The George and Mary Jo Sanders Foun
Fort Myers, FL · EIN 59-3189770. Reported 231 grants totalling $1,373,500 to 72 recipients across tax years 2021-2025. This foundation did not tell the IRS it funds only preselected organizations.
Does this foundation accept applications?
Yes -- on its own tax return. Form 990-PF asks every private foundation whether it makes grants only to organizations it selects itself. Of the 91,758 foundations in our data that made a grant and answered, 78% said yes -- and applying to those is wasted effort. The George and Mary Jo Sanders Foun did not check that box on its most recent filing, which puts it in the minority that is at least open to being approached.
How big are its grants?
The median grant is $5,000. Half of everything it gave fell between $2,500 and $5,000; the smallest was $500 and the largest $33,500. If you are asking for materially more than the top of that range, you are asking the wrong foundation.
Every organization it funded
This is the complete list from its filings, largest first. Recipients are grouped by name and state as they were written on the returns, so an organization entered under two different names appears twice. Years funded is the number of separate tax years in which that name received money.
| Organization | Location | Total received | Grants | Years funded | Last |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Florida Foundation Inc - Ifas | Gainesville, FL | $111,800 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Lee Memorial Health Systems Foundation | Fort Myers, FL | $100,000 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Community Cooperative Ministries | Fort Myers, FL | $85,000 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Samaritan's Purse | Boone, NC | $70,000 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Hope Hospice | Fort Myers, FL | $50,000 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers Foundation | Staten Island, NY | $50,000 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Reliant | Worcester, MA | $47,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Salvation Army | Fort Myers, FL | $42,500 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Fort Myers Christian School | Fort Myers, FL | $32,500 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Fort Myers Community Church Inc | Fort Myers, FL | $31,500 | 2 | 2 | 2025 |
| Desire Street Ministries | Atlanta, GA | $30,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| University of Fl Fdn Inc - Ifas | Gainesville, FL | $30,000 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| Gator Boosters Inc | Gainesville, FL | $28,500 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Project Dentists Care | Tallahassee, FL | $27,500 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| The Heights Foundation | Fort Myers, FL | $26,000 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| CTN10 | Punta Gorda, FL | $25,000 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Thomas Edison & Henry Ford Winter Estates Inc | Fort Myers, FL | $25,000 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Valerie's House | Fort Myers, FL | $25,000 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Crosspoint Church | Clemson, SC | $22,500 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Sidney & Berne Davis Art Center | Fort Myers, FL | $22,500 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Tim Tebow Foundation | Jacksonville, FL | $22,500 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Guadalupe Center Inc | Immokalee, FL | $20,500 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| PATH2FREEDOM Inc | Naples, FL | $20,500 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Southwest Fl Christian Academy | Fort Myers, FL | $20,500 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Echo Inc | North Fort Myers, FL | $20,000 | 4 | 4 | 2025 |
| Rcma | Immokalee, FL | $20,000 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Fort Myers Rescue Mission | Fort Myers, FL | $18,000 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Larc | Fort Myers, FL | $18,000 | 4 | 4 | 2025 |
| Alliance for the Arts | Fort Myers, FL | $17,500 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Artfest Fort Myers Inc | Fort Myers, FL | $17,000 | 4 | 4 | 2025 |
| Mcgregor Baptist Church | Fort Myers, FL | $17,000 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| Way Fm | Fort Myers, FL | $15,000 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Fort Myers Fire Department | Fort Myers, FL | $13,500 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Fort Myers Police Department | Fort Myers, FL | $13,500 | 4 | 4 | 2025 |
| Lee County Ems | Fort Myers, FL | $13,500 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Lee County Sheriff Department | Fort Myers, FL | $13,500 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Babcock Neighborhood School Inc | Babcock Ranch, FL | $13,000 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| I Will Mentorship Foundation | Fort Myers, FL | $12,500 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Sw Fl Council Boy Scouts of America | Fort Myers, FL | $12,500 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Harry Chapin Food Bank | Fort Myers, FL | $12,000 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Around the Corner Ministries | Hendersonville, NC | $10,000 | 4 | 4 | 2025 |
| Idols Aside Ministries Inc | Paducah, KY | $10,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| K-Love | Omaha, NE | $10,000 | 4 | 4 | 2025 |
| Leadership Institute | Arlington, VA | $10,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Light of the World Ministries | Atlantic Beach, FL | $10,000 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| New Hope Presbyterian Church | Fort Myers, FL | $10,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| St Michaels Lutheran School | Fort Myers, FL | $10,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| St Peter Anglican Church | Tallahassee, FL | $8,200 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Reliant | Orlando, FL | $8,000 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| Southwest Florida Council Boy Scouts | Fort Myers, FL | $7,500 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Lifeline Family Center Inc | Cape Coral, FL | $6,500 | 3 | 3 | 2025 |
| The Breeze Church | N Fort Myers, FL | $6,000 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| Awaken Ministries | Fort Myers, FL | $5,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Blackville Cemetery Co Inc | Blackville, SC | $5,000 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Desire Street Ministries | Brandon, FL | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| Fort Myers High School Athletic Booster Club Inc | Fort Myers, FL | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Gulf Breeze Church of Christ | Gulf Breeze, FL | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Thrive | Cape Coral, FL | $4,000 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Biltmore Church of Christ | Arden, NC | $3,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Canterbury School Inc | Fort Myers, FL | $3,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| City Church Tallhassee | Tallahassee, FL | $2,500 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| Gigi's Playhouse | Fort Myers, FL | $2,500 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| Jesse Duplantis Ministries | Destrehan, LA | $2,500 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Lifesong of Orphans | Gridley, IL | $2,500 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| Boys & Girls Clubs of Lee County | Fort Myers, FL | $2,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| The New Beginning of Sw Florida | Cape Coral, FL | $2,000 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| Brevard Fire Department | Brevard, NC | $1,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Brevard Police Department | Brevard, NC | $1,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| The New Beginnings of Southwest Florida | East Peoria, IL | $1,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Transylvania County Ems | Brevard, NC | $1,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Transylvania County Sheriff Department | Brevard, NC | $1,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Cindy Sheets Endowment - Univ of South Alabama | Mobile, AL | $500 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
50 of 72 (69%) received money in more than one year over the 5 years we hold.
Measured the way we measure every foundation -- what share of one year's grantees are funded again the next -- this one retains 82%, across 4 year-to-year transitions. The median foundation retains about 67%, so this one is unusually consistent. This measures how often it paid the same organizations again. It says nothing about whether it would consider a new one.
What the money was for
Taken verbatim from the purpose field of its filings. This is the closest thing to a statement of what this foundation cares about, in its own words.
- University of Florida Foundation Inc - Ifas
SUPPORT FOR CHARITABLE ACTIVITIES
What kind of organizations it funds
By the activity category the IRS assigns each recipient, for the 92 grants where we could match the recipient to a registered organization. The categories are the IRS's. The match, made from the name and address on the return, is ours.
Giving by year
| Tax year | Grants | Total | Median grant |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 52 | $284,500 | $5,000 |
| 2022 | 47 | $289,500 | $5,000 |
| 2023 | 42 | $278,500 | $5,000 |
| 2024 | 47 | $273,000 | $5,000 |
| 2025 | 43 | $248,000 | $5,000 |
Tax years, not calendar years, and the most recent year is usually incomplete -- filings arrive about a year late, so a low final year means late paperwork rather than a foundation winding down.
Where its money goes
80% of its giving went to organizations in Florida. If your organization is based elsewhere, look in the recipient list for grants to your area before writing.
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Funders that support the same organizations
These funders gave to organizations this one also funded -- some private foundations, some community foundations and other grantmaking charities. Shared grantees are a sign of overlapping priorities and nothing more: they do not show that any of these funders would consider a new organization. Each page says what its filings show.
How to approach this foundation
- Check you are its size. The median grant is $5,000. A request many times that size asks for something it has rarely or never given.
- Check you are in its geography. Its giving is concentrated in Florida.
- Read the recipient list above for organizations like yours. If nothing on it resembles your work, that is a real answer, and a cheap one to get.
- Look up the current filing before writing. The 990-PF names the foundation's officers and, where one exists, its application procedure. We link it below.
Related guides
Where these numbers come from
Everything above is taken from The George and Mary Jo Sanders Foun's own Form 990-PF filings, which the IRS publishes in bulk. We used 5 returns (tax years 2021-2025). Grant figures are from its returns. Matching recipients to registered organizations, their IRS classifications, the retention rate and the funders that support the same organizations are our own calculations, described in how we build this.
Address of record on the latest return: 1412 Royal Palm Square Blvd 102, Fort Myers, FL, 33907. This is the address the foundation gave the IRS; many small foundations file through an accountant or a bank trust department, so it may not be where post to a programme officer should go.
EIN 59-3189770 · See the original filings on ProPublica · How we build this
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