Submit nominations for Inspire Gala awards
The event honors individuals, businesses and organizations that make a difference in the community.
Founder Carolyn Adams, right, talks with Levonda Goodson, CEO of the Estella Byrd Whitman Community Health Center, as they accept the Nonprofit of the Year award during the 2025 Inspire Gala. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette file photo]
The Community Foundation for Ocala/Marion County is accepting nominations through Jan. 15 for the Inspire Gala, a celebration of charitable leadership and impact.
The Inspire Gala honors individuals, businesses and organizations whose generosity and service uplift the community.
To preserve impartiality, the foundation will not participate in the nomination or selection process, the news release noted. Submissions will be redacted of names and assigned an internal number by the foundation. The materials will be forwarded to unaffiliated nonprofit judges from outside Marion County, including reviewers from other community foundations. A scoring matrix will be used to ensure fair, consistent and equitable consideration of each nominee based on the credentials and qualifications provided.
The categories of recognition are:
- Youth Philanthropist of the Year
- Emerging Nonprofit
- Nonprofit Board Member of the Year
- Nonprofit of the Year
- Corporate Partner of the Year
- The Unsung Hero
- Philanthropist of the Year
- Frank Martin Hennessey Award
- Luminary Award – Estate Planning Council of Marion County.
Completed submissions and supporting materials may be sent by mail to Community Foundation for Ocala/Marion County, 324 SE 24th St., Ocala, FL 34471, or by email to [email protected]. To submit a nomination online, go to ocalafoundation.org
The Inspire Gala is set for March 7, 2026, at the Circle Square Cultural Center, 8395 SW 80th St., Ocala. For tickets, contact Dawn Phelps at [email protected] or (352) 622-5020.
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