be found at bishopparkerfoundation.org.
