A historic $5 million gift from the Ocoee Foundation will help secure DCWAF’s work for Northwest Florida children for generations to come.

For more than two decades, the Destin Charity Wine Auction Foundation has transformed an annual gathering around food and wine into something far more consequential: a reliable source of care for children across Northwest Florida. This year, that impact is moving beyond the needs of the present and toward the promise of permanence.

DCWAF announced August 27 that it is distributing more than $3 million to 15 children’s charities serving the region. During the same presentation at Hilton Sandestin Beach Golf Resort & Spa, the organization announced the establishment of a permanent endowment anchored by a historic $5 million gift from the Ocoee Foundation. The contribution is the largest single gift in DCWAF history.
Since its founding in 2005, DCWAF has invested more than $42 million in organizations providing health care, housing, food assistance, mental health services, foster care support and specialized programs for children throughout Northwest Florida. Those dollars have been raised through a network of supporters extending across Northwest Florida and beyond. The new endowment represents the next stage of that work, creating a permanent financial foundation capable of supporting children long after any single auction weekend has ended.

“This is a defining moment for DCWAF; one that celebrates the extraordinary impact we are making for children today while securing our ability to serve them for generations to come,” said DCWAF President Karah Fridley Young. “Distributing millions to our charity partners is a powerful reflection of what our community makes possible each year, and the Ocoee Foundation’s transformational gift ensures that this work will continue well into the future.”

A Relationship Built Over Time

Based in Cleveland, Tennessee, Ocoee Foundation is a nonprofit health care organization that owns and operates senior living, skilled nursing and rehabilitation facilities. Its relationship with DCWAF extends back more than a decade. Ocoee Foundation appeared among the auction’s sponsors as early as 2014 and continued supporting the organization in the years that followed.

That history gives the $5 million endowment gift particular significance. It is the culmination of a longstanding relationship with an organization that has watched DCWAF’s work grow over time.

“I believe deeply in the power of thoughtful, long term investment to create meaningful change,” said Ocoee Foundation Vice President and Treasurer Margaret Sheehan. “DCWAF has demonstrated an extraordinary ability to unite generosity with measurable impact, improving the lives of children and strengthening the organizations that serve them. We are proud to make this gift to the endowment and help ensure that this vital work continues for generations to come.” Combined with additional gifts secured during the past 12 months, the contribution will strengthen DCWAF’s long term sustainability and help protect its mission for future generations.

Donors who contribute $25,000 or more to the endowment before the end of 2026 will be recognized as Endowment Founders, a distinction available only during the endowment’s inaugural period.

 Building Something Permanent

The establishment of the endowment reflects a larger shift taking place in American philanthropy.
Americans gave an estimated $617.2 billion to charitable organizations in 2025, according to the latest Giving USA report. Giving through foundations reached approximately $117.15 billion, while charitable gifts made through estates rose nearly 20 percent. Those figures point toward an increasing focus on planned giving and permanent sources of support.

Fifteen Organizations Receiving Support DCWAF’s 2026 funding will support:

• Ascension Sacred Heart Emerald Coast
• Boys & Girls Clubs of the Emerald Coast
• Caring & Sharing of South Walton
• Children’s Home Society of Florida
• Children in Crisis
• Children’s Volunteer Health Network
• Ellison McCraney Ingram Foundation
• Emerald Coast Autism Center
• Emerald Coast Children’s Advocacy Center
• Habitat for Humanity of Walton County
• Mental Health Association of Okaloosa and Walton Counties
• Opportunity Place
• Point Washington Medical Clinic
• Westonwood Ranch

Northwest Florida Guardian ad Litem also received $25,000 for its Children in Need Fund, which provides clothing, shoes and specialized services to children navigating the foster care system. The award is the first made through DCWAF’s new Emerging Impact Grant program. The initiative will allow the foundation to support promising nonprofit partners through smaller, program specific awards, expanding its reach beyond its traditional full scale partnerships.

DCWAF’s signature fundraising weekend will return April 23 and 24, 2027. Tickets and additional details are expected to be released in January.

More information about the funded programs and the new endowment is available through the Destin Charity Wine Auction Foundation.