United Way Suncoast’s ACE Grants Program Extends Impact With $450,000 In New Grants
New award phase brings community investment total to $1.5 million since Fall 2024
The success of United Way Suncoast’s ACE Grant program has the nonprofit leader amplifying its impact with a new $450,000 award to 26 nonprofits across its five-county footprint.
Launched in the fall of 2024, ACE (Access, Capacity, Equity) Grants provide one-time unrestricted funding for organizations with an annual operating budget under $2.1 million. With the grants not exceeding $20,000, they are designed to help unlock barriers to innovation and spark the next steps forward for our nonprofit partners.
The latest grant announcement adds to the $202,500 in ACE Grants that United Way Suncoast disseminated in March.
Overall, United Way Suncoast has issued 90 grants totaling $1.5 million since launching the program in the fall of 2024. Yet it’s the results that have spelled the true success of the initiative. Each grant recipient receives not only dollars, but expert guidance about leveraging funds and building towards operational sustainability.
In Clearwater, 360 Eats used its ACE Grant – approximately $10,000 – to bring more efficiency to its meal distributions. It eventually ramped up to 239 meals a week using a rescued food model. Along the way, its consistent welcoming presence allowed them to connect with Brandyn, a North Greenwood resident. They recognized his passion for cooking and invited him to join its Culinary Cultivator workforce development program.
Now Brandyn has earned his food handler certification, works full-time for 360 Eats and prepares meals for the very neighbors he once stood alongside.
“Without the ACE grant funding that kept our CommUnity Kitchen operating in North Greenwood, we would never have met Brandyn, and his story would look very different,” said 360 Eats co-founder and executive director Cameron Macleish.
Such testimonials are common among the ACE Grant recipients. The funding has led nonprofits to technology improvements, enhanced program operations, improved staff training and hiring,
Current Initiatives, which often conducts free laundry events at local laundromats, stated “the grant didn’t just fund a program, it helped create moments of relief, connection, and dignity that will stick with people long after the laundry is done.” NAMI Manatee Sarasota said the grant “strengthened a model that is transforming how families experience the dependency system.”
Joshua Way of Hope, which offers academic support for students and social support for parents, noted that the ACE Grant allowed it to make better, data-driven decisions, allowing its team to “spend more time focused on what matters most — directly supporting youth and families.”
“Overall, the data suggests ACE is strongly meeting its intent to increase access by funding approaches that reduce cost, transportation, time, and communication barriers,” said Josh Dunn, United Way Suncoast senior vice president for Community Impact. “Our partners are enabling delivery models that meet people where they are (digitally and physically) and increase participation.”
Learn more about United Way Suncoast’s ACE Grant program and all its Capacity Building efforts by visiting unitedwaysuncoast.org/capacity.
About United Way Suncoast
United Way Suncoast mobilizes communities to action for all. We give families and community members across our five-county footprint the “Freedom To Rise.” Founded in 1924, we enter our second century of service with a decided focus on uniting the region to generate support for hard-working families that stand one unexpected expense away from dire circumstance. We elevate early learning, energize middle school and high school youths, and empower community members through financial security. We proudly serve Hillsborough, Pinellas, Manatee, Sarasota, and DeSoto counties by investing in services and programs that help people create the lives they imagine for themselves. We enhance the community by addressing emerging needs such as natural disasters, and we expand the capacity of our nonprofits to help our impact ripple through the region. Along the way, we lead, convene, and collaborate with corporate supporters, individual donors, nonprofit partners, and valued volunteers because we know – United We Rise, United We Win.