Grants
To be eligible for a Gulf Breeze Will Do grant, organizations and groups must:
- Have a project or initiative that serves the communities in the 32561 and/or 32563 zip
code areas. Organizations and groups without tax-exempt status will be considered. - Complete the online grant request form in full by the deadline.
- Be aware that Gulf Breeze Will Do may conduct site visit(s) and/or interviews.
- Spend grant funds within 6 months of the award date and provide receipts/documentation showing how the grant money has been spent. This period may be extended at the discretion of the Board.
- Request a minimum amount of at least $1,000, not to exceed $10,000. Grant requests less than $1,000 or more than $10,000 will not be considered.
A group or individual may apply for more than one grant provided the grant applications are for separate and distinct initiatives.
Grant requests will not be considered for:
- Debt reduction (including reimbursements for goods or services already incurred)
- Interim or bridge funding
- Endowment funds
- Existing operating expenses; however, start up operating costs and new advertising
and/or marketing campaigns will be considered - Capital projects to property where the organization does not own or have at least a five
year lease - Partisan, legislative, or political activities
- Faith-based projects or initiatives that require participation in activities of a particular
faith, denomination or religion in order to benefit from the project or initiative. Benefits
of the project or initiative must be available to any person regardless of religious beliefs
or membership in a particular church or religion.
As we continue to grow, Gulf Breeze Will Do reserves the right to change its eligibility criteria without notice at any time.
If you are ready to apply for a grant, download our latest Gulf Breeze Will Do Grant Application.
Grant Application
If your organization would like to be considered for one of our grants, please download our grant application, complete the requested information and return to the indicated address no later than September 30th. Please be sure to read our Grant Eligibility and Guidelines.
Gulf Breeze Will Do Grant Application 2023 PDF
In order to properly complete this form, please be sure you have the latest version of Adobe Acrobat. You can get the latest version here. Older versions are known to be insecure and do not support all features used in this form.
You will receive an email confirmation upon receipt of your completed application.
Grant Workshops
Our Grant Writing Workshops are typically held in August/September each year.
Download our 2023 Grant Writing Workshop PDF.
Non Discrimination Policy
Gulf Breeze Will Do does not discriminate against any grant applicant or organization on the basis of ethnicity, national origin, race, gender, age, marital status, sexual orientation, political affiliation, disability, or any other characteristics protected by law. We are committed to the promotion of diversity in all that we do. All members are expected to uphold and extend this policy.
Gulf Breeze Will Do Grant Reimbursement Form
All Grant Recipients can request disbursement of funds by completing our Grant Reimbursement Form. Please download, complete the form and return to us.
Previous Grant Winners
2023 GULF BREEZE WILL DO GRANT WINNERS
The Arc Gateway – Unlimited Potential: Scholarships for Adults with Disabilities
• A $10,000 grant will be used to establish a needs-based scholarship program, allowing those enrolled only part time to take full advantage of transformative programming provided by their South Santa Rosa program.
Gulf Breeze Middle School – Making Science Fun
• A $2,994 grant will be used to purchase educational tools to encourage interest in science and prepare students for state-wide testing.
Gulf Breeze Weekend Food Program – Gulf Breeze Weekend Food Program Support
• A $10,000 grant will be used to purchase food items that are provided to children in the community that are facing hunger and poor nutrition.
Interfaith Ministries – Building With A Purpose – Helping & Healing Those In Need
• A $5,279.84 grant will be used towards building a concrete pad to provide a more stable base for the recycling trailer and provide additional parking for the Interfaith Ministries Thrift Store.
Midway Fire Department – Ballistic Protection Vests• An $7,296 grant will be used for the purchase of ballistic protection vests, ensuring that each on-duty firefighter/paramedic is protected.
Oriole Beach Elementary Library – Is That A Book Vending Machine?!• A $2,007.65 grant will be used to fill the existing book vending machine with books that motivate children to earn tokens that allow them to select their very own book to keep from the machine.
2022 GULF BREEZE WILL DO GRANT WINNERS
Gulf Breeze Middle School – CPR Adult and Infant Manikins: $1,872.95
Gulf Breeze Middle School teaches CPR to 6th graders during Health class and to adult staff throughou1 the year. We are looking to add updated CPR manikins to better enhance the knowledge being presented. Many of our current manikins are broken and not up to date with current protocols. Not only are we planning on adding updated adult manikins, but infant ones as well. Both groups of manikins have compression rate monitors that give instant feedback. The set comes with AED practice trainers and a storing case.
Ocean Hour Inc. – Fountains For The Future: $7,235.00
Ocean Hour is a local all-volunteer non-profit organization that has been working at marine debris cleanups in Santa Rosa and Escambia counties for almost ten years. To date for 2022, Ocean Hour volunteers have removed over 30,000 pounds of trash and debris – and we only clean up on Saturday mornings for an hour. Ocean Hour’s grant application is for three outdoor drinking fountains/bottle fill stations, locations expected to be at the Gulf Breeze Parks and Recreation tennis courts, the Gulf Breeze Parks and Recreation baseball fields and the Shoreline Park Pavilion. Single use plastics such as water bottles are one of the top ten items we find at our cleanups. Installing water fountains with bottle fillers will greatly reduce the amount of plastic bottle trash in Gulf Breeze. The water drinking fountains with bottle filler will encourage residents to bring their own containers that can be refilled conveniently. This will be a terrific asset to these facilities and for the multitudes of people at these locations. Prevention is Ocean Hour’s major focus, and this project is a big step towards this goal.
Gulf Breeze Community Garden – Rebuilding The Community Garden: $3,049.31
The mission of the Gulf Breeze Community Garden is to cultivate the enjoyment and benefits of organic gardening. We are a project of the Gulf Breeze Area Chamber Foundation, a registered non-profit organization (501 c-3). Since our founding in 2011 we have brought together individuals of diverse backgrounds and experiences. In September 2020 the Garden was uprooted when the property we occupied was sold. Searching for a new site was hampered by Covid-19 and the Bay Bridge closure. In June 2021, we were given space at the First Baptist Church of Gulf Breeze. Our project now is to rebuild and maintain the Garden. Costs to rebuild have depleted our operational funds. With local high school student volunteers and our remaining members, we have constructed 4 plots. We are working on 2 more plots for a total of l 8 beds. We hosted a Girl Scout Gold project – a spiral herb bed. We are committed to maintain this project. Additional funds will enable us to sponsor beds for area service clubs and host educational programs for individuals who wish to learn about organic gardening. Some beds will be available to grow vegetables to donate to local food pantries.
Santa Rosa Education Foundation – Take Stock In Children: $8,318.72
Take Stock in Children (TSIC} is a state-wide organization founded in 1995 in response to the need for a program that provides more than financial assistance to our economically disadvantaged, college bound students. We operate locally under the Santa Rosa Education Foundation and offer a unique opportunity for low-income, at-risk students to escape the cycle of poverty through education. Students selected from across the county, to include Gulf Breeze, receive a caring volunteer mentor, student advocacy, one-on-one college and career readiness, as well as a college scholarship. Our comprehensive program provides incentives and resources to help underserved students stay in school, earn a high school diploma, graduate from college and enter the workforce. Services start in grades 7-9, continue through high school, and include post-secondary retention and completion services. The 115 students currently in our program signed performance contracts agreeing to earn good grades, exhibit positive behavior, and remain drug and crime free. If all program requirements are met, students receive 4 years of college tuition. 100% of funds raised within Santa Rosa County are equally matched with state funds to purchase a 4-year Florida Prepaid College Savings Plan to sponsor a child for participation in our program.
South Santa Rosa Interfaith Ministries – Upcycling the Recycled: $10,000.00
For 22 years Interfaith Ministries (IM) has attempted to meet the needs of the marginalized citizens of our community. Interfaith Ministries and Good Samaritan Clinic meets a wide variety of emergency needs including: housing, utilities, free medical and dental care, free medications and many other emergent needs. The constant source of revenue to meet these needs comes from Thrift Shop sales. In an effort to increase income, the shop manager began a project (staffed by volunteers) or refinishing out-of-date furniture. The refinishing is done in a retail section of the Thrift Shop. To free up retail space inside the shop and provide added safety for customers and volunteers, the project needs to be moved out of the retail space. IM requests GBWD assistance with enclosing a portion of the existing loading dock. The construction requires: removing and replacing a wall; framing and installing double doors; installing a window; insulating a wall, hanging and finishing sheetrock; installing an A/C unit, ceiling fan, work sink, and lights; laying a new floor. Estimated cost of project is $11,050.00. Expenses over and above the total grant received from GBWD will be paid by IM.
2021 GULF BREEZE WILL DO GRANT WINNERS
Gulf Breeze Community Preschool (a division of Santa Rosa County Schools)
A $10,000 grant will be used to purchase playground equipment, including shipping.
Magdalene’s, Inc.
A $5,801 grant will be used to purchase a stage, tool shed, flowers, vegetables and supplies to create an outdoor garden.
Gulf Breeze Senior Center
A $2,332 grant will be used to purchase sixteen resin chairs and portable bocce ball court.
Gulf Breeze Elementary School
An $8,566 grant will be used towards the purchase installation of a 24′ x 24′ paver area and landscaping plants.
Midway Fire Department
An $8,566 grant will be used towards purchase a fire extinguisher training system.
2020 GULF BREEZE WILL DO GRANT WINNERS
ART RECREATION & SPORTS
Gulf Breeze High School Swim and Dive Team
A $6,940.94 was used to purchase a scoring & start system
EDUCATION
Gulf Breeze Elementary School – GBES Saves A Life Program
A $3,601.50 grant was used to purchase 20 CPR manikins, two AED trainers, and one portable PA system, allowing the school to train staff as well as 4th and 5th grade students in life saving tactics.
ENVIRONMENT
Ocean Hour, Inc. – Stash the Path Trash
A $4,922.88 grant was used to purchase and install a 150 gallon capacity, solar trash compactor on the Gulf Breeze side of the Pensacola Bay Bridge multi-use path.
HARDSHIP SUPPORT SERVICES
Gulf Breeze Weekend Food Program Support – The Weekend Food Program
A $5,000.00 grant was used to purchase food items for students in the 32561 and 32563 area enrolled in the program. The program served approximately $100 students per week.
PUBLIC SAFETY
Midway Fire District – AEDs Save Lives
A $5,705 was used to purchase five Automatic External Defibrillators (AEDs). An AED will be placed in each one of our four staff vehicles, and fire SUVs. And the 5th will be on our boat used during water rescues.
Bonus Winners
Santa Rosa County Education Foundation – Take Stock in Children
A $7,961.50 was paired with are equally matched state funds to purchase a 4-year Florida Prepaid College Savings Plan to sponsor a child for participation in the program.
Gulf Breeze Volunteer Fire Department – Search & Rescue Equipment
A $9,932.48 grant was useD to purchase one small inflatable rescue boat, twenty life jackets, eight bags of water rescue rope, twenty-one hard hats for police officers (non-tactical), and ten water rescue helmets.
The Arc Gateway, Inc. – Expanding Employment Services in Santa Rosa County
Gulf Breeze Will Do was able to partially fund a $9,991.20 grant request. The grant was used to partially fund employment coaching services for three employees for one year based on criteria from both the Florida Division of Vocational Rehabilitation and the Agency for Persons with Disabilities. The staff will have office space at our south Santa Rosa County adult day training program located at 5668 Gulf Breeze Parkway Unit B-8, Gulf Breeze, FL 32563.
2019 GULF BREEZE WILL DO GRANT WINNERS
ART, RECREATION & SPORTS
The Arc Gateway, Inc. – Making Music: $4,494.00
Gulf Breeze High School – Track and Field Pole Vault Pit: $10,000.00
EDUCATION
Gulf Breeze High School Air Force Junior ROTC – Ceremonial Drill Equipment Purchase: $7,713.50
Gulf Breeze Elementary School Band – Fully Fund the Fifth Grade Band: $9,980.00
Gulf Breeze High School Mathematics Department – A Gateway to Better Education: $9,938.79
HARDSHIP SUPPORT SERVICES
South Santa Rosa Ministries – Operation “Will Do” Computer Upgrades: $7,319.00
Take Stock in Children: Santa Rosa Education Foundation $2,000.00
PUBLIC SAFETY
Midway Fire District – Ballistic Protection Vests: $7,000.00
ENVIRONMENT
Ocean Hour Inc. – Weekly Beach Cleanups: $2,999.00
2018 GULF BREEZE WILL DO GRANT WINNERS
ART, RECREATION & SPORTS
Gulf Breeze High School Band Boosters – Flags in The Breeze: $8,295.00
Miracle League of Santa Rosa County – Miracle Field of Dreams: $4,995.00
Gulf Breeze Adaptive – Storage Building: $3,035.00
Gulf Breeze High School Swim Team – Upgrade Equipment/Cost Offsets: $966.00
EDUCATION
Gulf Breeze High School Yearbook – Empowering Young Journalists by Expanding Technology: $7,988.99
Oriole Beach CBSA Classroom – Focus on Communication: $1,308.09
Gulf Breeze High School Math Department – Improving Conceptual Understanding of Algebra Through the Use of Graphing Calculators: $7,911.00
Gulf Breeze Middle School – Reading Cafe: $1,899.99
HARDSHIP SUPPORT SERVICES
Interfaith Ministries/Good Samaritan Clinic – Pumping Hearts, Paint Brushes and Wheels to Go: $9,517.27
PUBLIC SAFETY
Gulf Breeze Volunteer Fire Department – Rescue Equipment: $9,483.62
ENVIRONMENT
Gulf Breeze High School Marine Science Club – Conservation Stations: $6,524.42
Santa Rosa Island Authority – Morgan Park Educational Signs: $966.00
2017 GULF BREEZE WILL DO GRANT WINNERS
ART, RECREATION & SPORTS
A Night to Shine: $10,000.00
City of Gulf Breeze Parks & Recreation Dept.- Splash Pad Park: $9,044.00
EDUCATION
Gulf Breeze High School Drama – Project Portable Dancefloor: $9,979.44
Gulf Breeze High School Air Force JROTC– Uniform Repair: $7,716.88
Gulf Breeze High School – Sustainable Futures Solar Installation: $9,767.68
Gulf Breeze Middle School – Move to Calm/Sensory Needs: $1,438.00
Oriole Beach Elementary School – Bright Solutions for Dyslexia: $2,419.60
HARDSHIP SUPPORT SERVICES
Santa Rosa County School District – Support Services for Homeless Students: $10,000.00
Weekend Food Program – Support for Summer School Break:$8,250.00
PUBLIC SAFETY
Midway Fire District – Virtual Education System: $4,313.00
Gulf Breeze Volunteer Fire Department – Traffic Preemption Device: $7,900.00
2016 GULF BREEZE WILL DO GRANT WINNERS
ART, RECREATION & SPORTS
Gulf Breeze High School Band Boosters – Drumline Equipment Purchases: $9,999.00
EDUCATION
Woodlawn Beach Middle School – STEAM Microscopes: $3,327.12
Gulf Breeze High School Science National Honor Society – Community Science Day: $1,116.62
Gulf Breeze High School – Kiln and Art Supply Purchase: $8,670.69
Gulf Breeze High School TV Production – Share the Good News: $8,204.00
HARDSHIP SUPPORT SERVICES
Interfaith Ministries/Good Samaritan Clinic – Clean Hands for Good Samaritans: $9,689.00
PUBLIC SAFETY
City of Gulf Breeze Police Department – Automatic External Defibrillators: $9,144.00
Midway Fire District – Inclement Weather and Night Time Water Rescue: $4,285.52
Trauma Intervention Program of NWFL – 2016 Resource Replenishment and Marketing Project: $4,000.00
ENVIRONMENT
Ocean Hour – Beach Clean Up Saturdays: $1,440.00
2015 GULF BREEZE WILL DO GRANT WINNERS
ART, RECREATION & SPORTS
Gulf Breeze High School Girls’ Basketball – Fresh Start, Great Start: $2,491.58
The King Richard Foundation – Send a Kid to Camp: $2,500.00
EDUCATION
Gulf Breeze Middle School – Laptop Computers for Intensive Reading: $7,470.99
Gulf Breeze Middle School – Instruments for Music Education: $9,935.00
Woodlawn Beach Middle School – Investigating the Impacts of the Invasion: $9,989.00
Take Stock in Children – Laptop Program: $1,500.00
Gulf Breeze High School – Best Buddies: $2,675.98
Take Stock in Children – Scholarship Program: $8,600.00
HARDSHIP SUPPORT SERVICES
The Weekend Food Program:$5,800.00
PUBLIC SAFETY
Gulf Breeze Volunteer Fire Department: $1,767.22
ENVIRONMENT
The Eagle Scout Reef – $4,530.84
“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed, citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.”