Marco Island Charter Middle School Receives Grant

Marco Island Charter Middle School is pleased to announce it has received a $15,000 grant from the Community Foundation of Collier County. These funds will support the addition of a full-time on-site school counselor to support our middle school aged students during these unprecedented times.

Marco Island Charter Middle School (MICMS) educates between 370 to 400 middle school aged children annually from various communities across Collier County. Our charter school receives less funding per student than traditional public schools. Any deficits in funding must be collected through grants and fundraising. However, due to the pandemic some of the fundraising events we were accustomed to in the past were not held. As with other nonprofits across the country, the pandemic affected our ability to host some of our annual fundraising events over the last two years. This grant from the Community Foundation of Collier County will assist our mission to continue the tradition of academic excellence while providing valuable counseling services to our students.

During the 2020-2021 academic school year, MICMS contracted counseling services for eight hours per week from David Lawrence Center. In order to support our students, we felt our students needed a full-time counselor to provide academic and social-emotional support. This grant will support our mission of high academic achievement and responsible moral character for its students.

“Marco Island Charter Middle School continually strives to provide the best education and support for all of our students. This invaluable grant from the Community Foundation of Collier County allows us to provide exceptional support for our students with the hiring of a full-time school counselor. Without the Community Foundation of Collier County, this would not have been possible and we are grateful for their continued support,” David Lupo, MICMS Board President. 

The Community Foundation of Collier County awards annual grants through a competitive application and review process. Selected organizations receive grant dollars from the Changing Needs Fund. This Fund is made up of donors who believe in the Community Foundation’s ability to identify and grant to the most community’s most current needs.

MICMS is held accountable by the Florida Department of Education (FLDOE) which has designated MICMS as an A+ school for almost two decades. FLDOE has also identified MICMS as a "High Performing Charter School" and "School of Excellence". We continue to track and measure our work through the Florida Department of Education’s accountability system. With the reports from FLDOE, our school celebrates student successes and sets clear expectations to increase student achievement for all.