Sontag Foundation Grants $400,000 to Local Charities
Ponte Vedra Beach, FL (February 1, 2005) - The Sontag Foundation has awarded grants totaling over $400,000 to five local charities. These grants represent the foundation's first round of funding for local initiatives; The Sontag Foundation has funded medical research on a national level since 2000.
As a result of the foundation's first local funding initiative, new grants were awarded to support programs of four Jacksonville non-profit organizations. First Coast Women's Services was awarded $86,395 earmarked for the new crisis pregnancy center slated to open in the beaches area this summer. The foundation made a three-year commitment totaling $111,575 to enable Grove House Supportive Services to develop a person-centered residential model for adults with brain injuries. MaliVai Washington Kids Foundation received a three-year grant totaling $75,000 to enable the implementation of First Serve Life Skills Curriculum for approximately 100 youth living in the Durkeeville area of our community. A two-year grant totaling $70,000 was awarded to Volunteers in Medicine Jacksonville to provide free laboratory tests to their patients who could not otherwise afford them. This is the second year of a three-year commitment to support the St. Vincent's Ronald McDonald Care Mobile with a $60,000 grant. The mobile unit provides medical care to children and adolescents who are underserved and vulnerable.
The Board of Directors of The Sontag Foundation has recently made a significant commitment to funding in the Jacksonville area; $500,000 per year has been earmarked to meet needs in the local community. Since its inception in 2000, The Sontag Foundation has disbursed grants in excess of $6 million. $1.2 million has been expended on brain cancer research and $140,000 has supported medical research pertaining to rheumatoid arthritis. A $4.6 million grant to Harvey Mudd College provided significant funding to build a much-needed dormitory.
The Sontag Foundation is a private foundation located in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. It is committed to making a difference in the lives of individuals by supporting medical research in selected fields on a national level as well as by addressing educational and social needs in its home community.
For more information about The Sontag Foundation, log on www.sontagfoundation.org.
Contact:
Kay W. Verble
Executive Director
The Sontag Foundation
904-273-8755
904-273-8745
info[at]sontagfoundation.org
