provided to The Santiva Chronicle
The Charitable Foundation of the Islands (CFI) has activated the Sanibel-Captiva Recovery Fund ahead of Hurricane Milton to support the recovery and rebuild efforts on Sanibel and Captiva islands.
CFI is a public grant-making charity established in 2011 to inspire philanthropy, leadership, and collaboration for the vitality of the Island community. CFI partners with individuals, private foundations and other community organizations to facilitate grantmaking to local and national nonprofit organizations through its donor-advised fund program and other community grantmaking initiatives. CFI has activated the recovery fund in past disasters, including Hurricane Charley, Irma, Ian, and the COVID-19 pandemic. Donations are tax-deductible and will provide grants to local partnering nonprofit organizations on the islands and other recovery and economic revitalization investments for the community.
CFI has distributed over $1 million in grants to local nonprofit organizations since Hurricane Ian landed on September 28, 2022. “The destruction that Sanibel and Captiva faced in Hurricane Ian is still evident on our islands,” CFI Executive Director Dolly Farrell said. “We are deeply grateful to our past supporters who helped accelerate our community’s rebuilding efforts. While many communities in Southwest Florida have returned to pre-Ian capacity, our barrier island communities and economies are still not fully recovered. Hurricane Milton will surely deliver another blow to these efforts.”
CFI also recently announced a new loan program for Island businesses struggling to recover from Hurricane Ian. This loan program, in partnership with Sanibel Captiva Community Bank, is available for a limited time. Currently, the program has $1.2 million to distribute through individual loans, with an average loan of $100,000. The loans will have a competitive interest rate, with interest only paid the first year and a four-year term thereafter.
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