William G. and Marie Selby Foundation
Awards Grant to Realize Bradenton
The $28,262 grant funded the organization’s purchase of a new vehicle to transport event equipment and supplies.
BRADENTON, FL—Realize Bradenton recently received a grant of $28,262 from the William G. and Marie Selby Foundation to purchase a new van to transport event equipment and supplies.
“This generous grant serves two purposes,” says Johnette Isham, executive director of Realize Bradenton. “It allows us to transport equipment to our many events during the year. It also serves as a boldly visible mobile billboard promoting downtown Bradenton and many of its cultural and recreational amenities.”
Isham explains that, thanks to an additional grant of $2,800 from the Manatee Community Foundation, the new van has been wrapped in a colorful design created by Realize Bradenton to showcase Bradenton’s cultural, recreational and culinary offerings. The vibrant images, which are nearly eight-feet tall, include paintbrushes, a skateboarder, musical instruments, public art, and fresh fruit and veggies. She adds that Firkins Nissan of Bradenton discounted the vehicle’s price and contributed interior shelving.
Realize Bradenton offers 75 free events in the Bradenton area each year, including the Bradenton Blues Festival, ArtSlam, Pickin’ Picnic, Bradenton’s Farmers’ Market, Music in the Park and Courthouse Concerts. According to Isham, these events attract more than 100,000 residents and visitors every year, generating close to $3 million in economic impact to the Bradenton area.
Realize Bradenton
Realize Bradenton is a non-profit organization that brings people together to create a vibrant and prosperous Bradenton area. For more information, visit: www.RealizeBradenton.com.
William G. and Marie Selby Foundation
In 1955, Mr. Selby established the Foundation and Mrs. Selby made provisions to add to the corpus of the Foundation upon her death. The purpose of the Foundation is to improve the quality of life to Sarasota County and its bordering counties. Because of the Selby‘s interest in education, scholarships are given annually to students from the local area for undergraduate study. The Foundation focuses its grant-making on capital expenditures. Where possible, the Foundation prefers to participate with individual and corporate donors in supporting projects. For more information, visit: www.selbyfdn.org.
Manatee Community Foundation
The Manatee Community Foundation strives to be the philanthropic organization of choice for donors in Manatee County, touching the lives of all people in our community. For more information, visit: www.manateecf.org.
