The Charles & Margery Barancik Foundation in Sarasota, Florida, has announced grants totaling $11.8 million in support of several key initiatives including early education, youth services, local journalism, and arts and culture.

The foundation awarded grants totaling $4.8 million to improve educational access and quality in Sarasota County and the surrounding region, including YMCA of Southwest Florida ($2.3 million over three years), which will use the funds to improve quality of services and expand access at the county’s largest childcare provider; Sarasota County School District ($981,000), which will bolster teacher recruitment and retention efforts; and 25 fellowships, providing $12,000 each to help local public-school teachers reinvigorate their love of teaching.

In addition, the foundation awarded grants to the Community News Collaborative ($3 million over three years), which will become an independent nonprofit focusing on nonpartisan local news reporting; Jewish Family & Children’s Service of the Suncoast ($560,000), which assists families with youth who are or are at risk of entering the juvenile criminal system; and Ringling College of Art and Design ($550,000 over two years), which provides access and programming at Sarasota Art Museum for community members whose attendance is historically underrepresented at museums.

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