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Our mission is to provide grants to local nonprofits, building their programs with funding so they can continue to support the community. We are able to give these grants because of donors just like you. Through the generous actions and financial support of individuals and businesses, we establish funds in a multitude of areas, aligning donors with the causes they care about.
Established in 1972, the Mount Dora Community Trust isa 501(c)(3) tax-exempt publicly supported community foundation, in trust form. This charitable trust was created to build legacies through investments and to eventually become the primary grantmaking foundation in our area. We provide expertise in community needs, nonprofit education, and grants to ensure nonprofits in our community will be sustainable perpetually.
We are change-makers dedicated to improving our community.
109 Scholarships for Local Students
MDCT awarded $286,706 through 109 scholarships, providing vital financial assistance to local students pursuing higher education.
Reliable Transportation for Health
A $10,000 grant was awarded to We Care of Lake County, funding Uber Health transportation for disadvantaged residents needing medical care.
Early Literacy Through Imagination Library
MDCT supported Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library with $10,000, giving free books to local children to foster early learning and development.
The Mount Dora Community Trust is composed of many individuals whose collective goal is to Give Back.
Our donors, committee members, staff, and nonprofit partners are all civic-minded individuals or businesses who have united to assure a thriving future for our community through investments and grants.
MDCT currently has 103+ funds under the foundation’s “umbrella,” ranging from education, arts, historic preservation, animals, support for underserved communities, and many more; each created by individuals and families who love(d) this area. Our governing body, the Distribution Committee, both past and present has consisted of more than 100 citizens who have volunteered their time to create and build MDCT into what it is today.
Executive Director
Program Director
Community Impact Coordinator
Administrative Assistant
Administrative Assistant
Every dollar that leaves MDCT is voted on and approved by a 5-person volunteer team. Each member is from a very specific area of our community including:
Representing Rotary Club of Lake County Golden Triangle
Representing The First National Bank of Mount Dora
Representing Mount Dora Ministerial Association
Representing City of Mount Dora
Representing Mount Dora Area Chamber of Commerce
W.T. Bland, Jr. Charitable Fund
Mr. Bland is MDCT’s largest legacy donor to date. He cared deeply about local philanthropy. Bill grew up in Lake Jem, in a home called Blandford, now on the National Register of Historic Places. The family’s original fortune came mostly from banking — his father, also W.T. Bland, founded the First National Bank at Orlando in 1934, which later became SunTrust, now Truist. Bland Jr. went to a one-room schoolhouse in Tangerine and later attended the University of Florida, where he studied animal husbandry, and for pocket money he’d capture and milk rattlesnakes, selling the venom for medicines and research.
Bill served in the Navy on a destroyer during the Korean conflict and married and had two daughters when he returned home. He worked briefly for Minute Maid, when the company operated the juice- processing plant in Leesburg now owned by Cutrale Citrus Juices USA, then joined his father in the Lake Jem citrus and ranching operations. Mr. Bland passed in May of 2018 and left his fortune to become the W.T. Bland, Jr. Charitable Trust, which is now a private foundation that will be a significant grant maker in and around Mount Dora – forever.
Rich Critters
Marie Rich, a former Mount Dora City Council member, local real estate agent and an advocate for any animal in need, passed away in July of 2020 in a car accident. She was best known for her VW Bus painted to be a rolling mural of the Beatles, and her “Hippie Dog Day” events at a local restaurant, where there would be live music and patrons would fill the hippy bus full of bags of dog/cat food to deliver to the local food pantry for people in need or living on a fixed income.
Marie set up a fund with MDCT and called it “Rich Critters,” to collect donations for animals in need and assist with operations, spaying and neutering, senior care and more. When she passed Marie left the sale of her home and assets to this fund – which will now continue to help animals forever.
Joiner Scholarship
Aileen Mary Joiner died in August of 2006 at 78 years old. In her last will and testament, Ms. Joiner left her modest estate to the Mount Dora Community Trust to establish a scholarship that will aid local students who are attending a post high-school institution in Florida and keep a 3.0 GPA. Since receiving Ms. Joiner’s donation (bequest), the Aileen Joiner Scholarship has given over $200k+ to students and their college education.
Maggie Evans Fund
Maggie, age 60, of Umatilla, passed away on Friday August 20, 2010. She was a Christian and a member of the Board of Directors of the Florida Hospital Waterman Foundation and Florida Hospital Waterman. She was also active in the Mid Florida Guardianship Association, was Past Co-chair of the Florida Bar Judicial Nominating Commission and Past Chair of the Florida Bar Grievance Committee. When she passed, she left a portion of her assets to the Community Trust to establish a fund to support animal welfare.
Liveright Endowment for the Performing Arts
Mr. Liveright passed in January of 2020 at 86 years old. He was an international economist with the U.S. Department of Commerce before moving to Mount Dora in 1971 to publish what became the award-winning weekly newspaper, The Mount Dora Topic. Upon selling to a newspaper chain years later, Mr. Liveright embarked on travels with his wife that took them to more than 90 countries and territories. He served as President of the Mount Dora Area Chamber of Commerce before retiring for good in 1992.
Mr. And Mrs. Liveright established a fund at the Community Trust to be funded when they passed, and now is, called the Liveright Endowment for Performing Arts. Their fund supports arts such as theater, ballet, and music.
Harold & Janet Esch Endowment
Harold Esch passed away on April 18, 2010. Harold was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin to J. Lester Esch and Martha L. Esch. The family moved to Orlando, FL in the 1930’s where Harold developed what would be a lifelong passion for baseball. That passion would lead him to write a sports column for the Orlando Sentinel in the 1960’s. Harold enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1942 and served his country admirably until the end of World War II.
Janet Esch, his wife passed away on October 6, 2006. She was born in Cazenovia, NY and was a resident of Mount Dora since 1973. Jan, as everyone called her, was a loving wife, mother, grandmother, and great grandmother who volunteered countless hours for charitable organizations.
They left their estate to the Community Trust to establish the Harold and Janet Esch Endowment, which annually gives a significant grant to the Mount Dora Christian Academy Women & Children’s Home to help single mothers get on their feet and provide a good education to their children.
The First National Bank first formed the Community Trust in 1972 with a matching donation from Mr. Lawrence Williams, who was at the time anonymous. Since then, The First National Bank of Mount Dora has maintained its relationship as Trustee of the Community Trust, using the expertise necessary to invest and manage all funds established.
For our partnership with the community to grow even stronger, we need your help. Please remember us in your charitable contributions and your estate planning. We are happy to work with you and/or your attorney, accountant, or financial advisor.
One of our previous members said it best:
“There is no greater satisfaction than doing something for someone you will never know, and no greater reward than seeing the benefits of your generosity take hold.”
With questions about how you can help promote better education, youth programs, and assistance to our community in Mount Dora, please contact us via email.
$2.47 Million in Local Grants Awarded
Mount Dora Community Trust distributed over $2.47 million in grants, directly supporting 60 local charitable organizations.