Prior Grant Requests
| Organization Name | Grant Year | Cycle | Request Amount | Grant Awarded | Awarded Amount | Matching Funds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Sun Coast | 2025 |
2025-1 |
$5,000.00 | No | ||
| Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Sun Coast | 2026 |
2026-1 |
$5,000.00 | Yes | $3,000.00 |
Organization Name: Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Sun Coast
Organization Website: bbbssun.org
Year Established: 1968Â
Mission Statement:
Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Sun Coast’s mission is to create and support one-to-one mentoring relationships that ignite the power and promise of youth. Its vision is for all youth to achieve their full potential.
Contact Name: Kamala Martinez Years in Position: 2
Contact Email: development@bbbssun.org
Contact Phone: 9414884009
Address: 5731 ROSIN WAY
SARASOTA, Florida 34233
Have you previously received a grant? No If yes, please indicate the year(s): Â
How did you hear about our organization?
Email invitation to submit a grant application
What do you believe we can provide your organization?
We believe that The Lake Club Women’s Giving Circle can provide support for the Sarasota and Manatee youth we serve who are living below the poverty level, yet who have overcome significant life challenges with the support of our One to One Mentoring Program to graduate high school, achieve acceptance to college, but who do not have the financial means for basic necessities as they begin campus life. In addition to living in poverty, 40% of these youth have an incarcerated parent and 89% live with a single parent, a guardian, non-parent relative, or in foster care.
What will the grant be used for?
A $5,000 grant will be used to provide 20 graduating Sarasota and Manatee seniors living below the poverty line with their own “college readiness basket.” Each of these at-risk clients are graduating this May 2026, have been accepted to a college or university, have the opportunity to live on campus, but lack the financial means for basic necessities.
Each College Readiness Basket will consist of a laundry basket filled with the basic necessities that these students need: twin xl dorm bed sheets, a blanket, laundry detergent, shampoo, soap, flash drive, academic planner, etc.
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Provide the grant amount you are seeking: $5,000.00
Do you provide services to Sarasota and/or Manatee County? Yes
What is the financial impact per individual/program this grant will provide?
$250 per individual
Please provide the estimated number of women, children and families impacted.
20 students (plus the tremendous benefit to their families that cannot afford these necessary items)
Is there a matching grant? No If yes, indicate donation source:
May we tour your facility? Yes
What reciprocal benefit can you provide our organization:
We will submit a press release to the local area media both in print and digital formats, include recognition of the grant award in the agency’s annual impact report, and include any check presentation in the media release and on our social media outlets.
Regarding the request below for our GuideStar/Candid Profile/Rating: https://app.candid.org/profile/7931955/big-brothers-big-sisters-of-the-sun-coast-inc-59-1361826
Proof of Non-Profit Status https://tlcwcf.org/wp-content/uploads/formidable/15/IRS-501c3-Determination-Letter-2025.pdf
Organization’s Logo [110 show_image=1]
Project/Program-specific budget: https://tlcwcf.org/wp-content/uploads/formidable/15/Project-Budget.pdf
Guide Star Profile/Rating (if applicable):
Anything else you would like to share with us?
We have long provided a mission of filling a gap for at-risk youth, through services, support, and guidance they do not receive in school or at home. We provide youth with screened, trained, and compatibly matched volunteer adult mentors who help them to remain in school and make academic progress, avoid risky behaviors, develop positive relationships, and transition to a self-sufficient adulthood. We continually monitor and support the progress of each youth served through the One to One Mentoring Program. All program services are available at no cost to youth, their families, and mentors.
When youth facing serious life challenges have the opportunity to receive consistent one-to-one guidance from a trained and professionally supported mentor, they are empowered to change the trajectory of their lives. By supporting youth through high school graduation and guiding them toward–and during—higher education and/or a career that fosters financial independence, a solid foundation is established for a secure financial future for at-risk youth and the community in which they live and will thrive as adults. This results in a community of self-sufficient citizens no longer requiring the county’s resources to meet their basic needs, and who have the economic ability to give back to the community that helped them.
We thank you for considering our application, and we hope to partner with you as we serve some of the most vulnerable youth in our local community together.