Community Foundation of North Central Florida
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.
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.
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.
Ready to take the next step with Community Foundation of North Central Florida?
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
Share of 2024 grant dollars across all 63 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
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
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
The most common grant size was under $50K: 196 grants of 268 (73%).
Giving History
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Humane Sociey of North Central FL Gainesville, FL | General Support | $768,133 |
| School Board of Alachua County Gainesville, FL | General Support | $557,000 |
| Cade Museum Foundation Gainesville, FL | — | $377,135 |
| Dance Alive National Ballet Gainesville, FL | — | $250,000 |
| Alachua Conservation Trust Gainesville, FL | General Support | $203,536 |
| Impact for Living Inc Gainesville, FL | General Support | $200,460 |
| Mount Holyoke College Office of Advancement South Hadley, MA | — | $200,000 |
| Child Advocacy Center Gainesville, FL | General Support | $154,420 |
| The Education Foundation of Alachua Gainesville, FL | — | $135,603 |
| University of Florida Fndn Inc Gainesville, FL | General 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.
| Metric | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS October 8, 2021)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS January 31, 2023)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS October 23, 2023)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS October 28, 2024)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS September 18, 2025)
- 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
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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