Florida is home to more than 62,000 nonprofit organizations, making it one of the largest nonprofit sectors in the country. There are over 4,968 nonprofit organizations in North Central Florida alone, making it easy to find a nonprofit for any cause. If you care about children, hunger, animals, elders and more, you’ll find something to drive your passion in Greater Gainesville. Below is a selection of a few of the largest charities in the area.
Bread of the Mighty
325 NW 10th Ave.
Gainesville, FL 32601
(352) 336-0839
Bread of the Mighty Food Bank was founded in 1987 and was established to acquire and distribute food and basic essentials to 160+ agencies in our five county area of Alachua, Dixie, Gilchrist, Lafayette and Levy, who in turn get the food into the hands of those who are food insecure. We have a Kid’s Café program, an After School Snack program, SNAP program, Gainesville Harvest, Mobile Pantries, and we just started a USDA program to get food to Seniors in six counties, Alachua, Flagler, Dixie, Lafayette, Marion or Union.
2018 Events
– 7th Annual Empty Bowls, May 10, 2018
– Hunger Action Month, September 2018
Child Advocacy Center
Child Advocacy Center
P.O. Box 13454
Gainesville, FL 32604
(352) 376-9161
The Child Advocacy Center provides a child-friendly, safe and supportive environment for abused, neglected and trafficked children. The Center is a place where professionals – social workers, law enforcement, state attorneys, victim advocates, medical professionals and others – work as a team to coordinate investigations and interventions for each child-abuse case. This collaboration expedites each child’s time in the legal system and ensures that children are not re-victimized by the system and that they and their families are provided the support and services needed to heal. In 2016, the center provided forensic interviews, case management, case staffings, victim advocacy and therapy to approximately 2,224 children in our community.
2018 Events
– Gainesville Wing Bowl, August 2018 (exact date TBD), gainesvillewingbowl.org
– Gainesville Gone Austin, Oct. 25, 2018, gainesvillegoneaustin.org
The Education Foundation
2802 NE 8th Ave.
Gainesville, FL 32641
(352) 955-7250
The Education Foundation of Alachua County is a 501(c)(3) organization whose mission is to invest in the future of Alachua County Public School Students. We have worked in conjunction with community leaders and our school system since 1986 to support all of our public school teachers and students. The Education Foundation administers Take Stock in Children, a scholarship and mentoring program for at-risk youth in the community, provides college scholarship to high school seniors and offers grant and professional development opportunities for teachers.
ElderCare of Alachua County
5701 NW 34th Blvd.
Gainesville, FL 32653
(352) 265-9040
The mission of ElderCare of Alachua County is to be an advocate for the elderly and provide services that will build capacity, maximize independence and enrich the quality of life for the seniors in north central Florida. Annually, your financial generosity and volunteer efforts allow us to serve approximately 22,502 congregate meals at six Alachua County meal sites and approximately 41,964 home-delivered meals to homebound seniors. Other services during the year include Al’z Place, which provides approximately 20,493 hours of daycare for Alzheimer patients annually; approximately 8,811 hours of homemaking services assisting seniors annually; and providing approximately 2,162 rides annually for seniors.
2018 Events
– Moonlight and Martinis, Feb. 3, 2018, moonlightandmartinis.org
– Driving After Dark Glow-in-the-Dark Gold Tournament, Mar. 23, 2018, drivingafterdark.com
– Ride to Remember, April 29, 2018
Gainesville Pet Rescue
5403 SW Archer Road
Gainesville, FL 32608
(352) 692-4773
Gainesville Pet Rescue, Inc. (GPR) is a not-for-profit organization that strives to match pets and people for a lifetime. All animals that are rescued and taken into our program are guaranteed a home regardless of the length of time they may have to stay in our foster care program. Since its inception in 1993, thousands of animals have been placed into loving, permanent homes.
2018 Events
– Pups in the Park, an Easter Egg Hunt for dogs, April 2018 (exact date TBD)
– Howlin’ Halloween, a costume contest for dogs, October 2018 (exact date TBD)
Tree Fest
at Swamp Head Brewery
3650 SW 42nd Ave.
Gainesville, FL 32608
Tree Fest is an annual event sponsored by Gainesville-based Solar Impact and hosted at Swamp Head Brewery around Earth Day and Arbor Day each year. This event will feature food trucks, family-friendly activities, and of course, Swamp Head beer, all while celebrating the environment by raising money to plant trees with the Alachua Conservation Trust. Five trees will be planted for every beer purchased during Tree Fest, and all sponsor donations will go toward planting trees. These trees will be one-year-old longleaf pines and will be planted on ACT’s Little Orange Creek Preserve in Hawthorne, Florida. The goal is to plant over 5,000 trees with money raised by Tree Fest.
2018 Events
– 4th annual Tree Fest, April 2018 (exact date TBD)
Girl’s Place
2101 NW 39th Ave.
Gainesville, FL 32605
(352) 373-4475
Girl’s Place empowers girls to grow courageous, strong and self-sufficient. The organization inspires girls to celebrate themselves — their minds, their hearts and their physical wellbeing.
2018 Events
– Hats, Hearts and Handbags, May 11, 2018
Haven Hospice
4200 NW 90th Blvd.
Gainesville, FL 32606
(800) 727-1889
Haven is the source for patients, their families and their health care providers to find answers to their advanced illness challenges. In addition to providing comfort through the compassionate delivery of hospice services, Haven offers Advance Care Planning, Palliative Care Consultations and Transitions services with a patient-centric focus. When health becomes a challenge, we will be your haven. Serving advanced illness needs in Florida since 1979 and licensed as a not-for-profit hospice since 1980.
2018 Events
– Gainesville Wing Bowl, August 2018 (exact date TBD)
– Run for Haven, Mar. 17, 2018
– ViVA! 2018, Apr. 7, 2018
– EQUUS, May 5, 2018
Junior Achievement of Alachua County
P.O. Box 141284
Gainesville, FL 32614
(352) 727-0178
Junior Achievement (JA) helps students realize that the education they receive today will help them to have a bright future tomorrow. JA’s volunteer-delivered, kindergarten through 12th grade programs foster work readiness, entrepreneurship and financial literacy skills, and use experiential learning to inspire students to dream big and reach their potential. Over 6,000 students in Alachua County are impacted by Junior Achievement volunteers each year.
2018 Events
– JA Superheroes Bowl-A-Thon, May 9, 2018
– Celebrate JA! Breakfast, Sept. 27, 2018
– JA Golf Classic, Nov. 13, 2018
LifeSouth
15652 NW US Highway 441, Suite F
Alachua, FL 32615
(386) 418-0210
LifeSouth is a non-profit community blood bank serving more than 100 hospitals in Alabama, Florida and Georgia. We are committed to meeting the blood supply needs of hospitals and their patients by providing the highest quality blood components and services. With more than 30 donor centers, 45 blood mobiles and 2,000 blood drives a month, our LifeSouth team is dedicated to making sure the blood is there when you or your family member is in need.
2018 Events
– Five Points of LIfe Race Weekend, Feb. 17-18, 2018
PACE Center for Girls Alachua
1010 SE 4th Ave.
Gainesville, FL 32601
(352) 374-8799
PACE Center for Girls Alachua is a holistic, gender-responsive, and trauma-informed school for girls and young women of middle and high school age in Alachua County. PACE’s holistic, strength-based, and asset building model focuses on academics, counseling, service learning, career prep and independent living skills. The organization’s strength-based approach is nationally recognized as one of the most effective programs in the country for keeping girls from entering the juvenile justice system and for helping each girl harness her unique potential and lead a healthy, productive life.
2018 Events
– Girls Rock Rally, March 2018 (exact date TBD)
– The Amazing Give, March 2018 (exact date TBD)
– Believe Ball, Apr. 21, 2018
– Mary Wise Scramble, Apr. 27, 2018
– Cops & Kids, July 2018 (exact date TBD)
– Throw A Girl a Lifeline, October 2018 (exact date TBD)
– Anti-Bully March, October 2018 (exact date TBD)
– Butterfly Day, Oct. 31, 2018
– Saved by Grace, December 2018 (exact date TBD)
Peaceful Paths Domestic Abuse Network
2100 NW 53rd Ave., Suite A
Gainesville, FL 32653
(352) 377-5690
Peaceful Paths is the certified domestic abuse network that serves survivors of domestic violence in Alachua, Bradford and Union counties. Peaceful Paths provides a wide range of services including emergency shelter, transitional housing, crisis hotline, victim advocacy, children’s programming, education and training, counseling and support groups, community awareness and intervention, violence prevention programs, and batterer’s intervention programming. Peaceful Paths is a member of the Florida Coalition Against Domestic Violence (FCADV).
Ronald McDonald House Charities of North Central Florida
1600 SW 14th St.
Gainesville, FL 32608
(352) 374-4404
Since 1982, Ronald McDonald House Charities of North Central Florida has been keeping families close to their seriously ill child. Our 31-room facility provides comfy beds, home-cooked meals and all the comforts of home to families traveling to Gainesville to seek medical treatment for their child. Our program is built on the simple idea that nothing else should matter when a family is focused on the health of their child. We also have a Ronald McDonald House Family Room located on the 10th Floor of UF Health Shands Children’s Hospital — a special place for families to rest and regroup within the walls of the hospital, just steps away from their child’s bedside.
2018 Events
– Kids and Clays, Feb. 9, 2018
– Red Shoe Society Plane Pull, Mar. 17, 2018
– Red Shoe Affair, August 2018 (exact date TBD)
– Build a House for the House, a gingerbread house competition, Dec. 13, 2018
Tyler’s Hope for a Dystonia Cure
13351 Progress Boulevard
Alachua, FL 32615
Tyler’s Hope is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization committed to funding neurology research to prevent and cure DYTI I Dystonia while creating awareness of this disorder. Dystonia is a neurological disorder characterized by involuntary muscle contractions which force certain parts of the body into abnormal, sometimes painful, movements or postures. Dystonia can affect any part of the body including the arms and legs, trunk, neck, eyelids, face or vocal cords.
2018 Events
– Think Tank: September 10th – 12th, 2018
– The Hope Weekend golf tournament: October, 2018 (exact date TBD)
– Swamp Shootout: December, 2018 (exact date TBD)
– Season of Hope 5k/15k run: December, 2018 (exact date TBD)
United Way of North Central Florida
6031 NW 1st Place
Gainesville, FL 32607
(352) 331-2800
United Way of North Central Florida fights for the health, education and financial stability of every person in our community. We serve a six-county area that includes Alachua, Bradford, Dixie, Gilchrist, Levy and Union counties. Since our inception in 1957, we have raised nearly $100 million for the region. Our Community Investment Fund supports 34 programs at 22 local agencies. We also provide free tax preparation services (VITA), a 24/7 resource helpline (2-1-1), prescription medication discount cards (FamilyWize) and afterschool mentoring (ReadingPals).
Statistics
77% of non-profits in NCF are 501(c)(3) charitable nonprofit organizations.
1,157 generate revenue greater than $50,000. 500 have paid employees.
51 have more than 50 paid employees.
Nonprofits in NCF employ 34,647 people and pay $1.6 billion in annual wages.
Subsectors of Nonprofits:
-101 Arts, Culture, and Humanities
-206 Education
-72 Environment and Animals
-101 Health
-260 Human Services
-22 International
-125 Mutual Benefit/Public and Societal Benefit
-319 Religion
NCF is home to 74 private foundations, which collectively manage more than $208 million in total assets.
77 percent of the area’s private foundations are located in Leon and Alachua Counties.
In 2014, more than 5,700 federal grants were awarded within NCF.
96 of those grants were awarded to nonprofit organizations, worth more than $36.7 million.
To see a full list of non profits in Greater Gainesville, visit: