Connect Brevard Launches Today!

Community Foundation 1st in Nation to Launch Model Website on Not-for-Profits

Melbourne, FL –  The Community Foundation for Brevard launches a new web-based tool Wednesday that enhances community education about Brevard’s not-for-profit organizations. Then site –  www.ConnectBrevard.org – is designed to be a resource to community volunteers, organizations, and donors.  Brevard County is home to 2,074 tax-exempt organizations including 1,421 public charities dedicated to human services, arts and culture, health care, animal welfare, environment, education, recreation and many other public interests that contribute to Brevard’s quality of life.

“This free web-based resource is designed to increase community knowledge, which can guide community decisions,” says Sandi Scannelli, President/CEO of the Community Foundation for Brevard.

The Urban Institute, National Center for Charitable Statistics (NCCS) teamed with the Community Foundation for Brevard last year to shape and pilot the site in Brevard County. The site offers all the publicly-available information on every tax-exempt organization in Brevard County from the IRS tax filings and census bureau data. Local organizations can supplement information.  Tax-exempt organizations can be mapped, sorted by zip code and type of organization. Basic
census data is also available per zip code.  Residents can find volunteer opportunities and organizations can list resources to share.  While not designed for those seeking services, the site has direct access to the 2-1-1 Brevard web site.

Scannelli comments, “The site has so many features – all that help us learn more about the organizations that are contributing to Brevard’s quality of life. The more we know about what’s in place, the better able we are to identify trends and support needs, find ways to work together, and perhaps reduce costly duplication of effort.” Community Foundation Board Chair, Kurt Weiss, an attorney with Betten, Murphy , and Weiss, comments, “the information will help our grant committee develop its priorities and ensure that our grants help to maintain a balanced portfolio of services for diverse community needs and interests. We are delighted to be a partner with the Urban Institute in making this information readily and easily accessible to the community – and especially delighted to be the first in the nation to launch this resource.”

The software platform is being marketed and developed in more than 10 states and counties nationwide, but with the help of the Community Foundation’s advisory teams of local leaders, Brevard County is the first in the nation to launch the site. Tom Pollack, Program Director from the Urban Institute’s NCCS remarks, “The Brevard leadership has been impressive – clear on their needs, decisive and responsive to our questions. It’s been a great experience for us.”