3rd Quarter 2026 Grant Awards

SECO Energy Foundation Awards $405,815 in Third-Quarter 2026 Grants

SUMTERVILLE, Fla. – The SECO Energy Foundation awarded 27 grants totaling $405,815 during its third-quarter 2026 grant cycle. The grants support nonprofit organizations and public agencies serving communities throughout SECO Energy’s seven-county service territory.

“These grants reflect the remarkable work being done by organizations throughout our communities,” said Matthew Roudabush, SECO Energy Foundation President. “Through the generosity of SECO Energy members, the Foundation can support programs that improve health, strengthen families, protect vulnerable residents, expand educational opportunities and enhance the communities we serve.”

Third-quarter grant recipients include:

• Mom’s Guide to Robotics, Inc. – $5,000: Supporting student participation in the FIRST Robotics Competition through hands-on STEM education and team-based robotics experiences.

• Friends of Marion County Veterans Park – $5,000: Improving park pathways, lighting, seating, landscaping and monuments to preserve a safe and meaningful place honoring local veterans.

• Community Medical Care Center – $21,550: Providing dental supplies, equipment repairs and infection-control services for a volunteer-supported clinic serving uninsured and low-income adults.

• Hernando County Sheriff’s Office – $20,000: Replacing outdated automated external defibrillators carried in patrol vehicles to strengthen deputies’ emergency medical response capabilities.

• 8 Waves Corporation – $24,886: Expanding the Bears Who Care: Read With a Bear program to increase book access, family reading and early literacy among underserved children.

• Citrus County Sheriff’s Office – $25,000: Equipping traffic deputies with enhanced mobile technology to support roadway safety, crash response and traffic enforcement throughout Citrus County.

• Twistid Arts Initiative – $3,000: Providing children and teens with an immersive summer theater program that builds creativity, confidence and emotional well-being.

• Outdoor Valor, Inc. – $25,000: Offering therapeutic fishing, scalloping and river experiences that promote connection, wellness and healing for veterans and their families.

• International Lineman Museum and Hall of Fame – $5,000: Developing an interactive exhibit highlighting the history, safety practices and community impact of the electrical lineworker profession.

• Caring Neighbors Services, Inc. – $5,000: Implementing a secure, centralized system to improve volunteer scheduling, client coordination and service tracking for seniors.

• Estella Byrd Whitman Community Health Center – $5,000: Equipping and improving clinical spaces to expand patient capacity, strengthen workflow and increase access to healthcare.

• Find, Feed & Restore – $25,000: Supporting Miriam’s Hope, Lake County’s first transitional housing program for women with children fleeing domestic violence.

• Powerhouse Youth Project – $5,000: Delivering the Pathway to Purpose program to help high school students build confidence, life skills and pathways toward personal and academic success.

• Arching Oaks Art and Culture Center – $5,000: Providing veterans with guided nature-based wellness experiences designed to reduce stress and strengthen resilience.

• Citrus County Children’s Advocacy Center dba Jessie’s Place – $25,000: Maintaining additional space for advocacy and mental health therapy services for child abuse victims and their families.

• City of Wildwood Police Department – $25,000: Expanding the department’s K9 unit with a specially trained, non-bite dog that will help locate missing individuals and detect narcotics.

• Premier Community HealthCare – $25,000: Expanding behavioral health, substance use treatment, psychiatric medication management and pharmacy access in Dade City.

• Good Samaritan Health Clinic of Pasco, Inc. – $25,000: Providing free medical, dental, pharmacy and specialty healthcare services to uninsured and underserved Pasco County adults.

• Children’s Home Society of Florida – $15,000: Providing voluntary home visits, family coaching and support to help parents create safe and stable homes in Lake, Sumter and Marion counties.

• Voices of Change Animal League – $22,000: Providing affordable spay and neuter surgeries, veterinary care and pet-support services for families with limited financial resources.

• Well of Hope/Word Keepers of Clermont FL, Inc. – $5,000: Distributing nutritious food and providing family-stability resources to households experiencing food insecurity in South Lake County.

• Grateful Hearts Educational Resource Center – $5,000: Expanding a youth robotics club that teaches coding, engineering, 3D printing and other hands-on technology skills.

• Habitat for Humanity of the Nature Coast – $25,000: Replacing inefficient HVAC systems and completing energy-efficiency improvements for eligible households in Citrus and Levy counties.

• Central Florida Dreamplex Foundation, Inc. – $21,239: Purchasing updated technology and adaptive equipment for therapy, evaluations and educational programs serving individuals with disabilities.

• Citra Improvement Society – $5,000: Creating a Florida-friendly edible garden that provides fresh food and teaches families how to grow sustainable crops.

• Horticultural Arts & Park Institute, Inc. - $5,000: Adding trees and natural buffer plantings to preserve the park’s peaceful environment while supporting wildlife and pollinators.

• Building Blocks Ministries, Inc. – $23,140: Modernizing security, transportation-camera and communication systems to protect adults with developmental disabilities participating in training and community programs.

The SECO Energy Foundation is a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting local charitable initiatives. The grants awarded by the Foundation are funded by SECO Energy members who round up their monthly electric bills. The average member contribution is approximately 50 cents per month, demonstrating the strength in numbers when a community unites. The Foundation distributes the funds through a quarterly grant process to support health and human services, veterans, public safety, STEM, energy, environmentalism and education. For more information, visit www.SECOFoundation.org.