William G. And Marie Selby Foundation, Inc.

What William G. And Marie Selby Foundation, Inc. does

The William G. and Marie Selby Foundation, Inc. is a private non-operating foundation established in 1955 by Bill and Marie Selby and headquartered in Sarasota, Florida. The Foundation manages a $70 million corpus (as of 2019) and operates two primary programs: the Selby Scholars Program, which provides renewable four-year scholarships of up to $7,000 per year to high-achieving, high-financial-need graduating high school students from Charlotte, DeSoto, Manatee, and Sarasota counties; and capital grants programs (Traditional Capital Grants and Small and Mighty Grants) for nonprofit organizations serving the same four-county region. Capital grants range from $8,000 to $150,000 and fund facilities, technology, equipment, and accessibility improvements, with the SAM track specifically targeting smaller nonprofits with operating budgets under $300,000. The Foundation also administers the Sandra K. Lacey Scholarship for Deaf individuals and founded the Regional Scholarship Providers Network (RSPN) in 2022 to coordinate scholarship funding across the region.

The Foundation transitioned from a Trust to a Private Foundation structure in 2019 under former President and CEO Carol Butera, and Susie Bowie assumed the President and CEO role on March 1, 2023, bringing 17 years of community-foundation leadership. The Foundation pursues a sales/community-led go-to-market model: scholarships are awarded through a competitive application and selection process, while grants are awarded through application, mandatory site visits, and board review. The Foundation has no proprietary technology systems and does not offer a public API. Revenue is generated entirely from investment returns on the endowment corpus; the Foundation does not sell products or services and does not publicly disclose annual financial figures. As of 2021, the Foundation had awarded more than $3.3 million in total grants and scholarships and supported 144 scholars across new and returning cohorts.

Name

William G. And Marie Selby Foundation, Inc.

Legal name

William G. and Marie Selby Foundation, Inc.

Website

https://selbyfdn.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1955

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The William G. and Marie Selby Foundation, Inc. is a 1955-founded private foundation in Sarasota, Florida that awards renewable four-year scholarships to high-achieving, high-need students and capital grants to nonprofits across Charlotte, DeSoto, Manatee, and Sarasota counties, funded by a $70 million endowment.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Philanthropic Foundation Services

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Grantmaking & Philanthropic Funds (Institutional Donors) (BPADAOAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Scholarship & Fellowship Foundations and Trusts (EDADAHAC), College Access, Scholarships & Student Success Nonprofits (BPAGADAE), Foundation/NGO & Philanthropic Scholarships (EDAIAOAH)

Keywords

• Private foundation grants
• Scholarship programs
• Nonprofit capital funding
• Philanthropic endowment
• Community grantmaking

Headquarters

HQ city

Sarasota

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Foundation Endowment: Private foundation funded by an endowment established by founders Bill and Marie Selby. Managed to direct programs in perpetuity. Moved from Trust to Private Foundation structure in 2019 with corpus of $70 million.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The William G. and Marie Selby Foundation is a private philanthropic foundation that awards capital grants to nonprofit organizations serving Charlotte, DeSoto, Manatee, and Sarasota counties in Florida, and provides renewable four-year last-dollar undergraduate scholarships (up to $7,000/year) to high-achieving, high-financial need graduating high school students from those same counties. Capital grants range from $8,000 to $150,000 and cover facilities, technology, equipment, and other capital expenditures, with a dedicated Small and Mighty (SAM) grant track for organizations whose annual operating budget is $300,000 or less.

Product overview

The William G. and Marie Selby Foundation is a private philanthropic foundation established in 1955 that operates two primary service lines: scholarship programs for high-achieving students with financial need, and capital grants for nonprofit organizations. The flagship Selby Scholars Program provides renewable four-year scholarships for students in the four-county region, supplemented by the Sandra K. Lacey Scholarship for Deaf individuals. The Foundation's grant programs include Traditional Capital Grants for established nonprofits and Small and Mighty (SAM) Grants for smaller organizations with budgets under $300,000. Additional support includes the Regional Scholarship Providers Network (RSPN) collaborative learning community.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Selby Scholars: A signature renewable scholarship program awarding last-dollar scholarships to exceptional graduating high school students for up to four years of college.
• Small and Mighty Grants (SAM)
• Regional Scholarship Providers Network (RSPN)
• Sandra K. Lacey Scholarship

Products and services

• Selby Scholars Program A renewable four-year last-dollar undergraduate scholarship program awarding up to $7,000 per year (up to ~$28,000 total) to high-achieving, high-financial need graduating high school students from Charlotte, DeSoto, Manatee, and Sarasota counties in Florida. Many recipients are first-generation college students, and the program supplements awards with mentorship, budgeting resources, mental health resources, and college navigation support.
• Traditional Capital Grants Capital grants ($8,000 to $150,000 range) for established 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations serving Charlotte, DeSoto, Manatee, and Sarasota counties to fund facilities, technology, accessibility, and equipment capital expenditures. Applications are processed with required site visits and reviewed and approved by the Board of Directors.
• Small and Mighty (SAM) Grants A dedicated capital grant track (launched 2021) for nonprofit organizations with annual operating expenses of $300,000 or less, providing access to capital funding outside traditional competitive grant cycles for facility, technology, and equipment needs.
• Sandra K. Lacey Scholarship A specialized scholarship fund administered through the foundation to help Deaf children and adults of all ages obtain the education and job skills necessary to live creatively and independently.

Quantifiable outcome

• 144 new and returning scholars supported in 2021-22 academic year
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Regional Scholarship Providers Network (RSPN)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Learning community of local scholarship providers formed in 2022. Meets quarterly to support each other, learn together, and reduce duplication in scholarship awards. Members include foundations, colleges, civic groups, sororities/fraternities, and nonprofits from Sarasota, Manatee, Charlotte and DeSoto counties.
• Bishop Parker FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated with Selby Foundation and other local foundations to gather nonprofit CEOs and board members for advocacy trainings led by Florida Nonprofit Alliance.
• Community Foundation of Sarasota CountycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-time collaborative partner on Season of Sharing program and advocacy initiatives. Selby Foundation has contributed over $1.6 million to Season of Sharing since 2006.
• Gulf Coast Community FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative partner on advocacy trainings and community initiatives for nonprofits.
• The Patterson FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership on Season of Sharing matching program - contributes $100,000 each time community raises $500,000 for the campaign.
• Florida Nonprofit AllianceminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerProvides advocacy training workshops for nonprofit leaders in partnership with local foundations including Selby Foundation.
• Charles and Margery Barancik FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative foundation partner supporting local nonprofits. Ev Bosque, CFO, provides financial guidance to grantees.
• KalderominorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerTechnology training partner for grantees. Vanessa Lynskey and Heather Hendy co-founded Kaldero to provide training on selecting right technology for organizations.
• Education Foundation of Sarasota CountyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPresented on student support services at RSPN meeting. Director of Student Programs Dr. Anayah Walker shared strategies for scholarship providers to support student success.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Gulf Coast Community Foundation: Regional community foundation serving the broader southwest Florida region with grants, scholarships, and disaster-response initiatives. Directly comparable in mission, regional focus, and capital-grant model; co-participates with Selby in advocacy trainings and community initiatives.
• The Patterson Foundation: Regional private foundation serving southwest Florida with a focus on community-based initiatives and matching programs. Direct peer via co-funding of Season of Sharing and collaborative advocacy work; similar grantmaking structure and geographic footprint.
• Charles and Margery Barancik Foundation: Private foundation serving Sarasota and southwest Florida with focus on education, poverty alleviation, and community initiatives. Direct peer in foundation type, regional scope, and grantmaking categories; collaborates with Selby on nonprofit support.
• Community Foundation of Sarasota County: Long-time collaborative partner and direct regional peer. Operates as a community foundation serving the same Sarasota region with scholarships, grants, and donor-advised funds — overlapping directly with Selby's mission, service area, and grantee base.
• Manatee Community Foundation: Community foundation serving Manatee County with grants and scholarships. Directly comparable geographic overlap (Manatee County is in Selby's four-county region) and program overlap; previous employer of Selby's current CEO Susie Bowie.
• Bishop Parker Foundation: Sarasota-area private foundation supporting nonprofit capacity building and advocacy. Direct peer in private-foundation model, regional scope, and capacity-building grant focus; co-hosts advocacy trainings with Selby.

Emerging players

• Education Foundation of Sarasota County: Regional nonprofit focused on college access, scholarships, and student success programs. Comparable scholarship-administration and student-support model; intersects with Selby's Selby Scholars mission and is an RSPN member.

Others

• Florida Nonprofit Alliance: Statewide nonprofit capacity-building and advocacy organization providing advocacy training to regional foundations including Selby. Comparable in mission-adjacent support role rather than direct grantmaking; supplies infrastructure that foundations like Selby leverage.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/SelbyFoundation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/william-g-and-marie-selby-foundation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about William G. And Marie Selby Foundation, Inc.