The Community Foundation of Sarasota County Announces 2026 Date for the 10th Giving Challenge

SARASOTA—The Community Foundation of Sarasota County has announced that it will host its 10th online giving day from noon to noon, April 15-16, 2026. The Giving Challenge is a 24-hour giving event that supports nonprofit organizations in Sarasota, Manatee, Charlotte and DeSoto counties.

The event in 2026 will mark the 10th Giving Challenge hosted by the Community Foundation since 2012. For the milestone anniversary new prizes are being developed by the Community Foundation to mark the occasion. Throughout its 12-year history, the participation from community members and nonprofit organizations has grown tremendously. The very first challenge in 2012 raised $2.4 million for 107 local nonprofit organizations in 36 hours. The most recent Giving Challenge in 2024 raised $17.2 million in 24 hours, benefiting 724 nonprofit organizations. Nationally, the Giving Challenge is recognized as one of the top 10 largest giving days, even when compared to those in larger metropolitan cities, highlighting our uniquely philanthropic community.

“Each Giving Challenge is a celebration of our nonprofit community and the generosity of everyone who takes part, and we are thrilled to offer this opportunity for a tenth time to provided unrestricted funding to boost organizations that give so much to our quality of life,” said Kirsten Russell, Vice President, Community Impact at the Community Foundation. “For 24 hours we get to witness generosity by tens of thousands of people whose caring natures makes our community truly unique.”

The past nine Giving Challenges have raised a total of $92 million in unrestricted funding for local nonprofit organizations that are vital to the health and wellness of our community. It is not uncommon to see the total number of individual donors reach more than 50,000 making more than 90,000 gifts. Paired with an unrestricted 1:1 match for all unique donations up to $100 per donor, per organization from The Patterson Foundation, the Giving Challenge provides a rare opportunity for donors to double their impact.

The Patterson Foundation, a partner since the inception of the Giving Challenge, has contributed nearly $37 million to the Giving Challenge since 2012. The Patterson Foundation will continue to strengthen giving during the 2026 Giving Challenge by providing a 1:1 match for all unique donations, up to $100 per donor, per organization, with no limit on the number of individual matches a nonprofit organization can receive.

“The Giving Challenge activates the generosity gene that lies within each of us by highlighting the many ways hundreds of dedicated nonprofits strengthen our region,” said Debra Jacobs, President & CEO of The Patterson Foundation. “The Patterson Foundation’s support aspires to brighten that spotlight and magnify the impact of each donor’s contribution to the Giving Challenge.”

During the 2024 Giving Challenge, four individual donors maximized The Patterson Foundation match by donating $100 to each of the 724 participating nonprofits. This turned each of those $72,400 gifts into $144,800 gifts— a tremendous impact for our nonprofit community.

At its core, the Giving Challenge emphasizes the ability for every person to be a philanthropist, whatever their means, and donations go directly to the organization that a donor wants to support. The match means donors can double their dollars to their favorite organizations, with the amplified impact boosting participation.

Beyond the 24 Hours

While Giving Challenge results are often reported in dollars raised, the event offers much more than a platform and purpose for giving. In the year leading up to the event, participating nonprofit organizations are invited to numerous trainings and workshops at no cost that help them enhance collaborations with other nonprofits and business organizations, develop communications plans, hone their social media marketing skills and more. The Giving Challenge offers a holistic approach to strengthening capacity, through both dollars and development.

To encourage participation in networking, market strategy and general self-advocacy for nonprofits, several prizes are offered to organizations voted best in various categories, such as best use of social media, best video commercial, and best overall Giving Challenge campaign.

Registration for the 2026 program will begin in Fall of 2025, and trainings and support will be offered throughout the months leading up to giving day in April 2026. Organizations wishing to participate will be able to find registration details and training opportunities at www.GivingChallenge.org later this year. An active profile in The Giving Partner, an online directory of nonprofit organizations, is required for eligibility. required for eligibility.

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About the Community Foundation of Sarasota County: The Community Foundation of Sarasota County is a public charity founded in 1979 by the Southwest Florida Estate Planning Council as a resource for caring individuals and the causes they support, enabling them to make a charitable impact on the community. With assets of $544 million in more than 1,590 charitable funds, the Community Foundation awarded grants and scholarships totaling $56 million dollars last year in the areas of education, the arts, health and human services, civic engagement, animal welfare and the environment. Since its founding, the Community Foundation has been able to grant more than $500 million to area nonprofit organizations in our community thanks to the generosity of charitable individuals, families, and businesses. For more information, visit www.CFSarasota.org or call (941) 955-3000.