Community Foundation of North Central Florida logo

Community Foundation of North Central Florida

Public charity · Grantmaker Gainesville, FL EIN: 59-3532330 Website

The Community Foundation of North Central Florida (CFNCF) is a public charity based in Gainesville, Florida. Founded in 1998, it connects people’s philanthropic interests with community needs through grantmaking and nonprofit capacity-building work in North Central Florida.

Key facts about Community Foundation of North Central Florida

In short: Community Foundation of North Central Florida gave $4.4M across 63 grants in 2024 (avg $69K), mostly in Florida. 19% of 2024 grantees were new. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990.

EIN
59-3532330
Latest 990 filing
Form 990, 2024
Annual giving (2024)
$4,351,650
Grants made (2024)
63
Average grant
$69,074
Median grant
$19,907
New grantees (estimate)
19% first-time grantees (12 of 63, 2024)
Total assets
$31,366,999
Primary geography
Florida (92% of itemized 2024 grant dollars)

Data from IRS Form 990, 2024; updated September 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).

Financial Overview

From 2024 IRS Form 990 · View filing

Total Assets

$31.4M

+3.8% YoY

Annual Giving

$4.4M

-10.2% YoY

Grant Count

63

-17.1% YoY

Avg Grant Size

$69K

+8.3% YoY

Is Community Foundation of North Central Florida open to new grantees?

19%

first-time grantees, 2024

In 2024, 12 of 63 grantees (19%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $26K; repeat grants $79K. How we count

Medians: $15K first-time, $21K repeat.

  • 68% of 2024 grantees were also funded in 2023. Method
  • Giving grew 88% from 2021 to 2024. Method

Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990 filings (2020–2024). Recipient names are matched across years, so a renamed or misspelled grantee can look new; grants to individuals are left out. Methodology.

Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated September 2026.

Mission & Focus Areas

CFNCF states its mission as “to promote and sustain philanthropy among the citizens of North Central Florida.” Its 2024 filing describes grants to nonprofit organizations serving Gainesville and surrounding communities in health and human services, civic and community work, youth, and arts and culture.

The foundation’s 2024 filing also describes capacity-building activities: 75 organizations participated in training and networking opportunities; more than 50 people attended its Board Academy; and more than 100 nonprofit staff and board members attended free grant training. It also maintained the Philanthropy Hub, a searchable online database connecting donors with area nonprofits.

Examples of supported organizations include Forage Inc, whose stated mission is to cultivate a resilient local food community in North Central Florida, and Matheson History Museum, whose mission is to preserve and interpret local and regional history. Other 2020 grantees included the Cade Museum Foundation, which describes its work as inspiring and equipping inventors, entrepreneurs, and visionaries; Alachua Habitat for Humanity, which works to provide safe, decent, affordable homes; and Gainesville Fisher House Foundation, which provides support services to veterans and their families.

Grantmaking

The foundation’s 2024 filing describes a comprehensive grantmaking program supporting nonprofit organizations in Gainesville and surrounding communities. It states that, before disbursing grants to organizations, the foundation verifies that recipients are 501(c)(3) organizations or governments. The filing says most grants are paid in a single installment and receive no further monitoring. Separately, the foundation contracts with a service provider for trauma-based services to children ages 3–11 in Alachua County who have no other source of insurance; the provider submits monthly reports.

Review Cycle

is stated.

How to Apply

or deadline is stated.

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Geographic Focus

Where this funder awards grants

CFNCF describes its grantmaking as serving Gainesville and surrounding communities and its philanthropic work as focused on North Central Florida. A 2025 announcement describes support for organizations across a range of focus areas and identifies the CHILD Center’s services in Alachua County.

Grant Distribution by State

18states

Share of 2024 grant dollars across all 63 itemized grants.

Cities

GainesvilleTampaBeavertonBrokerHagerstownnMelroseNewberryOcklawahaPalatkaPhiladelphiaSouth HadleyBerkeleyLive OakMicanopyNew YorkRoscommonSewardWillistonWiseArcher

Giving Over Time

Total grant dollars and number of grants per year

$0$2M$4M$6M41 grants2020 23 grants2021 65 grants2022 76 grants2023 63 grants2024

From 2020 to 2024, annual grant giving ranged from $2.3M (2021) to $4.9M (2022). In 2024 it made 63 grants totaling $4.4M.

Grant Insights

How this funder distributes its grants

Top Recipients

Top 10 recipients in 2024

Humane Sociey of North Central FL: $768KHumane Sociey of North CentralFL$768KSchool Board of Alachua County: $557KSchool Board of Alachua County$557KCade Museum Foundation: $377KCade Museum Foundation$377KDance Alive National Ballet: $250KDance Alive National Ballet$250KAlachua Conservation Trust: $204KAlachua Conservation Trust$204KImpact for Living Inc: $200KImpact for Living Inc$200KMount Holyoke College Office of Advancement: $200KMount Holyoke College Officeof Advancement$200KChild Advocacy Center: $154KChild Advocacy Center$154KThe Education Foundation of Alachua: $136KThe Education Foundation ofAlachua$136KUniversity of Florida Fndn Inc: $116KUniversity of Florida Fndn Inc$116K

The largest 2024 recipient was Humane Sociey of North Central FL ($768K). Together the top 10 received $3.0M.

Grant Size Distribution

268 grants across all recorded years

196<$50K26$50–100K30$100–250K5$250–500K10$500K–1M1$1–5M$5M+

The most common grant size was under $50K: 196 grants of 268 (73%).

Giving History

Grant recipients and amounts by year

RecipientPurposeAmount
Humane Sociey of North Central FL Gainesville, FLGeneral Support$768,133
School Board of Alachua County Gainesville, FLGeneral Support$557,000
Cade Museum Foundation Gainesville, FL—$377,135
Dance Alive National Ballet Gainesville, FL—$250,000
Alachua Conservation Trust Gainesville, FLGeneral Support$203,536
Impact for Living Inc Gainesville, FLGeneral Support$200,460
Mount Holyoke College Office of Advancement South Hadley, MA—$200,000
Child Advocacy Center Gainesville, FLGeneral Support$154,420
The Education Foundation of Alachua Gainesville, FL—$135,603
University of Florida Fndn Inc Gainesville, FLGeneral Support$116,000

Financial History

Multi-year comparison from IRS filings

Filing year Assets Revenue Expenses Grant count
2024 $31,366,999 $8,444,119 $5,184,626 0
2023 $30,219,541 $8,269,301 $5,718,342 0
2022 $26,759,487 $5,940,118 $5,695,080 0

The filing data reports a grant count of zero for each year shown. Separately, the foundation announced that it awarded $6 million in grants in 2025.

Revenue
Expenses
Net Investment Income
$0$2.5M$5M$7.5M$10M2020 2021 2022 2023 2024
Metric202420232022
Total Assets$31,366,999$30,219,541$26,759,487
Revenue$8,444,119$8,269,301$5,940,118
Expenses$5,184,626$5,718,342$5,695,080
Net Investment Income$780,792$1,964,323$382,550

Data update history

When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable

  1. Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS October 8, 2021)
  2. Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS January 31, 2023)
  3. Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS October 23, 2023)
  4. Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS October 28, 2024)
  5. Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS September 18, 2025)
  6. IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024

Leadership & Key People

Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings

The 2024 filing lists Barzella Papa as president; Michael G Potapow Jr as past chair; Maggie Labarta as chair; Bryan Reyes as treasurer; and Dorothy Thomas as secretary. It also lists Cynthia Curry, WJ Rossi, Kimberly G Bosshardt Esq, Dr Paul Broadie, and Kay Ayers as directors.

A 2026 announcement named Joseph Lowry Jr., Cole Barnett, and Ryan McGriff as new board members. The foundation’s history page identifies Barzella Papa as its full-time president and CEO beginning in 2006.

Community Foundation of North Central Florida is led by Barzella Papa, President on every filing since 2020; 1 of 23 officers listed in 2024 is compensated.

Officers on the 2024 filing

  • Barzella Papa

    President

    On filings since 2020

    40 hrs/week

    $126K (2020) → $158K (2024)

  • Maggie Labarta

    Chair

    Vice Chair → Chair, 2023

    On filings since 2020

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Ed Poppell

    Director

    Board Member → Director, 2022

    On filings since 2020

    0.5 hrs/week

    No compensation reported

  • Eric Godet

    Director

    Board Member → Director, 2022

    On filings since 2020

    0.5 hrs/week

    No compensation reported

  • Jacki Levine

    Director

    Board Member → Director, 2022

    On filings since 2020

    0.5 hrs/week

    No compensation reported

  • Kay Ayers

    Director

    Board Member → Director, 2024

    On filings since 2020

    0.5 hrs/week

    No compensation reported

  • Linda Kallman

    Director

    Board Member → Director, 2022

    On filings since 2020

    0.5 hrs/week

    No compensation reported

  • Melanie Shore

    Director

    Board Member → Director, 2022

    On filings since 2020

    0.5 hrs/week

    No compensation reported

  • Sam Goforth

    Director

    Board Member → Director, 2022

    On filings since 2020

    0.5 hrs/week

    No compensation reported

  • Terry Van Nortwick

    Director

    Board Member → Director, 2022

    On filings since 2020

    0.5 hrs/week

    No compensation reported

  • Tony Jones

    Director

    Board Member → Director, 2023

    On filings since 2020

    0.5 hrs/week

    No compensation reported

  • Kimberly G. Bosshardt Esq.

    Director

    Board Member → Director, 2022

    On filings since 2021

    0.5 hrs/week

    No compensation reported

  • Wj Rossi

    Director

    Board Member → Director, 2022

    On filings since 2021

    0.5 hrs/week

    No compensation reported

  • Paul Broadie

    Director

    On filings since 2022

    0.5 hrs/week

    No compensation reported

  • Star Sansone

    Director

    On filings since 2022

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Corinne Laroche

    Director

    On filings since 2023

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Cynthia Curry

    Director

    On filings since 2023

    0.5 hrs/week

    No compensation reported

  • Aiden Augustin

    Director

    New on the 2024 filing

    0.5 hrs/week

    No compensation reported

  • Breck Weingart

    Director

    New on the 2024 filing

    0.5 hrs/week

    No compensation reported

  • Bryan Reyes

    Treasurer

    On filings since 2020

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Dorothy Thomas

    Secretary

    Board Member → Secretary, 2022

    On filings since 2020

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Ester Tibbs

    Vice Chair

    Board Member → Director, 2022

    Director → Vice Chair, 2023

    On filings since 2020

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Michael G. Potapow Jr.

    Past Chair

    Chair → Past Chair, 2023

    On filings since 2020

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

Former officers (17)
  • Former: Carole Zegel (2020–2023) — Director
  • Former: Mitch Glaeser (2020–2023) — Director
  • Former: Tony Kendzior (2020–2023) — Director
  • Former: Catherine Ayers (2021–2023) — Director
  • Former: Deedee Smith (2021–2023) — Director
  • Former: Carrie Lee (2020–2022) — Past Chair
  • Former: Jeff Hagen (2020–2022) — Director
  • Former: Virginia R. Grant (2020–2022) — Director
  • Former: Bernie Machen (2020–2021) — Board Member
  • Former: Dink Henderson (2020–2021) — Board Member
  • Former: Howard Patrick (2020–2021) — Board Member
  • Former: Peter Maren (2020–2021) — Board Member
  • Former: Dee Dee Smith (2020) — Board Member
  • Former: Hutch Hutchinson (2020) — Board Member
  • Former: Kim Bosshardt (2020) — Board Member
  • Former: Matt Webster (2020) — Board Member
  • Former: W J Rossi (2020) — Board Member

Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2020–2024. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.

Compensation Overview

From 2024 IRS filing

Barzella Papa — President: $158KBarzella PapaPresident$158K

The highest reported compensation on the 2024 filing was $158K, to Barzella Papa (President).

Contact

Mailing address: 3919 W Newberry Road Ste 3, Gainesville, FL 32607
Phone: (352) 367-0060
Website: https://cfncf.org

Frequently asked questions about Community Foundation of North Central Florida

How much does Community Foundation of North Central Florida give each year?

Community Foundation of North Central Florida gave $4.4M across 63 grants in 2024, according to its 2024 IRS Form 990. In 2023 it gave $4.8M across 76 grants.

What is Community Foundation of North Central Florida's typical grant size?

Community Foundation of North Central Florida's median grant in 2024 was $19,907, and its average grant was $69,074, across 63 grants on its 2024 IRS Form 990. Organizations receiving their first grant from Community Foundation of North Central Florida that year got $26K on average.

Where does Community Foundation of North Central Florida give grants?

Community Foundation of North Central Florida gives mostly in Florida: 92% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2024 IRS Form 990 went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Gainesville, FL (43 grants), Tampa, FL (2 grants) and Palatka, FL (2 grants).

Who are Community Foundation of North Central Florida's largest grantees?

Community Foundation of North Central Florida's largest 2024 grantees include Humane Sociey of North Central FL ($768,133), School Board of Alachua County ($557,000) and Cade Museum Foundation ($377,135), according to its 2024 IRS Form 990. Together they received 39% of its itemized 2024 grant dollars.

How large is Community Foundation of North Central Florida?

Community Foundation of North Central Florida reported $31.4M in total assets on its 2024 IRS Form 990. Its revenue that year was $8.4M.

What does Community Foundation of North Central Florida fund?

CFNCF states its mission as “to promote and sustain philanthropy among the citizens of North Central Florida.” See mission & focus areas ↑

How do I apply for a grant from Community Foundation of North Central Florida?

Community Foundation of North Central Florida has no public application process in the sources Grantable reviewed. Check cfncf.org for current guidelines, or contact the foundation directly before submitting a request.

What is Community Foundation of North Central Florida's EIN?

Community Foundation of North Central Florida's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 59-3532330. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2024.

Data last updated September 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990 filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.

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