Elevate Jacksonville has received a $1 million donation — the largest gift in its history — to establish a permanent endowment supporting youth development in Duval County schools.
The gift from the Warren and Augusta Hume Foundation will provide ongoing funding for "life-changing mentoring and character development programs," according to the nonprofit.
Since launching in 2019,Elevate Jacksonville has served about 4,500 students, including about 500 in 2025. Currently in Jean Ribault middle and high schools and Westside middle and high schools, the nonprofit provides teacher-mentor relationships, accredited curriculum, character development, adventure experiences and post-secondary preparation.
"We can’t build life-changing relationships with
students without the support of individuals and organizations like The Warren & Augusta Hume Foundation," Carla Austin, CEO and executive director, said. "They’ve been a consistent champion of ours since we started and this gift will make an indelible impact on the development of many lives."
The new endowment will be managed by The Community Foundation for Northeast Florida, which provides "unrestricted operating support annually without the burdens of asset management and record-keeping requirements," Elevate Jacksonville said.
The Hume Foundation is a Ponte Vedra-based philanthropy established in 1992 by Warren Hume, a former IBM executive who later served as a consultant and board member for private corporations, and his wife of 77 years, Augusta. He died in 2012, and she passed away in 2022.
Their foundation focuses on "supporting and enhancing educational opportunities for children and youth" in North and Central Florida and the Atlanta area, CEO Rusty Creighton said.
"We do not accept unsolicited grant requests and instead actively seek organizations that align closely with our focus and mission," he said. "Our goal is to make one-time grants that are significant enough and structured to help perpetuate the organization’s ongoing financial needs."
Already this year, the Hume Foundation has given two other local nonprofits their largest donations ever. In May, the 34-year-old Sanctuary on 8th Street after-school and summer camp program in Jacksonville received a $250,000 grant. And in July, the Jacksonville Children’s Chorus founded in 1995 received $400,000.
Elevate Jacksonville is an affiliate of Elevate USA, which has 19 affiliates across the country, including three in Florida in Jacksonville, Orlando and Tampa. For more information, go to elevatejacksonville.org.
Beth Reese Cravey has been a reporter for The Florida Times-Union for 45 years, currently specializing in nonprofits and health. She can be reached at bcravey@jacksonville.com.
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Elevate Jacksonville gets record $1 million gift for youth development
