Nonprofit behind Naples Winter Wine Festival rebrands as Naples Children Foundation

One of the most recognized nonprofits in Southwest Florida, Naples Children & Education Foundation, is changing its name to Naples Children Foundation. 

On Sept. 29, the organization behind the Naples Winter Wine Festival announced its new streamlined name, along with the launch of a new website and the creation of a new logo, all effective immediately. 

While the name is changing, the longstanding mission remains the same. 

NCF CEO Maria Jimenez-Lara said the name change “brings the attention to the children.” 

“Before, we were Naples Children & Education Foundation. Now, we will be Naples Children Foundation, and it focuses on the children,” Jimenez-Lara said. “We want them to be the primary focus of everything, so that’s the premise, greater focus on the children.” 

She said the new name also reflects that the organization focuses on more than education in supporting the most vulnerable children in Collier County. 

“We do so many other things besides educational support,” Jimenez-Lara said. “We fund health care programs, early learning programs, out-of-school-time programs, advocacy programs and mental health. 

“Our systems of care are so much beyond education that we thought it was important to focus on the children and then really focus on all of the work that we do.” 

The organization, which celebrated its 25th anniversary this year, said the rebranding helps mark that significant milestone and reinforce its role as the driving force behind the annual wine festival. 

Proceeds from NWWF each year fund grants and strategic initiatives supporting children’s social services in Collier County. The 2025 festival raised a record $34 million that funded almost 50 grants from NCF to area nonprofits focused on child advocacy, education and health care. 

Continued commitment to NWWF 

NCF officials said the nonprofit remains fully committed to presenting NWWF, one of the world’s most successful charity wine auctions. The strategic move includes a commitment to reach beyond its historic base of NWWF supporters to engage new donors, community leaders and advocates in order to “respond with urgency to critical gaps in child advocacy, education and health care.” 

“Our goal is really to expand and help people who don’t attend the festival know what we do,” Jimenez-Lara said. “There are [hundreds of] thousands of people in Collier County, and 700 of them come to the festival, but then we want everybody else to be aware of what we do.” 

In a statement, NCF Board Chair Robert Heidt Jr. said the move comes after more than a year of strategic planning and involves much more than a name or logo change. 

“It is a renewed commitment to clarity, to impact and to the belief that when a community comes together for its children, anything is possible,” Heidt said. 

NCF has invested more than $336 million raised by the wine festival into nearly 90 community nonprofits, making it the single largest source of funding for children’s social services in Collier County. 

Valerie Boyd, NCF co-founder, said in the announcement that the mission is not just about raising money. 

“We are strengthening our community by setting higher standards, fostering collaboration and ensuring that every investment leads to meaningful, measurable outcomes,” Boyd said. 

Website focuses on ‘year-round story’ 

NCF said its digital presence has historically been shared with NWWF, and the new website will provide a dedicated platform that brings the foundation’s mission to life, “telling the full year-round story of how NCF creates measurable results that empower children, strengthen families and transform communities.” 

Key highlights of the new NCF website include a spotlight on NCF’s four categories and seven strategic initiatives, a focus on collaborative, systemic change rather than traditional charity, storytelling, impact data and a direct invitation to get involved.