Funds Distributed to Partners

Since 2020 FutureMakers Coalition has distributed more than $3,500,000 in investments to partner organizations. Furthermore, the Coalition publishes regional data and works to share additional funding opportunities with our more than 150 partners.

High-Quality Credentials

Since 2013, FutureMakers Coalition has added nearly 55,000 credentials, including industry certifications, to Southwest Florida’s workforce. As of 2021, 43.7% of the region’s working­age adults have credentials beyond high school. Help us reach our goal of 55% by 2025.

Collective Leadership

FutureMakers Coalition is made up of 150+ cross-sector partner organizations and more than 260 community leaders from across Southwest Florida – Hendry, Glades, Charlotte, Lee and Collier counties. 40% of our partner organizations have changed policies and practices because of their work with the Coalition.

Talent Hub

Southwest Florida is one of 25 Talent Hubs in the country. Awarded by Lumina Foundation along with The Kresge Foundation, this means that our region is an exemplar in working together and has what it takes to increase the number of residents with the credentials needed to fill in demand jobs in our region.

FutureMakers Coalition

We are a collective impact initiative working to ensure Southwest Floridians have an education beyond high school so they can fill in-demand jobs and adapt to a changing economy. Our goal is to make sure 55% of adults between the ages of 25 and 64 in Southwest Florida have college degrees, workforce certificates, and other high-quality credentials by 2025.

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Building Rural Learning Systems

Given Hendry County will add more than 1/400 jobs with the development of AirGlades International Airport, FutureMakers Coalition is focused on Hendry County among 5 communities selected as part of a national capacity-building effort to support rural communities to improve higher education and workforce outcomes.

A Working Revolution

FutureMakers Coalition identified 40,000+ students who stopped out of FGCU or FSW before earning a degree. In just over a semester in 2020, we worked together to reenroll nearly 1,500 of those individuals, and 240 earned a degree. $1,100,000+ have contributed to this work thanks to the Elsa & Peter Soderberg Foundation and the Lee County Industrial Development Authority. We are just getting started.

FutureMakers Coalition’s goal is designed in direct response to a 2012 study conducted by the Collaboratory to identify SWFL’s greatest needs. Quality education & decent work and economic growth surfaced as having high opportunities for impact in our region. Further analysis shows some face significant barriers to achieving education and workforce goals. We’ve aligned our outcomes with the SDGs accordingly.

Powered by a $22.9 million award from the U.S. Economic Development Administration’s Good Jobs Challenge, Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU) in partnership with FutureMakers Coalition at Collaboratory will develop and implement the Southwest Florida Equitable Jobs Pipeline. The grant results from eight years of laying the foundation for this game-changing investment in workforce development.