Chamber Foundation
Mentoring, scholarships, grants to teachers, and workshops for business leaders: these are some of the ways the Chamber Foundation supports education in Southwest Florida.
Purpose and mission
The primary purpose of the Greater Fort Myers Chamber of Commerce Foundation, Inc. is to support and assist the Greater Fort Myers Chamber of Commerce in its efforts to enhance education at a variety of levels in our community. The Foundation was founded in 2004 and is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.
The Foundation:
- Provides scholarships for college students
- Provides grants to educators and educational institutions
- Supports educational programs
- Presents seminars and workshops of interest and benefit to the business community
The Greater Fort Myers Chamber of Commerce and the Chamber Foundation has raised over $600,000 to support educational institutions and programs, our community, and local students.
Events
There are many opportunities to support the Chamber’s Foundation throughout the year, including several fundraising events where the net proceeds are donated to the Foundation to support its mission in our community.
Grantees
The Greater Fort Myers Chamber of Commerce Foundation has made significant gifts to a variety of educational institutions and grantees including:
The Foundation makes grants directly to teachers annually to support a variety of educational initiatives and programming. These grants support initiatives that would otherwise be difficult to obtain funding for. The average grant is $500, and to date, we have awarded over 1,000 grants.
The Foundation has an endowed scholarship fund at Florida Gulf Coast University. These endowed funds are used annually to provide scholarships to FGCU students pursuing a business-related degree. The Foundation has also provided grants to non-traditional female students at FGCU through the Women in Business Scholarship Fund and their endowment with the university.
The Foundation has provided grants to non-traditional female students at Florida SouthWestern State College through the Women in Business Scholarship Fund.
For several years, the Foundation has supported The Watch D.O.G.S. program in a number of Lee County elementary schools. This program is designed to engage fathers in the local elementary school and encourage them to volunteer. The men work alongside the educators to help as crossing guards, car/bus rider facilitators, hallway monitors, library assistants, lunchroom helpers, classroom and homework tutors and playground/gymnasium coaches.