Summary: The Figgers Foundation operates on a short motto, Rise By Lifting Others, and a long list of Florida communities where it has put that motto to work: scholarships for high school seniors across the state, grocery gift cards for families in Broward County, Thanksgiving turkeys in Quincy, custom wheelchair ramps in Gadsden and Wakulla counties, holiday visits with seniors in Tallahassee, and recognition and assistance for Florida teachers. This article explains what the Foundation does, why its model works in a state where need is growing faster than the nonprofit sector, and the three concrete ways Floridians can get involved.
The need the Foundation was built for
Florida's nonprofit sector is large, with 23,224 organizations employing more than 517,000 people and generating $140.4 billion in annual revenue, according to the most recent statewide economic impact study. Relative to the state's population, however, it is thin. Florida ranks 43rd in the nation in nonprofits per 1,000 households and 40th in nonprofit revenue generated per capita. Demand is moving the other direction: in 2025, 31 percent of Florida nonprofits reported increased demand for their services, and almost 49 percent served more clients than they did the year before.
The result is a state where a working family can earn too much to qualify for public help, too little to absorb a car repair or a medical bill, and still find the nearest charity stretched beyond capacity. The Figgers Foundation was built for that gap: direct, practical help delivered quickly, at no cost to the people it serves, in the Florida communities where it is needed most.
What the Foundation does in Florida
The Foundation's programs center on strengthening education and expanding opportunity for individuals, families and children. In Florida, that mission shows up as a portfolio of programs, each aimed at a specific, documented need.
Education and opportunity. The Hidden Figgers Scholarships are awarded each year to as many as 50 outstanding Florida high school seniors from low income households, with awards of $500 to $2,000 focused on job skill training that gets students workforce ready, through career and technical education as well as college, followed by ongoing engagement with each scholar. Ciniya Moore, a senior at IMG Academy in Bradenton, received a Foundation scholarship on her way to Yale University to study political science and compete in athletics. The Foundation's education programs charge no tuition or fees, and students from Broward County schools visit the Foundation's community center through local partnerships.
Food assistance. Through its Food Insecurity and Disaster Assistance program, the Foundation launched Figgers Feeding Families, a holiday initiative that provides grocery gift cards to eligible Broward County households for food, essential items and holiday meals. In Quincy, the Gadsden County community where founder Freddie Figgers was raised, the Foundation worked with faith based leaders to distribute roughly 700 Thanksgiving turkeys to families who signed up in advance.
Help Everyday People. This program answers individual needs that no formula covers. In Quincy, the Foundation responded to an 88 year old retired school librarian, Joyce Fields-Redding, by building a custom ramp that restored her ability to get in and out of her own home. In Wakulla County, the Foundation and Tallahassee area neighbors delivered a wheelchair ramp at Christmas to April Stevens, a mother paralyzed in a car crash months earlier. In Tallahassee, the Foundation has made holiday visits to residents of a senior living community and a rehabilitation center to push back on the loneliness that many seniors feel during the holidays.
Teachers and children. The Foundation's Teacher Recognition and Assistance program accepts applications from teachers, recognizing the educators who carry Florida's classrooms. Its holiday programs, Bike Dreams and Every Child Christmas, put bicycles and holiday gifts in the hands of Florida children.
Why the model works
Several design choices run through every program and explain why a single foundation can reach communities as different as Broward County and Quincy.
Direct assistance, no cost to the beneficiary. The Foundation does not charge fees or tuition for its programs. A scholar, a family with a grocery card or a senior with a new ramp receives the help itself, not a referral.
The Foundation has responded swiftly to individual ramp requests. Scholarship applicants are notified within 30 days. Holiday programs are timed to the weeks when family budgets break.
Local knowledge. The Foundation works through faith leaders, school partners and neighbors who know which families are struggling quietly and can confirm need without humiliating anyone.
Dignity and choice. Grocery gift cards instead of prepacked boxes. Preregistered distributions instead of long public lines. Custom built ramps measured for the home they serve.
A relationship, not a transaction. Scholars are engaged after the award. Senior visits recur year after year. Santay Thompson, a single parent who first found employment and support through the Foundation's community work, now serves as its Director of Programs.
The people behind the work
The Foundation is governed by a Board of Directors chaired by Freddie Figgers and supported by a Leadership Council whose stated purpose is to make available any and all resources that will ensure success in the areas of education, self sufficiency and wellness. The founder's own words set the tone for the organization. "Don't let your circumstances define who you are," he tells the students and families the Foundation serves. And in a line that appears on the Foundation's board page, he asks what a life is worth if a person has never helped someone who could not help himself.
Measurable impact at a glance
How you can get involved
The Foundation's website puts it simply: give, partner, volunteer or help spread the word. Each path makes a specific difference.
Give. Donations fund scholarships, grocery cards, ramps, holiday programs and the Foundation's rapid response to individual needs. The Figgers Foundation is a 501(c)(3) organization, and donations are tax deductible. Gifts can be made online at figgersfoundation.org/donate, by phone at 1-800-391-2803, or by text through the Foundation's text to give number, (850) 392-7781. Donors who prefer a wire transfer can call the same toll free number for instructions.
Partner. Businesses, faith leaders and community organizations across Florida can work with the Foundation to expand programs and strengthen communities. The Foundation has specifically invited Broward County businesses and faith leaders to join Figgers Feeding Families, and it welcomes partners for its natural disaster assistance work. Learn more at figgersfoundation.org/CommunityPartners or call 1-800-391-2803.
Volunteer. The Foundation's work is hands on: unloading food, delivering turkeys, building ramps, delivering bicycles, visiting seniors. Floridians who want to share their time, skills or expertise can start at figgersfoundation.org/get-involved or write to Info@FiggersFoundation.org.
Spread the word. The Foundation publishes its impact stories at figgersfoundation.org/stories and its news at figgersfoundation.org/news, and it offers a newsletter on its website. Sharing a scholarship deadline with a counselor, a grocery card program with a Broward County family, or a ramp story with a neighbor who needs one is itself a form of help.
Looking ahead
The Figgers Foundation is continuing its scholarship, food assistance and Help Everyday People programs across Florida through the 2026 holiday season and into 2027, and it is actively seeking partners and volunteers in Broward County and the Big Bend region. Floridians who want to be part of the change can start today at figgersfoundation.org/get-involved.
The Figgers Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded by Florida inventor and entrepreneur Freddie Figgers. Its programs center on strengthening education and expanding opportunity for individuals, families and children, with scholarships, food assistance, direct help for everyday people and holiday programs serving communities across Florida.