Today, the Glazer family, owners of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, announced the creation of the Glazer Family Small Business Fund, a program designed to assist small businesses in the Tampa Bay and West Central Florida regions affected by Hurricane Milton.
The Glazer family initially donated $1 million to support local relief efforts in the days following Hurricane Helene this past September. The family then pledged an additional
$1 million on October 17, 2024, to recovery efforts following Hurricane Milton's landfall which will serve as the funding source for The Glazer Family Small Business Fund program.
"What makes Tampa Bay and our entire region so special is our resiliency and ability to come together during trying times such as these," said Buccaneers Owner and Chairman of Tampa Bay Buccaneers Foundation and Glazer Vision Foundation Darcie Glazer Kassewitz. "We recognize and appreciate the profound role that small business plays in making our region so unique. That is why we have spent the past month working with leaders at eight of the local chambers of commerce to develop a plan for my family to support small business owners across Tampa Bay and West Central Florida."
The Glazer Family Small Business Fund will donate funds to the participating chambers that will in turn distribute individual grants of up to $5,000 to hundreds of small businesses that have been heavily impacted by Hurricane Milton.
The participating chambers that will help administer the program, review applications and assist in selecting grant recipients include: The Tampa Bay Chamber, North Tampa Bay Chamber, South Tampa Chamber, St. Petersburg Chamber, Tampa Bay Beaches Chamber, Manatee Chamber, Greater Plant City Chamber and Amplify Clearwater.
Grants will be distributed through the existing nonprofit organizations at the chambers.
The Fund will work with the participating chambers to provide additional program details as well as an online application form in the coming weeks.
-BUCCANEERS-
