Community Impact: Optimizing Assets Beyond Initiatives

Suncoast Campaign for Grade-Level Reading

August 2024 - Present

Community Impact: Optimizing Assets Beyond Initiatives

The Purpose

The Patterson Foundation believes that meaningful change is achieved by strengthening people, organizations, and communities in ways that foster wide participation around shared quality-of-life aspirations. Community Impact seeks out catalysts for good that are imagining a possible future and creating new realities for Charlotte, DeSoto, Manatee, and Sarasota counties. Ultimately, the initiative's components are designed to interweave and strengthen the greater ecosystem. The goal is to shift community thinking from issues to opportunities.

Strengthening the Impact

The Patterson Foundation’s work constantly evolves through its current engagements and more than 20 ongoing initiatives, creating endless possibilities to strengthen the efforts of people, organizations, and communities. Through this initiative’s exploration, the Foundation will identify opportunities that complement its programmatic initiatives

Community Impact’s work is currently focused on two specific opportunities:

Impact Investing
The Patterson Foundation has embarked on an exploration of how to utilize a portion of its investment portfolio for investments designed to create a positive impact on the world. The discovery phase of this work will focus on combining insights from nationally proven practices with the Foundation’s deep understanding of the local region to identify investment opportunities that will bolster shared community aspirations.

Agriculture in the Future
Agriculture has played a vital role in shaping Charlotte, DeSoto, Manatee, and Sarasota counties and continues to have a significant impact on the area’s individuals and communities. Now in the discovery phase, Agriculture in the Future will examine the past and present, while identifying opportunities to increase its positive impact on the region’s future generations.

FAQs

Click on frequently asked questions below to learn more about this initiative...

Why is The Patterson Foundation supporting this initiative?

The Patterson Foundation has pursued innovative methods to enhance its impact and evolve its efforts since its inception, determining when and where there might be alignment for future endeavors. Community Impact seeks out catalysts for good that are imagining a possible future and creating new realities for Charlotte, DeSoto, Manatee, and Sarasota counties. Ultimately, the goal is for the initiative's components to interweave and create connective tissue that strengthens the greater ecosystem and shifts thinking from issues to opportunities.

How does this initiative impact our quality of life?

The Community Impact initiative works by identifying opportunities, such as responsible impact investing, to strengthen Charlotte, DeSoto, Manatee, and Sarasota counties for future generations. This work is rooted in The Patterson Foundation’s mission to foster wide participation around shared quality-of-life aspirations.

How is The Patterson Foundation engaged in impact investing?

The Patterson Foundation has embarked on an exploration of how to utilize a portion of its investment portfolio for investments designed to create a positive impact on the world. The discovery phase of this work will focus on combining insights from nationally proven practices with the Foundation’s deep understanding of the local region to identify investment opportunities that will further bolster shared community aspirations.

What is Agriculture in the Future?

Agriculture has played a vital role in shaping Charlotte, DeSoto, Manatee, and Sarasota counties and continues to have a significant impact on the area’s individuals and communities. Now in the discovery phase, Agriculture in the Future will examine that past and present, while identifying opportunities to increase its positive impact on the region’s future generations.

What is an example of The Patterson Foundation’s work through this initiative?

The Patterson Foundation joined the Charles & Margery Barancik Foundation, the Community Foundation of Sarasota County, and the Gulf Coast Community Foundation to commission the Sarasota Housing Action Plan. Developed by the Florida Housing Coalition, the Sarasota Housing Action Plan offers a blueprint toward creating more opportunities for people in our region to live with dignity. It includes an in-depth analysis of the key factors influencing Sarasota’s current housing landscape, along with action items to reshape the affordable housing market to serve the community’s residents and workforce.

Read and download the Sarasota Housing Action Plan.

How is The Patterson Foundation set up?

The Patterson Foundation is a fully endowed charitable entity established in perpetuity to continue Dorothy Patterson's legacy. Through the leadership of the Governing Board, President and CEO Debra Jacobs administers the Foundation.

How does The Patterson Foundation allocate its resources?

Rather than having grant cycles, The Patterson Foundation invests in strengthening communities. Support through the thoughtful use of assets takes time and intention. That is why we focus on helping people engage with each other, providing expertise, encouraging learning, and sharing promising practices.

The Patterson Foundation’s work evolves from existing engagements and initiatives. With more than 20 initiatives at any time, the Foundation determines when and where there might be alignment for future endeavors and does not accept requests for new initiatives.

How can I secure funding from The Patterson Foundation?

While we do not accept funding requests or unsolicited proposals from individuals or organizations, opportunities do exist to receive support from community movements and related organizations touched by our initiatives, such as the Giving Challenge, Margin & Mission Ignition, Season of Sharing, and the Suncoast Campaign for Grade-Level Reading.

Who can I contact about the Community Impact initiative?

For general information on the Community Impact initiative, contact Community Impact Initiative Lead Michael Corley at mcorley@thepattersonfoundation.org
For information on impact investing, contact Vice President of Community Impact Julio Suárez at jsuarez@thepattersonfoundation.org
For information on Agriculture in the Future, contact Initiative Consultant Brian Ries at brian@brianries.com

Sarasota Housing Action Plan

"TPF's Current Initiatives at a Glance"