Disney recently surprised seven 2024 Disney Grants recipients with the news of a $500,000 donation with a leadership training session presented by Disney Institute followed by a special performance of the iconic Hoop-Dee-Doo show at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort.
What is a Disney Grant?
Each year at Disney World, Disney recognizes nonprofit organizations that are bringing joy, happiness and magic to families through monetary donations called Disney Grants.
To start the day, nonprofit organization leaders and their teams attended a Disney Institute leadership training session at Disney’s Contemporary Resort.
This professional business program offered insights about Disney’s operational philosophies which nonprofit leaders could apply to their organizations.
After graduation from the session, participants were transported to Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort and Campground unaware of their next big surprise.
Since Disney has operating in Florida for more than 50 years, and with the Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical Revue celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, there was no better place for the surprise Disney Grant announcement to take place than inside Pioneer Hall.
Get to Know the 2024 Disney Grants Recipients
This year’s Disney Grant recipients have big plans to make positive changes for Florida students and families. Disney is honored to be part of their stories as they continue to do good in our community. Learn more about these nonprofit organizations with the links below:
- Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Florida
- Camp Boggy Creek
- Children’s Home Society of Florida
- Girl Scouts of Citrus Council
- Lift Orlando
- Marine Discovery Center
- Orlando Science Center
“These organizations enrich Central Florida in unique and vital ways. We are grateful for the positive change they inspire and want to help them do more of that,” said Rena Langley, Senior Vice President of Communications & Public Affairs at Walt Disney World.
What will the Disney Grants fund?
Each granted nonprofit will use the funding in unique ways to strengthen Florida’s workforce, provide access to education, pioneer youth development programs and more.
- Camp Boggy Creek is a place where children with serious illnesses can step away from the “real world” and focus on having fun at no cost. With the grant, they plan to launch an “Arts for All” camp, where high school students with disabilities or serious illnesses can have a chance to learn and perform in a safe environment.
- Marine Discovery Center aims to make nature accessible to all through first-hand experiences. They will use the extra funding to offer students from land-locked counties in Central Florida opportunities to visit, learn and explore an ecosystem they may not have encountered before.
- Children’s Home Society of Florida not only helps students prepare for standardized tests like SATs and ACTs, they also help high school students who may not be able to visit college campuses take tours of their dream schools. They will continue to help make secondary education more attainable for local students through financial aid paperwork support and STEM summer programs.
Congratulations to the 2024 Disney Grant recipients. See more photos on DisneyParksBlog.com.
