Prior Grant Requests
| Organization Name | Grant Year | Cycle | Request Amount | Grant Awarded | Awarded Amount | Matching Funds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Forty Carrots Family Center | 2025 |
2025-1 |
$5,000.00 | Yes | $2,500.00 | |
| Forty Carrots Family Center | 2026 |
2026-1 |
$5,000.00 | Yes | $3,000.00 |
Organization Name: Forty Carrots Family Center
Organization Website: https://fortycarrots.org/
Year Established: 1993
Mission Statement:
Forty Carrots Family Center’s mission is to nurture healthy child and family development through research-based, relationship-centered education and mental health services. This mission is guided by our vision that all parents will provide their children with experiences and environments that are emotionally and physically safe so that they can grow into capable and caring young people.
Contact Name: Kaitlyn Phillips Years in Position: 1
Contact Email: grants@fortycarrots.com
Contact Phone: 941-365-7716
Address: 1426 South Tuttle Avenue
Sarasota, Florida 34239
Have you previously received a grant? Yes If yes, please indicate the year(s): 2025
How did you hear about our organization?
Originally through Facebook.
What do you believe we can provide your organization?
Forty Carrots Family Center (FCFC) requests support for its Mental Health services at Safe Place and Rape Crisis Center (SPARCC). FCFC seeks the support of TLCWGC, due to the organization’s mission which aligns strongly with this project; to enhance the lives of women, children, and families across Sarasota and Manatee counties.
What will the grant be used for?
Funds from this grant will be used to provide individual and family therapy sessions to children and caregivers impacted by domestic violence in Sarasota and Manatee counties.
Provide the grant amount you are seeking: $5,000.00
Do you provide services to Sarasota and/or Manatee County? No
What is the financial impact per individual/program this grant will provide?
A grant of $5,000 will provide 15 therapy sessions to children and their caregivers who have been exposed to/victims of violence and abuse. The grant will help fund services to the 25 children and caregivers who were referred for services by the Safe Place Rape and Crisis Center over the programmatic year.
The Program and Community Need:
FCFC is committed to the prevention, intervention, and treatment of mental health challenges in children through its Mental Health Program (MHP), which delivers evidence-based treatment through family-centered individual, family, and group therapy. Addressing a broad range of mental health concerns in children and families, the goals for services include developing healthy coping skills, increasing parental knowledge of child development, improving family functioning, and preventing childhood trauma. While FCFC works with families of all backgrounds, this grant focus is for services to our communities’ most at-risk, victims of domestic violence.
Childhood exposure to domestic violence continues to be a prevalent problem in the US as 1 in 4 children witness abuse at home (Schubert, 2022). In Sarasota and Manatee counties, police respond to over 3,500 cases of domestic violence annually. Many of these cases have children at the scene of the crime (FDLE, 2020). After experiencing instances of violence, families in Sarasota and Manatee often turn to SPARCC for protection. SPARCC is a crisis and resource center for survivors of abuse and violence that offers support to those in need during times of crisis, including an emergency hotline, case management, and an emergency shelter. While SPARCC offers short-term counseling services for adults enrolled in their programs, SPARCC relies on FCFC’s MHP to provide intervention and treatment to the children and families they serve, as children’s mental health is not a core competency of SPARCC staff, and therefore not offered in their programming. Without FCFC’s fundraising, children impacted by domestic violence at SPARCC would be without therapeutic services.
To serve families at SPARCC, the MHP’s licensed therapists deliver weekly mental health services in 60-minute sessions at no cost to families. All services provided are aligned with a Two-Generation approach where emphasis is placed on family engagement and collaboration, which has been shown to be essential for therapeutic progress, especially for families recovering from severe trauma.
At SPARCC, FCFC’s clinicians encounter mothers who are coping both with the trauma of being victims of violence and the trauma their children have experienced from witnessing the abuse of their mothers. Families who survive domestic violence are often in a complete state of flux as their entire lives have become disrupted; the children no longer have a home, family income may be extremely limited or nonexistent, and a primary caregiver may have been removed from the child’s life (e.g., the abuser). The effects of these abrupt and immense life changes coupled with exposure to violence place these children at great risk for negative consequences.
Children who witness domestic violence, compared to those from safe and secure homes, suffer from: intense fear, prolonged anxiety, increased irritability, hypervigilance, difficulty sleeping, impulse control, low self-esteem, memory issues, and difficulty forming healthy relationships (SPCC, 2026). While mental health services are an essential component in significantly reducing children’s trauma symptoms (Onsjo et al., 2025), services that adopt a family-centered approach, like FCFC’s MHP services, have shown to be essential for helping children develop a restored sense of security within their family unit during times of adversity. In the aftermath of crisis, acute therapeutic care is critical to a child’s recovery and life-long success.
When mothers can self-regulate while recovering from their traumatic experiences and provide a safe and stable attachment for their child, resiliency flourishes for both parent and child. Reinforcing a need for mental health services that not only address the child’s symptoms but also incorporates the mother into treatment sessions to strengthen the family system. When children and mothers are enrolled in domestic violence intervention services together, like therapy, children have significantly less hyperactivity, fewer negative emotional symptoms, and fewer behavioral difficulties. Importantly, the mothers of these children have higher hope (Schubert, 2022).
Take together, these studies highlight why accessible, family-centered services like FCFC’s MHP are critical to strengthening family systems at SPARCC and helping children of violence heal from their trauma so they can have a healthy and sustainable future alongside their caregivers.
Measurable Impact:
FCFC’s therapists use a variety of diagnostic tools to determine therapeutic progress towards treatment goals. Therapists use tools to measure pre, during, and post treatment growth. The goal of all treatment is for clients to receive services that result in a measurable, positive impact on their lives. Beyond individual and group treatment plans, FCFC has the following measurable goals for services provided:
• 80% of clients participating in individual/group therapy will demonstrate a reduction or maintain normal levels in presenting concerns (depression, anxiety, and/or self-concept) as measured by the Beck Youth Inventories.
• 80% of clients and/or parents will report improvement in behavior as measured by improvement in at least one of the subscales on the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ).
In addition to the metrics above, FCFC measures changes in behavior, the truest indication that change has occurred, by asking teachers/caregivers: “What, if anything, is this child doing differently as a result therapy?” Comments from past SPARCC clients include:
“The most helpful part of my treatment has been having a very professional but also kind and understanding therapist who has helped me unpack and process what was literally the worst thing I’ve ever experienced.” – SPARCC client
“[The Therapist] was instrumental in [my son’s] well-being during the most difficult period of his young life. She was able to connect with him and give him tools to cope with his emotions. He trusts her and looks forward to each of his sessions.” – Parent of a SPARCC referral
“My therapist has been a vital source of support during the most difficult time of my life. She created a safe, nonjudgmental space where I feel comfortable being open and honest, which has allowed me to explore painful emotions without fear of judgment. Feeling heard and validated has been essential in helping me process what I’m going through while also affirming that my emotions and experiences are valid.” – SPARCC client
“The patience, understanding, and connection with our therapist has been outstanding. She really cares about the patient and the relationship with the parents. We are extremely content with [the therapist’s] work. For the almost 18-months in services, I have never been more comfortable. You’re all very accommodating and exceed expectations.” – parent of a SPARCC referral .
Please provide the estimated number of women, children and families impacted.
25
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:
• Credit in the Parenting Education and Mental Health Program Brochure noting that “funding for program is provided in part by …” This brochure is distributed to more than 2,000 families and Professionals in Sarasota & Manatee Counties.
• Credit on fliers For Community Outreach Groups
• Recognition as a grantor in annual summary of donors
• Formal Press Release
•Post on Agency Facebook (which has 3,000+ followers)
Proof of Non-Profit Status
Organization’s Logo [110 show_image=1]
Project/Program-specific budget:
Guide Star Profile/Rating (if applicable):
Anything else you would like to share with us?