stamped film festival - $20,000

“Growing Up: Expanding LGBTQIA+ Programs for Children and Families at Stamped Film Festival”

Growing Up: Expanding LGBTQIA+ Programs for Children and Families at Stamped is just that - creating access to quality queer opportunities for children and families with children during our annual LGBTQIA+ film festival. The project broadens the existing four-day festival experience to include supplemental programming as a means to attract and impact a more diverse audience. The grant supports the expansion of our youth day programming beyond a singular theatre space and includes portable technology for showcasing more films in multiple areas, alongside supplemental opportunities to benefit an array of ages across multiple platforms. The proposal includes funding for a diverse lineup of notable LGBTQIA+ families to speak during the October 1 programming with an educational panel to discuss their journeys to parenthood and offer resources and guidance to interested audiences. Funds also secure the rights to showcase age-appropriate films both during the 2023 festival and additionally throughout the year.

Community Health NWFL - $20,000

“Closing the Treatment Loop for the LGBTQIA+”

Community Health will use the Sundays Child Grant to expand the Unhoused Health Navigation program to pay for medication copays for financially needy members of the LGBTQIA+ community. This will include covering the full cost of medically necessary medications for the LGBTQIA+ community, who may be unhoused or financially needy. Community Health currently has four healthcare providers trained to provide Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT). All of our healthcare staff provides LGBTQIA+ affirming care. Any medications prescribed by our in-house healthcare providers, for persons that have demonstrated a financial need, will be filled by our in-house pharmacy located at 1400 N Palafox. Due to insurance and state regulation, Community Health cannot assist financially with these medications and has to rely on outside funding sources to assist these patients in obtaining this medically necessary care.

rE-ENTRY ALLIANCE - $20,000

“Modernizing an Outdated System”

Re-Entry Alliance Pensacola strives to serve and improve its community through programs and systems designed to meet each individual's needs; however, there is one issue that is slowing down this process: Outdated technology. REAP's computers and other hardware systems sometimes crash, take longer to execute tasks, and require significant maintenance, thus decreasing productivity. "Modernizing an Outdated System" will enable REAP to solve this issue and improve record keeping, enhance data collection and analysis, facilitate better communication between departments, modernize facilities, and refine system-wide efficiencies. This project will be implemented upon receipt of the grant, and the funds will be spent to update hardware by December 31, 2023. The updated technology will ultimately improve REAP's systems of communication, finance & accounting, marketing & social media, information management, and day-to-day operations and interactions with collaborating organizations through the Homeless Management Information System (HMIS).

dIXON SCHOOL OF ARTS AND SCIENCES - $20,000

“Dixon Cultural Immersion Lab”

In Florida, HB 1467 was signed into law and is designed to control what students are allowed to read. In Escambia County, more than 197 books have now been pulled from shelves in our public schools for analysis. Over the past year, the Escambia County School Board ordered 10 books to be removed from school libraries with LBGTQ+ characters including children s book And Tango Makes Three," a true story about two male penguins who raised a chick at the Central Park Zoo. At the Dixon Cultural Immersion Lab, children will be able to read this story along with other age-appropriate titles. A tremendous amount of intention will be placed in curating our cultural lab where students will have access to more than 1,000 books and various interactive tools such as games, technology, and online learning. We will also hold monthly cultural events for our students and others throughout Escambia County.

pENSACOLA LITTLE THEATRE- $20,000

“On the Same Page: Race and Censorship at The Clark Family Cultural Center”

Theatre heals. On the Same Page: Race and Censorship at The Center provides an educational opportunity for the community to better understand racial injustice and the relevant topic of censorship through live performance and professional engagement. With many DEI initiatives being villainized by state government, this project provides programming that is harder and harder to offer to the LGBTQIA+ community. The grant funds a production called Alabama Story produced by Pensacola Little Theatre in October 2023, with a free industry talkback to audiences of all ages by a renowned queer black author who currently has a novel on the banned-book list. The grant also provides audiences with their own copies of banned books to further their own research after the production. Alabama Story recounts the 1959 banning of the children's book "The Rabbit's Wedding", which stirred up controversy as a white rabbit and black rabbit were to be wed.

BRIGHT BRIDGE MINISTRIES - $20,000

“A Comfortable Space is a Welcoming Place”

Bright Bridge Ministries requests funding for a new HVAC unit for our dining hall and adjacent caseworkers' offices and life skills and recovery classrooms. Our current unit is not effectively able to heat and cool our space in the summer or winter months. We have made due the past few years using portable units, however, it has reached a point where our older unit may not make it through this summer. We expect purchasing and installing the unit will take 3-4 months from funding notification. This project will benefit those whom we serve both through our daily meal service, and our shelter program, in addition to individuals that attend our recovery and life skills classes. The grant will fund the purchase and installation of a new energy-efficient HVAC unit. This project is sustainable because BBM will include the cost of maintenance in our operating budget.

Ella L Jordan African American History Museum - $30,000

“Let’s Make this House a Home”

The museum fills a void in our community, and in our country, to honor the significant and historical contributions of African Americans, particularly that of women. The saving and restoration of the home are complete, and now the task changes to outfitting the home with the necessary items and systems for it to be utilized as a museum and community space. The Museum will benefit all community members as it will function as a museum and also a space for other organizations to meet and host events. The grant will be used to fund furniture, multimedia and office equipment, marketing publications, and a privacy fence on the currently exposed side of the property. This grant will have an immediate impact on the grant opening of the museum.

Pensacola Humane Society - $30,000

“Clinic Expansion for Inclusion”

The Clinic Expansion for Inclusion addresses the lack of low-cost veterinarian wellness services in our community. This expansion will be accomplished with the purchase of an X-ray machine and specific medical supplies necessary to include wellness services. Three months from grant funded equipment will be purchased, six months from purchase PHS will secure part-time veterinarians for expansion of service. The services will be provided through community days scheduled by PHS at the Barbara Grice Memorial Spay and Neuter Clinic, once fully re-opened services will then be offered weekly. All grant funds awarded by Sunday's Child will be fully utilized for the X-ray machine. The target demographic are the underprivileged pet owners of Escambia County and surrounding areas.

Harvest Community Outreach - $30,000

“Facility Expansion”

Harvest Community Outreach Inc. (HCO) was founded formally in 2011 and officially in the state of Florida on May 29, 2012. The purpose of HCO is to extend an outstretched hand during times of need by providing compassion, hope and love to all members of the community through meeting tangible needs. Food and clothing distribution are held on campus every week. The grant will fund the purchaser of a storage shed, shelving, refrigeration, a freezer, and electrical installation. These additions will give HCO the ability to secure and store more resources for distribution to the community.

Pensacola Mess Hall - $30,000

“Bias Inside Us”

The MESS Hall will be a host site for the Smithsonian’s Bias Inside Us traveling exhibit during the summer of 2023. As a host we will use the exhibit as the centerpiece for local programs and activities. Visitors and participants in associated programs will explore the foundational blocks of bias, the psychology of how it forms, and its influence on behaviors, both conscious and unconscious. Sunday’s Child’s support will make this exhibit a success for our community in three ways. First, it will support increased visitation to the exhibit, particularly by underserved communities. Second, we will create outreach programming aligned to the theme of the exhibit to reach learners beyond our walls. Finally, funding will allow us to improve our facility and the experience of visitors to this unique exhibit.

United For A Good Cause - $27,000

“Hope Squad Peer-To-Peer Suicide Prevention Program”

In 2019 Escambia County was second in Florida suicides ages 10-14 and fourth ages 15-18. Hope Squads reduce youth suicides through education, training, and peer intervention. Over 75% of kids will tell a peer before attempting. Hope Squad creates a safe school environment for ALL students including all ethnicities, races, LGBTQ+, and peer groups. It promotes connectedness, supports anti-bullying, encourages mental wellness, reduces mental health stigma and helps prevent substance misuse. The Sunday’s Child Grant along with guaranteed matching funds from Escambia School District, will fund the curriculum and advisor certifications for the five remaining high schools in Escambia County for a lifetime. The program starts in September, 2021 in these five schools supporting all 10,412 high school students throughout their high school years.

Gulf Coast Kid’s House - $27,000

“Training for Working with LGBTQ+ victims of abuse”

Each year, GCKH surveys the Multidisciplinary Team (MDT) in our building regarding their satisfaction and any training needs. Last year, the group identified that they needed more training on working with the LGBTQ+ population. We worked with Equality Florida to conduct two trainings for our team. The trainings were very helpful, but they were not specifically geared toward LGBTQ+ children who had experienced the trauma of child abuse. After much searching and inquiry, it was discovered that a training like this didn't exist. This grant will fund the creation of a training which addresses best practices when working with LGBTQ+ child victims of abuse and their non-offending caregivers. This training will be created through collaboration with Equality Florida and Counsel & Connect.

Bright Bridge Ministries - $27,000

“Uninterrupted Power, Uninterrupted Service”

Uninterrupted Power, Uninterrupted Service will address the known need Bright Bridge Ministries has for a generator to power our kitchen, including our commercial, walk-in refrigerator/freezer and other kitchen appliances. During Hurricane Sally we used the wrong size generator and almost damaged our commercial, walk-in freezer that Sunday's Child funded in 2017. The new generator will be ordered as soon as funding notification is received. This project will benefit the many individuals who participate in our hot, healthy meal program. In 2020 we served 56,000 meals, an increase from the 22,000 meals we served in 2019. Grant funding will be used for the purchase and installation of the generator.

Children’s Home Society - $27,000

“Homeless Youth Outreach”

Funding will support basic needs, cross branded materials, marketing and pop up life skills kits to ensure we are meeting the needs of all homeless youth we encounter. CHS will enhance this work through Sunday’s Child with purchasing pop-up life skills equipment (pop up projectors, screens, and computer materials) and by cross branding Sunday’s Child and CHS with awareness billboards throughout the two county area and cross-branded materials including backpacks, hygiene kits, shirts and sweatshirts to ensure our youth are engaging with our teams to the fullest resulting in safe shelter, independence sustaining life skills and connectivity to local resources that can keep them safe. With more than 120% of our LGBTQI youth at a higher risk of experiencing homelessness, this support will continue to help expand our teaching of culturally competent, LGBTQI friendly curriculum.

Council on Aging of Northwest Florida - $25,000

LGBT adults are twice as likely when compared to their heterosexual counterparts to age alone with a poorer quality of health. Many LGBT older adults do not reach out for assistance for fear of discrimination or harassment. More than 20% avoid medical care other than for emergencies. As a result, health inequity has become a leading issue facing LGBT older adults today. It is imperative for LGBT older adults to feel there are culturally competent organizations in their local communities sensitive to their specific needs who provide adult care services in a loving, safe, and confidential manner. Awareness is the first step in the effort to improve health inequity for older LGBT adults. Grant funds will be used to produce a mini documentary capturing the daily lives of 2-3 LGBT couples along with narrative passages of their stories. The purpose is to raise community-wide awareness of the unique challenges faced by LGBT older adults and work towards a better quality of life for all in West Florida.

Inertia Education Programs - $25,000

INERTIA will use grant funds to expand current education programs to five new schools in the Pensacola Area. These programs bring high-impact, experimental learning activites to after school programs at local schools for grades 3-5. Programs have proven to increase standardized testing scores by 33% above peers not in the program. They have a shortlist of schools to institute the programs at, based on a number of metrics tracked including poverty rates, homelessness, free & reduced lunch users, and a school’s previous cumulative FSA scores. The grant funds will cover the cost of putting on the programs. This includes instructors fees, supplies, and storage. This cost is based on our experience with putting on programs over the last 3 years and is stable.

OASIS Florida - $25,000

Since the approval of HIV prevention medication in 2012, organizations have tried to provide access to the medication for those most at-risk. However, financial barriers still remain for those who would benefit most. Our program is simple: $25,000 to cover the provider and lab fees for one year of PrEP access for 74 uninsured people. They will be referred to the Department of Health or the AIDS Healthcare Foundation, and will have to meet high-risk criteria to benefit from the program. The barrier of cost to HIV treatment and prevention is not a new one. The most vulnerable are routinely shut out from important scientific advancements. We can see that those who need PrEP the most are those most unable to access it. The barrier is the same: Lack of insurance and the financial means to purchase treatment. This project is specifically designed to meet people exactly where they are and to fulfill the needs that we have most often heard expressed by our clients. This one small intervention has the potential to change someone's life and to destigmatize HIV in our area.

Emerald Coast Wildlife Refuge - $25,000

The #1 shortfall in our professional wildlife triage, rehab, treatment and care efforts is the lack of X-ray equipment. Imagine being hit by a car, arriving at the hospital, and having diagnosis and treatment rest solely on manual manipulation of the injured area, when a simple X-ray provides much more info, and can identify injuries manipulation cannot. This situation is what ECWR's patients face daily, ones unable to communicate where the pain is and what it feels like--and we can do so much better with your support. Our request is for funds to purchase this life and suffering-saving X-ray equipment, which will benefit our patients, our medical professionals, and interns. Our new Medical Rehabilitation Center was built and wired to house this critical Xray equipment, our veterinarians are fully trained on it, and we are ready to purchase it as soon as funds are available. Simply stated, your support in purchasing this X-ray equipment will save hundreds of lives a year, thousands in the aggregate, and will eliminate untold needless suffering for these precious native animals, and that change can be made almostimmediately.

A HOPE for santa rosa county - $26,500

A HOPE for Santa Rosa County is a not-for-profit with the mission of providing low-cost spay/neuter/vaccines/micro chipping services, rescue support, and community outreach programs, leading to the prevention of unnecessary euthanasia of companion animals in Santa Rosa County, Florida. Their “Fix and Chip” project will provide funding to spay/neuter, vaccinate against rabies, and microchip 300 indoor cats and 100 dogs that are owned by residents of Santa Rosa County.

manna food pantries - $26,500

Manna Food Pantries plans to purchase and install new warehouse equipment and signage, providing more efficient, effective and safe operations at their new facility on E Street in Pensacola to help prepare for their November 2019 food drive. The funding will have an operation-wide effect, touching more than 10,000 citizens that rely on their services and more than 5,000 volunteers in just the first year alone.

OASIS of FLorida

(Category: Health & Wellness, Grant Award: $25,000.00)

OASIS’s Mobile Outreach Unit, which operates out of a discreetly identified RV, is designed to reach people who otherwise might not be tested either in their neighborhoods or at community events. The unit is staffed with trained HIV counselors that can do on-the-spot rapid testing, provide prevention education, and direct people to case management when needed; in short, virtually all of the services provided by OASIS’s main office. Grant funds will be used to expand hours of operation of the mobile unit. It is anticipated that the increased testing numbers will provide the basis for additional state funding which will sustain the Mobile Outreach Program. 

Capstone Adaptive Learning and therapy

(Category: Arts, Culture, & Education, Grant Award: $25,000.00)

Capstone “Pet Barkery” Program will augment the existing employment/education training program at the Pet Place retail store in Milton. Students who work there will learn skills such as ordering supplies, baking, packaging, selling and marketing items, increasing their chances of later becoming gainfully employed. The “Pet Barkery” will bake home-made pet treats for sale at local farmers’ markets, festivals, businesses, and the new Pet Place pet supply store. Sunday’s Child funds would be used to purchase equipment to outfit the bakery including oven, hood, dishwasher, appliances, curriculum, and training materials.

Pensacola Little Theatre and STAMPED LGBTQ Film Festival

(Category: LGBT, Diversity, & Inclusion, Grant Award: $25,000.00)

The goals of Project Projecting Humanity are to acquire the equipment necessary to present HD-quality films at PLT at a level a patron would expect at a modern movie theater.  It will also provide an opportunity for Pensacola’s LGBT film festival, Stamped, to grow and impact the community with their message as the PLT has committed to providing a venue and use of the new equipment to the Stamped Film Festival at no cost for five (5) years.  The funds will be used for the purchase and installation of a theater-quality projector and screen. 

Manna Food Pantries

(Category: Health, Wellness & Recreation, Grant Award: $25,700)

Manna’s winning proposal will fund the development and construction of a climate-controlled dry room within the organization's new headquarters and distribution facility. The room will be large enough to allow space for repackaging bulk items as well as storage for more than 30 pallets of dry food that is distributed weekly to nearly 900 families in the Pensacola Bay Area.

Independence for the Blind

(Category: Health, Wellness & Recreation, Grant Award: $25,700)

Independence for the Blind, the only nonprofit entirely devoted to educating the blind and visually impaired in Northwest Florida, will utilize grant dollars to build their SOAR (Safe Outdoor Area for Recreation) project. The project will span a half-acre and will be developed into a safe, appropriate place for blind children, teens, and adults to engage in physical activity. Included within the project is the purchasing of custom sports equipment for blind youth, a new watering system, recreational facilities, and three new raised garden beds.

Friends of Escambia County Animal Shelter

(Category: Animals & Environment, Grant Award: $25,700)

Friends of the Escambia County Animal Shelter will purchase a transport van to allow the support organization to transport animals from over-capacity local animal shelters to areas of the country less burdened with pet overpopulation. The transport will connect to the established Puppy Pipeline in Hoover, Alabama, where pets are professionally transported to no-kill shelters in other locations where there is a high demand for adoptable pets.

Pensacola United Methodist Community Ministries

(Category: Health, Wellness & Recreation, Grant Award: $25,700)

Pensacola United Methodist Community Ministries will benefit from the purchase of a new state-of-the-art walk-in refrigeration unit to assist in the charity’s mission to meet the physical, emotional, and spiritual needs of people suffering from hunger within Pensacola’s Brownsville community and the Pensacola Bay Area. The new unit will greatly reduce food spoilage and will expand the efficiencies of more than 20,000 hot meals annually at their Brownsville facility.

Children’s Home Society of Florida

(Category: Family & LGBT, Grant Award: $25,700)

With their grant dollars, the Children’s Home Society of Florida will be able to expand their services to care for the thousands of children in the Pensacola Bay Area who are malnourished and alone. Their project will support securing host homes for runaway and homeless youth, including those who have behavior challenges, identify as LGBT, are pregnant, parenting, or human trafficking victims. The project will support a recruiter to participate in outreach and innovative marketing strategies to recruit, secure, and train host families willing to parent homeless youth. Sunday’s Child funding will also provide direct street outreach to area youth.

First City Arts Center

(Category: Arts, Culture & Education, Grant Award: $35,500)

2000 Degrees: A Portable Glass Arts Education Program will allow FCAC to outreach in every direction and to include the maximum number of people in the glass education programs. This is done through the use of a portable glass studio.  A fully equipped, portable glass blowing studio can drive to the doorstep of any school, festival or function. The goal of this program is to teach design charrettes and provide educational demonstrations for students and the general public. An increase of public participation by 100% in the first year will be achieved by visiting at least two schools each month throughout the year and by participating in community festival throughout the area.

THE BEACON*

(Category: Family & LGBT, Grant Award:  $35,500)

Rapid Re-Housing Project  is a project to calm the homeless crisis.  Expedition of the re-housing of homeless families and single women is accomplished by providing rent and utilities assistance.  The project also focuses on rebuilding client’s problem-solving and decision making skills to make the program sustainable.  The result of this project will increase the capacity to serve an increased number of new clients due to the expedited process of re-housing.

*Due to unforeseen circumstances, The Beacon was unable to open their cold-weather shelter. Sunday's Child worked to help them meet their grant obligations (their project was an extension to their shelter) in a timely fashion. Because a new shelter site has not been established, The Beacon has withdrawn from the Sunday's Child grant award of $35,500. No funds were distributed to The Beacon, and as per Sunday's Child polices for unused or defaulted monies, funds will be rolled over to the following grant cycle, 2017.

ARC GATEWAY

(Category: of Economic Development, Grant Award: $33,125)

Forklift for Pollack Industries will allow the purchase of a new forklift, which will permit adults with disabilities to work and receive a paycheck while providing a service to our community.  Pollack Industries, a project of Arc Gateway that employs disabled adults on production contracts, utilizes a team of twelve individuals with disabilities and one non-disabled person to manufacture cement parking bumpers and cement air-conditioning pads for local contractors, businesses, and builders. These cement items, weighing between 200-225 pounds, must be transported from the production areas, loaded onto trucks and delivered to project sites. This cannot be done without the aid of a forklift.  

Currently, their forklift is over 20 years old, breaks often, and must be replaced in order to continue providing services. A new forklift would aid in streamlining and expanding production and distribution.

LEGAL SERVICES OF NORTH FLORIDA, INC.

(Category: of Family & LGBT, Grant Award $33,125)

Legal Education and Victim Empowerment project, or The L.E.A.V.E., will allow Legal Services of North Florida to hire a staff attorney for one year to develop enhanced advocacy and education tools to support victims of violence and bullying within our community. This attorney will go into our community to educate other providers of their obligations, including school personnel, law enforcement and the courts, our entire community will be elevated to an improved dialogue. The Legal Education and Advocacy for Victim Empowerment (LEAVE) project will give victims and allies legal tools with which to prevent violence and bullying in our families, schools, and entire community. While LEAVE may serve victims of all different experiences, a focus will be placed on LGBTQ youth, LGBTQ relationships, homeless and dependent youth, and youth with disabilities. 

Read Testimonial from Executive Director of Legal Services of North Florida