The St. Joe Community Foundation, Inc. (“Foundation”) approved 270 grants totaling more than $5.76 million in 2025 to fund local non-profit organizations serving Bay and Walton Counties—its largest amount awarded in a single year. In total, the Foundation has now granted more than $54 million since 1999 to 501(C)(3) organizations dedicated to making a positive difference in Northwest Florida.
“Reaching a record year of grantmaking is a meaningful milestone,” said April Wilkes, Executive Director of the Foundation. “As Bay and Walton counties continue to grow, we are proud to turn that growth into real, tangible support for the programs and organizations that make our communities stronger and better places to live.”
Upholding its mission to enrich the quality of life for the people who live, work and play in Northwest Florida, the Foundation provides grants to other local non-profit entities that strive to strengthen education, improve healthcare, support cultural arts, and protect the environment. By category, the Foundation’s 2025 grant awards included a total of more than $2.91 million for education, over $1.44 million for healthcare, $201,315 for community outreach programs, $807,400 for cultural arts, and $351,386 for environmental programs.
Examples of local non-profits receiving grants from the Foundation in 2025 include Bay Arts Alliance and the Cultural Arts Alliance of Walton County, Bay Education Foundation, Walton Education Foundation, Emerald Coast Children’s Advocacy Center, Food for Thought, Emerald Coast Theatre Company, Emerald & Forgotten Coast Adventures, Nemours Foundation, Panama City Symphony Orchestra, Special Olympics Florida, Florida State University Foundation, Gulf Coast State College Foundation, Florida State Parks Foundation, Neurodiversity Resources of the Panhandle, Angel House, Northwest Florida Health Council, The STEM Origins Foundation and many others. (A full list of grant recipients can be found at www.joefoundation.com.)
“We are continually impressed by the quality and dedication of the organizations we have the privilege to support,” said Wilkes. “In 2025, a significant portion of our funding was directed toward education, including the No Ordinary JOE scholarship program, because this investment in our local students is one of the most meaningful ways we can support the long-term economic strength of our region.”
The Foundation’s No Ordinary JOE Scholarship program has provided 155 high school seniors with scholarships totaling $303,000 since 2022. To apply for a grant, view the No Ordinary JOE Scholarship criteria, or to learn more about the Foundation visit joefoundation.com.
About The St. Joe Community Foundation: The St Joe Community Foundation’s mission is to enrich the quality of life of the people who live, work, and play in Northwest Florida. Created in 1999, the Foundation provides grants to other 501(C)(3) entities for the areas of education, environmental stewardship, building healthier communities, and programs that honor the cultural arts. The Foundation is funded exclusively by a transfer fee on the sale of real estate in certain communities and resorts St Joe develops. This fee applies the first time a property is sold, and on each resale. The Foundation is a separate entity from The St. Joe Company and has a separate Board of Trustees. Visit joefoundation.com for more information.
Foundation Contact:
April Wilkes
Executive Director
The St. Joe Community Foundation
April.wilkes@joe.com