Welcome to the

Community Foundation!

The Community Foundation is building a stronger community…one passion at a time.

We provide a variety of channels to actively connect donors with nonprofits fulfilling their missions.

Through our Nonprofit Resource Center and programs, the Estate Planning Council of Marion County and the NonProfit Business Council, we provide collaboration among leadership sectors to impact social and cultural change in our community.

Identifying Issues

And making an impact!

The Community Foundation works pro-actively with public/private partners to identify issues that impact Ocala/Marion County and convenes leadership to explore solutions.

The Foundation works closely with financial advisors to serve as a resource for their planned giving clients.

The entire community benefits when donors invest in programs that fuel their passions.

The Community Foundation

IS FOR DONORS

The size of your gift doesn’t dictate the amount of impact you can make in our community. We take the administrative hassles away from your giving and from your family. Let us help you create change today.

The Community Foundation

IS FOR ADVISORS

From assisting your clients with funds and tax deduction benefits to helping create a lasting legacy for a client with a specific desire for impact, we partner with you to take your client relationships to another level.

The Community Foundation

IS FOR NONPROFITS

We are the go-to resource for the nonprofit community for everything from agency fund management to a nonprofit event calendar, professional development to sample nonprofit resources. We are here for you!

CURRENT CAMPAIGNS

Xtreme Soulutions Agency Fund

Restoring Lives, Families & Communities Since 2005, Xtreme SOULutions has worked to transform the lives of incarcerated men through Christ-centered programming, education, mentorship, and reentry support. Founded in Marion County, Florida, Xtreme SOULutions was created to address the cycles of addiction, poverty, trauma, and incarceration by helping individuals discover purpose, accountability, healing, and hope. As…

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Miss Ocala Endowed Scholarship Fund

The Miss Ocala and Miss Gainesville Scholarship Competition is a not-for-profit organization that receives no public or government funding, relying on contributions from generous members of the community and local business owners. Scholarships provide opportunities to talented and intelligent women right in our North Central Florida community.  The Miss Ocala and Miss Gainesville Scholarship Competition are…

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Stuff the Bus Agency Fund

Support Stuff the Bus Agency Fund Founded by our local Military Officers Association in 1999, Stuff the Bus works to ensure that no child begins the school year without critical supplies.  Research shows us that disadvantaged children can thrive, both academically and socially, when they have the tools necessary for early participation in the learning…

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Restore Cedar Key Fund

Support Restore Cedar Key Fund In September 2024, Hurricane Helene, a powerful Category 4 storm, unleashed catastrophic destruction on Cedar Key, Florida, and the surrounding Big Bend region. With waves crashing as high as rooftops and debris smashing into homes and businesses, Helene’s immense strength left widespread devastation in its wake. Homes and businesses were…

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Vet Resource Center

Support the Vet Resource Center Fund The mission of Vet Resource Center, Inc. (VRC) is to provide education and information to Veterans and their families about the benefits they have earned and resources that are available for them. It also provides website-based benefit and resource information at VetResourceCenter.com, free website creation for Veteran Related Organizations,…

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Honor The Family Foundation

Support the Honor the Family Foundation Fund HONOR THE FAMILY Fatherlessness has cost the United States 99.8 billion dollars in 2006. We are working to establish a strong community of father’s to lead their families. We are working with: Career Source, Better Together, Extreme Solutions, Christian 12 Step, Faith and Freedom Commission, Fellowship of Christian…

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Marion Therapeutic Riding Association

Support the Marion Therapeutic Riding Association Marion Therapeutic Riding Association strives to enhances lives using the healing power of human and horse connection. This unique pairing unleashes new abilities that grant purpose and envision greater opportunities. We serve persons of all capabilities with physical, emotional or intellectual challenges through Equine Assisted Activities. Serving the heart…

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The Rock Program Fund

Support The Rock Program The Rock Rooms, strategically situated within multiple middle and high schools in Marion and Lake County, serve as vital hubs for addressing the essential needs of local students. Our mission is to instill hope for the future by empowering students in the present. Operated and staffed by dedicated community volunteers, these…

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Marion Senior Services Fund

Support the Marion Senior Services Agency & Endowment Fund For 50 years, Marion Senior Services, with the support of this community, has honored our elders by providing resources to maintain their independence. Our team of dedicated professionals are like family, creating opportunities for our clients to find new relationships and healthier habits to manage daily…

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Ocala Royal Dames

Support the Ocala Royal Dames for Cancer Research For 37 years, the Ocala Royal Dames for Cancer Research, Inc. has proudly followed our mission, “To ensure a strong local/regional effort in the fight against cancer, through funding research and education”. To date, the Ocala Royal Dames have raised over $4,000,000 and have provided $125,000 grants…

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IHMC Education & Research Fund

Support the IHMC Education & Research Fund IHMC is an interdisciplinary, not-for-profit research institute of the Florida University System and is affiliated with several Florida universities.  IHMC has locations in both Pensacola and Ocala. The Ocala campus is located near three major university research partners in Florida’s centrally located tech corridor.  IHMC has been a…

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I Am My Sister’s Keeper

Support the I Am My Sister’s Keeper Fund Connect. Equip. Empower. I AM MY SISTER’S KEEPER connects, equips, and empowers women to elevate every area of their lives including emotional, mental, physical, financial and spiritual well-being. Our vision is to create a world where women are empowered to achieve their God-given purpose. We strive to…

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Arabian Horsemen’s Distress Fund

The Arabian Horsemen’s Distress Fund was established in 2005 to assist people within the Arabian horse community during times of unexpected catastrophes, such as barn fires, accidents resulting in significant financial burden, unexpected illnesses, acts of nature, and the like. They need your help to ensure the long-term viability of the fund that has already been crucial to hundreds of people!

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Early Learning Coalition of Marion County Fund

The Early Learning Coalition of Marion County ensures children of the Marion County community have access to quality early learning programs that nurture their learning potential to prepare them for success. The ELCMC provides leadership and fosters partnerships to optimize a quality learning environment for Marion County children through child care, voluntary pre-kindergarten and parent education.

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Community Foundation Endowment Fund

From more services for our nonprofits helping our community’s most disadvantaged to increasing the education of the next generation of givers, from enhancing programs and opportunities for our community’s estate planners to ensuring residents in our community know how to align their passions with their giving, the Community Foundation for Ocala/Marion County remains at the forefront of impacting our community’s needs. We are building a stronger community… one passion at a time.

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Howard T. Odum Florida Springs Institute Fund

A science-based educational nonprofit organization, the Howard T. Odum Florida Springs Institute focuses on documenting and protecting Florida’s springs and aquifers to ensure access to clean drinking water for current and future generations. Named in honor of a pioneer of springs science, a Yale graduate, Odum worked in the biology department of the University of Florida in the 1950s and conducted the first comprehensive ecological assessment of Silver Springs.

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Mary DeCasper Memorial Fund

Give the gift of reading and literacy to students in the Marion County community of Ft. McCoy through the Mary DeCasper Memorial Fund. Dollars raised help keep her legacy and love of reading going among the generations of Ft. McCoy School students through Ms. DeCasper’s Reading Den, a cozy and inviting reading space for students in the School. Additional funds purchase books in Mary’s memory for children to take home.

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Adam Hanson Youth Philanthropy in Action

Through the Adam Hanson Youth Philanthropy in Action, we are educating Marion County middle school Students about philanthropy. Since 2012, members of the NonProfit Business Council have taught more than 1,000 students the YPIA curriculum in public and private middle schools with more than $23,000 in grants given to nonprofits. This innovative program is training tomorrow’s philanthropists how to find their passions early, so they can give back to the community now.

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