Prior Grant Requests
| Organization Name | Grant Year | Cycle | Request Amount | Grant Awarded | Awarded Amount | Matching Funds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| School Attendance Support, Inc. | 2022 |
2022-1 |
$2,000.00 | Yes | $2,000.00 | |
| School Attendance Support, Inc. | 2023 |
2023-1 |
$3,000.00 | Yes | $2,000.00 | |
| School Attendance Support, Inc. | 2024 |
2024-1 |
$3,000.00 | Yes | $2,000.00 | |
| School Attendance Support, Inc. | 2025 |
2025-1 |
$3,000.00 | Yes | $1,500.00 | $1,500.00 |
| School Attendance Support, Inc. | 2026 |
2026-1 |
$2,000.00 | Yes | $2,100.00 |
Organization Name: School Attendance Support, Inc.
Organization Website: http://www.schoolattendancesupport.org
Year Established: 2021
Mission Statement:
Our 501(c)(3) organization is dedicated to identifying and working to eliminate barriers to school attendance for low-income Manatee County public school students. We work directly with principals, assistant principal, teachers, nurses and graduation enhancement technicians to determine what is keeping students from getting to school and staying in school for the day. We are also dedicated to helping school staff increase academic performance. It is our hope that students will feel more confident and ready for learning when they receive the items they need to be successful at school.
Contact Name: Donna Rae Smith Years in Position: 5 years
Contact Email: donnaraesmith@schoolattendanacesupport.org
Contact Phone: 4439567629
Address: School Attendance Support
Inc.
P.O. Box 8655, Longboat Key Florida
34228
Have you previously received a grant? Yes If yes, please indicate the year(s): 12/16/22 12/15/23 5/23/25
How did you hear about our organization?
I heard about TLC Women’s Giving Circle from Susie Bowie who was the Chief Executive Officer of the Manatee Community Foundation in 2022. I immediately contacted Barbara Najmy who was very interested in our mission.
What do you believe we can provide your organization?
TLC Women’s Giving Circle’s past financial support of SAS has been invaluable to us in sustaining and expanding our mission. In the 2025-2026 academic year, SAS’s footprint has expanded from four to five Manatee County schools with low-income populations, so your continuing support would have a greatly expanded impact.
What will the grant be used for?
SAS would use your grant to fund items needed to support school attendance and academic performance at Palmetto High School, a Title 1 Manatee County school. There are approximately 2,200 students attending Palmetto. The current race/ethnicity breakdown is Hispanic: 39.8%, White 36.2%, Black 18%, Multiracial 4.6%, Other 1.4%. Academic Proficiency for school year 2024-2025 – Math proficiency 31% and English Proficiency 47%. The number of students who were chronically absent (missing 18 or more days of school) was 31%. This is a very high number. Some of the shocking barriers to school attendance for our students is lack of appropriate clothing, poor hygiene, lack of school supplies and bullying by other students.
Provide the grant amount you are seeking: $2,000.00
Do you provide services to Sarasota and/or Manatee County? Yes
What is the financial impact per individual/program this grant will provide?
The support we would receive from TLC Women’s Giving Circle would be a central element of SAS’s budget. This money would serve approximately 2,000 students at Palmetto High School. The schools have informed us that virtually all of these served students will receive a gain from our efforts. Schools report to us that not only do students feel more confident and comfortable when they receive items from “The SAS Closet”, there is less bullying.
Please provide the estimated number of women, children and families impacted.
2,200 boys and girls will be directly served with this grant.
Is there a matching grant? No If yes, indicate donation source:
May we tour your facility? No
What reciprocal benefit can you provide our organization:
We are always so proud to announce our gratitude for the support of TLC Women’s Giving Circle on our Facebook Group and in our presentations and communications with our donors and schools.
Proof of Non-Profit Status https://tlcwcf.org/wp-content/uploads/formidable/15/501c3-Determination-Letter.tif
Organization’s Logo https://tlcwcf.org/wp-content/uploads/formidable/15/Logo-150×150.jpg [110 show_image=1]
Project/Program-specific budget: https://tlcwcf.org/wp-content/uploads/formidable/15/Project-Budget-Palmetto-High-School.docx
Guide Star Profile/Rating (if applicable):
Anything else you would like to share with us?
We are very happy to report to you that at the schools we partner with there has been a significant increase in Average Daily Attendance (89% to 94% for instance) and a significant improvement in the number of students who are Chronically Absent (43% to 19% for instance). School Attendance is a very complicated and multi-faceted thing to address. School staff and district staff spend many hours studying attendance at their schools. We are honored to work alongside these amazing people to help by providing items low-income students need to get to school and stay in school for the day. TLC has been supporting SAS since we started and we are honored to partner with you. Thank you for all that you do for all of us! We could not carry out our mission without you! Lastly – we have been working with Palmetto High School on a regular since January 2026. Palmetto is our first high school.