Our Work
The Patterson Foundation believes that New Realities emerge when organizations engage in innovative collaboration, sharing the value of what they learn for the benefit of wider communities. The Foundation understands that delivering value far beyond a single act of philanthropy creates ripple effects.
In 2010, The Patterson Foundation initially focused on honoring the Patterson family legacy through nine initiatives and by providing relief to individuals and communities in crisis. This work continues, but as the Foundation moves ahead, we’ve evolved in important ways.
Our work to achieve New Realities involves strategic partnering where The Patterson Foundation is highly engaged with energy, effort and intellectual capital beyond financial investments. We provide expertise through consulting in communications, technology and business models for financial thrivability to uncover new possibilities.
The Patterson Foundation approaches our work through these areas to achieve the most efficient and focused outcomes for each investment we make in an initiative.
- Communications
- Technology
- Finance
By bringing together and connecting experts and by sharing their expertise in the aforementioned areas, we believe we can create opportunities that will have an impact far beyond a single act of philanthropy.
Our Initiatives
Aging with Dignity & Independence
Despite living with dementia in her final years, Dorothy Patterson insisted on living at home with as much independence as possible.
With support from The Patterson Foundation, SCOPE (Sarasota County Openly Plans for Excellence) in partnership with USF Sarasota-Manatee, studied ways in which our aging population in Sarasota County relates to the community.
Themes from the study will be a catalyst for action in our community and others.
Please visit www.scopexcel.org
Arthritis
Dorothy Patterson lived with rheumatoid arthritis for decades. To honor her strength, The Patterson Foundation collaborated with the Arthritis Foundation Florida Chapter (AFFC) to make a difference in the lives of Floridians suffering from arthritis. In 2010, we helped the AFFC increase fundraising 318 percent over its 2009 Jingle Bell Run/Walk donation levels. The endowment created from the matched funds will build on that momentum, creating a framework for long-term sustainability that supports future efforts.
The Patterson Foundation used its communications expertise to both assist AFFC by creating a new social media strategy to raise donor awareness through online and offline media exposure and by building communications capacity for AFFC by hosting a series of training webinars. This can be a model of how other funders can invest in voluntary health organizations nationwide.
Bringing Science Home
With $5.6 million in support from The Patterson Foundation, USF Health launched Bringing Science Home, an initiative to help people with chronic diseases live happier and healthier lives.
Bringing Science Home is making an impact in several ways, from creating a Students with Diabetes group with more than 14 national chapters to developing technology applications for people living with diabetes.
Donations made to Bringing Science Home will help fulfill a $2 million matching challenge that will raise $4 million for an endowment to sustain the work that helps people with chronic conditions.
Please visit www.bringingsciencehome.com
Caregiver Connect
The Caregiver Connect initiative initially focused on dementia to honor the legacy of Dorothy Patterson, who lived with the disease toward the end of her life. As we explored the issue, we identified an urgent need to connect caregivers to resources.
Share the Care, in partnership with a national funder, developed Caregiver Central, an online tool to connect caregivers to quality information and resources. The Patterson Foundation is partnering with Share the Care to develop a model to take the tool to the next level so it can be used in other communities.
Please visit www.caregivercentral.org
Collaborative Restructuring
The Collaborative Restructuring initiative creates New Realities by applying business principles to the nonprofit sector. This includes optimizing efforts of nonprofits through alliances, collaborative projects, partnerships and mergers.
The Patterson Foundation’s work in this space:
- Provides resources for trained facilitators to work with nonprofits that volunteer to explore back-office alliances, collaborations, partnerships, networks and mergers.
- Provides resources to train Florida consultants how to facilitate nonprofit partnership discussions, thus building the capacity and depth of trained consultants in our region.
- Includes working with and learning from others locally and nationally.
EdExplore
In partnership with Sarasota County Schools and our community’s arts, science, history and environmental organizations, we developed EdExploreSRQ.com, a web platform that connects students and teachers with more than 100 diverse cultural and science experiences offered in our community.
Donations can be made to the Education Foundation of Sarasota County to help fulfill a $500,000 matching challenge that will raise $1 million to fund EdExplorations to support experiential through Sarasota County Schools.
Individuals and businesses can leverage support for organizations they are passionate about by making a new or increased donation for EdExplorations.
Please visit www.sarasotacountyschools.net/educationfoundation
Disaster
The Patterson Foundation explores ways in which existing organizations can work together to facilitate greater cooperation and impact when disasters strike.
Regional Impact
When tornadoes devastated Alabama, The Patterson Foundation partnered with a Sarasota radio station, resulting in generous contributions from people in our region and more than $50,000 for permanent rebuild efforts.
The Patterson Foundation also partnered with the Community Foundation of Northeast Alabama, announcing a $250,000 dollar-for-dollar matching challenge. The community generously answered the challenge, with $500,000 going toward rebuilding efforts.
Global Impact
NetHope is a nonprofit that is a nexus among 36 international humanitarian organizations and global technology companies. Communications and technology expertise is leveraged when disasters strike.
The Patterson Foundation is a catalyst funder for NetHope’s Open Humanitarian Data Initiative.
Please visit www.nethope.org
New Media Journalism
New Media Journalism honors the Patterson family’s rich journalism legacy, which includes print, television and broadcast media holdings as well as early investment in AOL at the beginning of the Internet age.
The New Media Journalism Initiative connects community journalism innovators so they can learn and thrive. Innovators interact through the Journalism Accelerator, an online collaboration platform, and by connecting in person through the Block by Block: Community News Summit.
A mentoring program called Super Camp provides individual coaches for a select group of community news publishers to not only develop and implement business sustainability plans, but also to share promising practices with the community news publisher field. Learnings from this initiative will inform others.
Please visit www.journalismaccelerator.com and www.blockbyblock.us
Ringling College Collaboratory
The Patterson Foundation has partnered with Ringling College of Art and Design on the Ringling Creative Collaboratory, an initiative to integrate multidisciplinary, real-world client projects within the art and design curriculum. The collaboratory prepares the next generation of thinkers, leaders and innovators by enabling students to gain real-world experience by engaging in projects with clients from the public and private sectors.
Sarasota National Cemetery Assembly Area
The Patterson Foundation and the National Cemetery Administration have partnered to develop a 1.77-acre, $5.6 million enhancement to Sarasota National Cemetery.
This is the first private philanthropic partnership with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to design and construct a new assembly area at a national cemetery. Through the design and art features, the assembly area will honor the service of all veterans and inspire patriotism. The assembly area will be a place for families and visitors to reflect and experience ceremonies and events honoring our nation’s veterans.
Season of Sharing
With support from our generous community, Season of Sharing provides funds to help families and individuals avoid homelessness as the next solution to the financial crises they face in Sarasota, Charlotte, Manatee and DeSoto counties.
The Patterson Foundation is inspired by the collaboration of media partners and the community generosity that helps make the Season of Sharing campaign a success.
For the past three years, The Patterson Foundation has issued dollar-for-dollar matching challenges to inspire our community to continue to help those on the verge of homelessness.
Please visit www.cfsarasota.org
Sister M. Lucia Hass Scholarship Endowment
The Patterson Foundation contributed $1 million to create the Sister M. Lucia Haas Scholarship Endowment for student tuition assistance. Cardinal Mooney Catholic High School is fundraising for an additional $1 million matching challenge, which will result in a $3 million endowment benefitting the school’s students.
Please visit www.cmhs-sarasota.org
Student Emergency Fund
Educators and school employees often use money from their own pockets to pay for necessities that will help students be productive and engaged in their learning – such as toiletries, clothing and medical supplies.
Through the Student Emergency Fund, The Patterson Foundation, in partnership with Sarasota County Schools, is providing for these one-time emergency needs.
Through generous community donations, an endowment at the Community Foundation of Sarasota County will ensure that rather than being embarrassed as a result of financial circumstances beyond their control; financially needy students have the necessities to learn.
Other Collaborations The Patterson Foundation is Supporting
With our resources and expertise, The Patterson Foundation supports the following collaborative efforts to create New Realities.
Health Care Safety Net – We are supporting the collaboration among Sarasota Memorial Health Care System, Senior Friendship Centers and the Sarasota County Health Department, by funding a consulting team who will help develop a plan to streamline care of uninsured and underinsured in Sarasota County.
Institute for the Ages –The Patterson is a catalyst contributor for the Institute for the Ages to help inspire the contribution of diverse funding streams from the community.
National Council on Aging: Self-Care Management Alliance – We are participating in atri-sector government, business, philanthropy alliance for chronic disease.
NetHope Open Humanitarian Initiative – We support a collaboration of more than 36 or the world’s leading humanitarian organizations and global technology companies that coordinate communications and technology efforts around disasters.
The Giving Partner – We support the collaboration among our region’s community foundations to launch The Giving Partner, an online knowledge tool that will uplift and strengthen philanthropy in our community.
The EngAGEment Initiative – The Patterson Foundation President and CEO Debra Jacobs is the volunteer lead for the Southeastern Council of Foundations’ EngAGEment Initiative, one of
16 initiatives of Grantmakers in Aging. Through this initiative, members are introduced to the growing needs of our aging population by engaging in education and awareness activities.
The Declaration Initiative – The Declaration Initiative is a movement that inspires American communities to invest together in assuring access to the promises of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness for all by July 4, 2026. The initiative works to bring together those working to eradicate poverty in communities nationwide so they can share and learn from each other. The Patterson Foundation is part of the national leadership team.
Please visit www.declarationinitiative.org