The Quantum Foundation celebrated grassroots nonprofits in Palm Beach County at a breakfast held at the Riviera Beach Marina to award grants totaling $750,000 to 94 organizations.
The eighth annual Quantum in the Community initiative provides funds for operating support in amounts up to $25,000 to qualifying nonprofits that help meet the basic needs of the county’s most vulnerable residents. The grantee organizations represent all corners of the county.
“The Quantum Foundation is a health foundation,” Quantum Foundation Chair Donna Mulholland said. “We always keep our focus on health because that’s what we were founded to do. But this annual campaign acknowledges that if we don’t meet people’s basic needs, it’s not possible for them to stay healthy. So, in addition to our regular grants, every year we allocate funds for those nonprofits that meet basic needs like food, shelter, clothing and transport for the residents of Palm Beach County.”
In 2011, the Quantum Foundation board of directors made a commitment to this annual program when surveys showed local nonprofits were struggling to keep their doors open in the troubled economy. Since then, the Quantum Foundation has awarded a total of $5.5 million through this initiative.
The foundation’s mission is to fund initiatives that improve the overall health of people living in Palm Beach County. In its 20th year of community investment, the foundation has assets of approximately $150 million and since its inception has awarded $130 million to hundreds of local nonprofit grantees. Every dollar the foundation grants stays in the county.
“As we celebrate 20 years of impact in Palm Beach County, we want to take an upstream look at health,” Quantum Foundation President Eric Kelly said. “We know that our medical community can’t heal the body without having healthy societal and external factors in place. These grants support organizations helping the whole body and the whole community. As we enter the holiday season, we hope the rest of the community sees these organizations as worthy of their personal funding, too. We are so proud of how they are changing our community one life at a time.”
Grantees for the 2018 Quantum in the Community in the Wellington/Greenacres area include Back to Basics, the Helping Hands Assistance Program, the Oasis Compassion Agency, the First Baptist Church of Greenacres, Wellington Cares, Angels For Friends, Hope 4 Mobility and the Wellington Community Foundation.
Applications open in the spring and funds are awarded in November. Visit www.quantumfnd.org/quantum-in-the-community for more info.
