$61 million gift from Delores Barr Weaver to community foundation
The Community Foundation for Northeast Florida announced that local philanthropist Delores Barr Weaver has recommended numerous grants to local nonprofits, made possible by a gift of $61 million to the Delores Barr Weaver Legacy Fund at The Community Foundation.
Weaver contributed $61 million to her donor advised fund at The Community Foundation in July of 2023, the largest gift in the foundation’s 60-year history. Throughout this year, grants will be made to nonprofit organizations as part of her Legacy 2024 grantmaking plan, which was developed in partnership with staff at The Community Foundation over the last six months. Rather than accepting applications for this funding, Weaver has chosen to focus grantmaking on selected nonprofits she has supported for many years.
The organizations that will benefit are working toward missions from A to Z, covering a waterfront of issues that affect the everyday lives of people in Northeast Florida and beyond. Grants will support causes that include but are not limited to: ensuring all people can thrive, no matter their age, identity, or ability status; advancing the arts; revitalizing neighborhoods and expanding affordable housing; and addressing environmental issues, such as land conservation. The nonprofits receiving the funds will be notified as grants are awarded.
“The Community Foundation’s expert staff and charitable giving solutions have enabled me to have greater impact in the region I love than I ever could alone,” Weaver said. “I want to congratulate and thank the Legacy 2024 agencies and the staff of The Community Foundation for their partnership over many years.”
The goal of the Legacy 2024 grantmaking plan is to provide tailored, strategic support to each of the organizations receiving the funds, setting them up for success long into the future. The process began by reviewing Weaver’s past grants to identify nonprofits that had exceptional track records of achieving results for the community. Then, Weaver worked with staff to determine what funding would help them grow beyond Weaver’s support, as her focus expands to include national and international issues.
The plan includes a variety of grant types offered through The Community Foundation: one-time infusions of funds for specific projects or capital improvements; matching challenges intended to expand the beneficiary’s donor base and bolster its financial sustainability; and multi-year grants spanning three, five, and ten years that will position grantees to deepen their impact with a longer time horizon than one-time grants would allow.
“The Community Foundation is proud to work alongside Delores Barr Weaver, who continues to set the bar for philanthropy in Northeast Florida,” said Isaiah M. Oliver, President of The Community Foundation. “I want to thank her for this extraordinary gift. I also want to thank the nonprofits and our staff, whose expertise and dedication have helped to translate her generosity into impact over many years.”
Delores Barr Weaver has an extraordinary legacy of philanthropy in Northeast Florida since moving to Jacksonville as co-owner of the Jacksonville Jaguars in 1993. Since her historic gift of $50 million in 2012 establishing the Delores Barr Weaver Legacy Fund, she has partnered with The Community Foundation on her philanthropy through numerous, multi-million dollar gifts, including the Foundation’s largest-ever gift of $61 million in 2023. She has established permanent endowments for more than four dozen nonprofits, including 20 that receive ongoing annual support through the Delores Barr Weaver Forever Event Fund, est. 2015. Today, her grantmaking exceeds $209 million, with support for more than 300 organizations in Northeast Florida and beyond.
The Community Foundation for Northeast Florida (www.jaxcf.org), Florida’s oldest and one of its largest community foundations, works to stimulate philanthropy to build a better community. The Foundation helps donors invest their philanthropic gifts wisely, helps nonprofits serve the region effectively, and helps people come together to make the community a better place. Now in its 60th year, the Foundation has $649 million in assets as of 12/31/2023 and has made more than $750 million in grants since inception.