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The Community Foundation Of Broward Is Funding A New Round Of Grants To Fight Local Poverty

Forty-four percent of households in Broward live either below the poverty threshold or are considered at-risk, according to a study out earlier this year by the United Way of Broward.
Flickr Creative Commons
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The Florida Channel
Leon County Judge John Cooper on June 30, 2022, in a screen grab from The Florida Channel.

Over the past two years, The Community Foundation of Broward has awarded 16 grants totaling $800,000 to local nonprofits to bring relief to residents who are struggling financially. 

Now the foundation is accepting a new round of applications to fund programs that promote economic independence. 

Nearly 300,000 households in the county are either living below the poverty line or are considered at-risk because they don't have savings, according to  a report out earlier this year by The United Way of Broward. The yearly report looks at residents in Broward who are employed but unable to afford health care, housing, food, and other day-to-day needs.

Kirk Englehardt, the vice president of marketing and communications at the foundation, said the problem stems mostly from high housing costs. 

"Housing is really a driver for this issue,” he said.

More than 50 percent of workers in the county earn less than $15 an hour. So, he said, "To afford the average apartment in Broward, you've got to work 97 hours a week." 

Non-profit organizations that serve the county are eligible to apply.

“We want projects that target the heads of households, giving them access to higher education, ways that they can advance their careers,” Englehart said.

The foundation is accepting applications for the grants through Sept.13. Multiple grants worth $100,000 will be awarded in November.

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Caitie Switalski is a rising senior at the University of Florida. She's worked for WFSU-FM in Tallahassee as an intern and reporter. When she's in Gainesville for school, Caitie is an anchor and producer for local Morning Edition content at WUFT-FM, as well as a digital editor for the station's website. Her favorite stories are politically driven, about how politicians, laws and policies effect local communities. Once she graduates with a dual degree in Journalism and English,Caitiehopes to make a career continuing to report and produce for NPR stations in the sunshine state. When she's not following what's happening with changing laws, you can catchCaitielounging in local coffee shops, at the beach, or watching Love Actually for the hundredth time.