The Charitable Foundation of the Islands (CFI) activated the Sanibel-Captiva Recovery Fund in advance of Hurricane Milton to support recovery and rebuilding efforts in Sanibel and Captiva.
CFI is a public grant-making charity founded in 2011 to foster philanthropy, leadership and collaboration for the vitality of island communities. We partner with individuals, private foundations, and other community organizations to facilitate grantmaking to local and national nonprofit organizations through our Donor Suggested Funds program and other community grantmaking initiatives.
CFI has activated recovery funds in past disasters such as Hurricanes Charlie, Irma, and Ian, as well as during the COVID-19 pandemic. Donations are tax deductible and provided for grants to locally affiliated nonprofits across the island and other recovery and economic revitalization investments in the community. CFI has distributed more than $1 million in grants to local nonprofit organizations since Hurricane Ian in September 2022.
“The devastation that Sanibel and Captiva faced in Hurricane Ian is still evident on our islands today,” said Executive Director Dorie Farrell. “We are deeply grateful to our past supporters who have accelerated our community’s rebuilding efforts. While many communities in Southwest Florida have returned to pre-Ian capacity, barrier island communities and economies remain We are not yet fully recovered, and Hurricane Milton will certainly further damage these efforts.”
Additionally, CFI announced a new financing program for island businesses struggling to recover from Ian. In partnership with Sanibel Captiva Community Bank, this financing program is available for a limited time. Currently, the program has $1.2 million allocated through personal loans, with an average loan size of $100,000. The loan has a competitive interest rate, with interest paid in the first year and then for four years.
Donations to the Sanibel-Captiva Recovery Fund can be made online at MyCFI.org, by scanning the QR code, or by mail to PO Box 1429, Sanibel, FL 33957.
For more information, please visit MyCFI.org.
