Facility on State Street to provide nonprofit partners space for meetings, retreats and workshops
On Sept. 20, the Gulf Coast Community Foundation announced the opening of The Sarasota Philanthropy Center, an extension of its Venice headquarters.
The 5,000-square-foot space, located at 1549 State St. in Sarasota, “will serve as a convening collaborative for Gulf Coast’s nonprofit partners to further their mission through meetings, retreats, and workshops,” a news release explains. “Gulf Coast’s donor families will enjoy ease of access to their Gulf Coast team not only in Venice, but now in the heart of downtown Sarasota,” the release adds.
The hours of operation for The Sarasota Philanthropy Center are Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., the release notes. The phone number is 941-777-1270. “Gulf Coast’s nonprofit partners may book their meeting room reservations at http://www.gulfcoastcf.org/SarasotaPhilanthropyCenter,” the release says.
“We are thrilled to welcome our incredible donor families and nonprofit partners to The Sarasota Philanthropy Center, a state-of-the-art, sustainable, cutting-edge facility that has been in the planning stages for several years,” said Veronica Thames, chief operating officer for the Gulf Coast Community Foundation, in the release. “It is truly inspiring to see all of our plans come together, from the architecture to the important sustainability functions to the crisp, modern interior design,” she added in the release.
The Sarasota Philanthropy Center will broaden “the philanthropic potential of our community,” the release points out. “With this centralized location in a charming, growing city block in downtown Sarasota, Gulf Coast makes itself more available to its existing Sarasota philanthropic families,” the release continues, and the Foundation will have the opportunity “to engage the future generation of philanthropists in Sarasota. This space, open to all of Gulf Coast’s nonprofit partners, boasts three community-style rooms “and three intimate meeting rooms,” the release adds.
Further, “Gulf Coast ensured that sustainability and future focus was woven throughout the creation of The Sarasota Philanthropy Center,” the release explains. “From hand dryers, to the full LED light system, to the recycled wood from the John Ringling Tower Stables” in the boardroom, Gulf Coast leaders worked to minimize the facility’s impact on the local environment, the release notes.
In addition, 11 computer-ready work stations for the Gulf Coast team were built to support the growth of the organization, with the future of philanthropy in mind, the release says.
“One of our core values is collaboration, and this space offers bright, beautiful and inspirational rooms for our partners to do just that,” noted Kameron Partridge Hodgens, director of community leadership for the Foundation, in the release. “Nonprofit organizations are encouraged to request meeting space by utilizing our website www.gulfcoastcf.org/SarasotaPhilanthropyCenter,” she added in the release.
For more information, visit http://www.gulfcoastcf.org/SarasotaPhilanthropyCenter. The public also is invited to take a look inside The Sarasota Philanthropy Center.