FORT MYERS, Fla. (Jan. 5, 2015) – Sarah Owen, president and CEO of the Southwest Florida Community Foundation, served as chair of the planning committee for the Florida Philanthropic Network (FPN) 2015 Statewide Summit on Philanthropy taking place on Jan. 29 and 30, 2015, at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in Orlando.

The annual event brings together people from across the state working in philanthropy to share knowledge, discuss key issues for Florida’s health, vitality and well-being, and hear from key state and national thought leaders.

The two-day event will feature high-level experts, exposure to new approaches and tools, and deep dives on critical community issues. The Summit is open to all staff and board members of any grantmaking foundation or other type of grantmaking organization, including private independent foundations, private family foundations, public grantmaking foundations, public charity grantmakers, community foundations, corporate foundations and corporate-giving programs.

“We are grateful for the leadership that Sarah has provided as chair of FPN’s 2015 Summit Planning Committee over the past year,” said David Biemesderfer, president and CEO of Florida Philanthropic Network. “She had guided us in creating a dynamic, innovative Summit agenda, raising a record level of support for the Summit and generating attendance that is track to be the highest in the seven-year history of the event.”

Florida Philanthropic Network is a statewide association of grantmakers working to build philanthropy to build a better Florida. FPN’s 115-member organizations are private independent, corporate and family foundations, community foundations and corporate-giving programs from Miami to Jacksonville and Naples to Pensacola that hold more than $6.5 billion in assets (excluding members located outside Florida) and invest more than $430 million annually to improve the quality of life for our citizens.

The event’s Closing Luncheon and Keynote Speaker
 will be Stephen J. Dubner, co-author of the New York Times best-sellers Freakonomics, SuperFreakonomics and 2014’s Think Like a Freak, which have sold more than 7 million copies in more than 40 countries and have been turned into a blog, an award-winning radio podcast and a documentary film.

As leaders, conveners, grant makers and concierges of philanthropy, the Southwest Florida Community Foundation is a foundation built on community leadership with an inspired history of fostering regional change for the common good in Lee, Collier, Charlotte, Hendry and Glades counties. The Community Foundation, founded in 1976, connects donors and their philanthropic aspirations with evolving community needs. With assets of more than $80 million, the Community Foundation has provided more than $60 million in grants and scholarships to the communities it serves. Last year, the Foundation granted more than $2.8 million to nonprofit organizations supporting education, animal welfare, arts, healthcare and human services. The Foundation granted $782,000 in nonprofit grants including more than $400,000 in regional community impact grants and additional $450,000 in scholarship grants.

For more information about the Southwest Florida Community Foundation, call 239-274-5900 or visit www.floridacommunity.com.