Business 2 Business
JANUARY 2021
NONPROFIT
By Artis Henderson
Good Stewards Each October, in a conference room inside the Naples
Grant Making Committee. “It’s a very rigorous and so-
Children & Education Foundation (NCEF), the trust-
phisticated process.”
ees of that year’s Grant Making Committee gather for
Since its inaugural year in 2001, the Naples Winter
the first time. They’ll assemble each month afterward,
Wine Festival has raised more than $212 million. Every
for hours at a time. Meetings that start before noon are
dollar raised is invested back into the community with
known to go late into the afternoon. Lunch is catered,
the aim of improving the lives of the county’s most vul-
but it’s nothing elaborate—sandwiches and chips, most-
nerable children. In 2020, the Grant Making Commit-
ly. Sodas and bottles of water. Not a single glass of wine.
tee selected 43 local nonprofits to receive funds. Thir-
Though the Naples Winter Wine Festival is a lush and
ty-three individual grants were given, ranging from
lavish affair, its Grant Making Committee is nearly the
$50,000 to $657,000, along with multi-year grants tar-
opposite. Here, they mean business. The committee is
geted to each of NCEF’s seven initiatives: early learn-
tasked with a very serious job: deciding how to delegate
ing, healthcare, hunger, mental health, oral health, out-
the millions of dollars raised at the festival to worthy
of-school time and vision.
charities across Southwest Florida. “It’s not just a rub-
Grant applications are received throughout the year.
ber stamp,” says John Walter, chairman of this year’s
Beginning in October, the community groups that have put in applications are divided among the committee’s 10 members, who are then tasked with learning about those organizations—meeting with directors and staff, reviewing finances and determining how a grant will affect the community through that organization. Sometimes, committee members are so touched by what they discover that they’re motivated to give on their own. Committee chairman Walter and his wife became donors at ABLE Academy after his Grant Making Committee visit. The couple also contributed to NCEF beneficiaries Naples Therapeutic Riding Center and Guadalupe Center. “You find how important
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Courtesy Naples Winter Wine Festival (opposite); Courtesy Naples Children & Education Foundation (4)
HOW NCEF’S GRANT MAKING COMMITTEE DISTRIBUTES FUNDS WITHOUT FISTICUFFS