CFI activates Sanibel-Captiva Recovery Fund
The Charitable Foundation of the Islands (CFI) activated the Sanibel-Captiva Recovery Fund ahead of Hurricane Milton to support the recovery and rebuild efforts on Sanibel and Captiva.
CFI is a public grant-making charity established in 2011 to inspire philanthropy, leadership, and collaboration for the vitality of the island community. It partners with individuals, private foundations and other community organizations to facilitate grant-making to local and national nonprofit organizations through its donor-advised fund program and other community grant-making initiatives.
CFI has activated the recovery fund in past disasters, including Hurricanes Charley, Irma and 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 in September of 2022.
“The destruction that Sanibel and Captiva faced in Hurricane Ian is still evident on our islands,” 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.”
In addition, CFI announced a new loan program for island businesses struggling to recover from Ian. In partnership with Sanibel Captiva Community Bank, the loan program 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.
Donations to the Sanibel-Captiva Recovery Fund can be made online at MyCFI.org, by scanning the QR code or by mailing P.O. Box 1429, Sanibel, FL 33957.
For more information, visit MyCFI.org.