Jeff Pickering, Carrie Maynard-Lester, & Irene Cauwels The Substance Awareness Center of IRC (SAC) works to reduce the impact of substance misuse and behavioral health disorders in Indian River County, through prevention, education, treatment and recovery support. Recently, Indian River Community Foundation awarded SAC $25,000...

Smart Asset, an online source for consumer financial information, preformed a study in 2022 to determine which counties make the most charitable contributions. Indian River was ranked as the 8th most charitable of Florida's 67 counties. In addition, Indian River was ranked in the top...

The Learning Alliance is a vision-driven, emergent learning organization dedicated to uniting a community and building a pipeline of support for children birth - 3rd grade. They strive to transform our community's future and become a model for the nation by cultivating a culture in...

The purpose of the Foundation's Endowment Partners Program is to help local charities plan for long-term sustainability by growing a permanent endowment fund. The term “endowment” is broadly used to describe funds set aside for the long-term benefit of the nonprofit (rather than for current...

In partnership with Vero Beach Magazine, Indian River Community Foundation’s President and CEO, Jeff Pickering, writes a monthly column called Indian River Insights. These articles explore the root causes of community needs, celebrate successes, analyze meaningful solutions, and offer insights into persistent challenges. In the...

After several years of continuous growth and impact, Indian River Community Foundation’s most recent fiscal year ended with mixed results. Unfavorable market conditions limited donations into charitable giving accounts which led, in part, to lower total assets. On the contrary, a generous response by both...

In 2020, the hospitalization for depression rate among youth and children under age 18 was 1,003 per 100,000 in Indian River County. In comparison, Florida's average hospitalization for depression rate among youth and children was 446 per 100,000. Per the most recent community needs assessment,...

Vero Beach Opera (VBO) strives to enrich the cultural lives of our community and promote an increased awareness and deeper appreciation of opera to expanding and diverse audiences of all ages.  One way VBO carries out their mission is through the Opera in the Classroom...

In Indian River County, 6.7% of Black students, 3.1% of Hispanic students, and 11.1% of students who are two or more races drop out of High School. Crossover Mission increases high school graduation rates by providing consistent academic support, giving students the structure and skills...

In partnership with Vero Beach Magazine, Indian River Community Foundation’s President and CEO, Jeff Pickering, writes a monthly column called Indian River Insights. These articles explore the root causes of community needs, celebrate successes, analyze meaningful solutions, and offer insights into persistent challenges. In the...