Services for Community and Well Being

Adopt a Pet

View Pets, Review Adoptions Fees and Learn about the Pet Adoption Process.

Apply for a Job at Manatee County

View our current opportunities and apply now.

Apply for CDBG: Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Funding

Manatee County Community Development Programs are funded by the federal U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). The CDBG program is a flexible program that provides communities with resources to address a wide range of unique community development needs. The goal of the program is to provide affordable housing, social services, infrastructure, and opportunities to expand economic opportunities, principally for low- and moderate-income persons.

Apply for Homeowners Rehabilitation and Replacement Program

Working with its citizens to make the American dream of homeownership become a reality, Manatee County Government continues to demonstrate its commitment to the housing needs of county residents through the establishment of the Manatee County Local Housing Assistance Plan. It is through this plan that the county seeks to meet the affordable housing needs of its citizens by developing key housing partnerships among public, private and non-profit agencies.

Apply for Human Services Funding

How not-for-profit agencies can apply for Human Services funding in Manatee County.

Click the link for the Children's Services powerpoint for FY26 Children Application Process FY26.

Apply for the Down Payment Assistance program

Working with its citizens to make the American dream of homeownership become a reality, Manatee County Government continues to demonstrate its commitment to the housing needs of county residents through the establishment of the Manatee County Local Housing Assistance Plan. It is through this plan that the county seeks to meet the affordable housing needs of its citizens by developing key housing partnerships among public, private and non-profit agencies.

Attend a Community Pet Health Clinic

MCAW is hosting free pet vaccination, microchip and licensing clinics for residents at various locations around Manatee County.

Attend Outdoor Education Programs & Events

Check out the great events, classes and tours happening in YOUR preserves.

Become A Recreation Member at G.T. Bray and John Marble Recreation Centers

All of our memberships offer a tremendous opportunity to take advantage of the County’s finest facilities at great savings.

Become a Volunteer or Animal Foster

Learn how to volunteer or foster at Manatee County Animal Welfare (MCAW).

Book a Preserve Field Trip or Tour

Book a field trip or private tour for your group.

Building Affordable Homes: the Habitat Homeowners Program

Manatee County Habitat for Humanity provides affordable homeownership for economically disadvantaged families in Manatee County.

Dial 211 for Local Assistance

United Way Suncoast partnered with Sarasota, Manatee Counties, and Glasser Schoenbaum to form 2-1-1, an information and referral services are provided to Manatee, Sarasota, and DeSoto County residents.

Discover Senior Daycare

Daybreak Adult Day Center provides a safe and positive environment offering Manatee County senior’s (60+) structured therapeutic programs designed to encourage mental stimulation and socialization

Discover Senior Daycare in Myakka City

The Super Seniors & Special People Program assist the seniors in living their best life.

Donate Medical Equipment to the Lending Closet

Donate medical equipment to the Community Health Medical Equipment Lending Closet

Donate or Receive Food from the Pet Food Pantry

Manatee County Animal Welfare offers a year-round Pet Food Pantry Program.

Education & Support for New Parents: Healthy Families

Program provides home visiting parenting and support services to families that live in Manatee County.

Explore the Historic Reasoner Tract

The Reasoner Tract, part of Robinson Preserve in Manatee County, features some of the historic plants introduced to the region by the Reasoner family.

Explore the Manatee County Org Chart

View the organizational structure of Manatee County

Find Adaptive Riding and Equine Assisted Services

Program provides use of movement and the spirit of the horse to heal the body, mind and spirit of our participants. Program has seen smallest child overcome their fears, issues and befriends the biggest horse on the farm.

Find Alternative Path to Success

Program provides quality educational programming for struggling and at-risk students who have been unsuccessful in traditional schools.

Find AMIkids Manatee Prevention Program

Program provides gender-specific services to middle school boys ages 11-15. Due to the variety of adverse childhood experiences they are at higher risk for involvement with the juvenile system.

Find B.A.S.E. Services (Before and After School, Summer Enrichment)

For children and families, the momentum for learning continues before school, after school, and during the summer recess.

Find Before School, After School, Camp Myakka (MAC)

Program offers before, after school and summer care activities.

Find C.E.R.T.A.I.N (Truancy Prevention/Intervention)

Program works with students to identify barriers to school attendance and help the youth and family to address those barriers to increase school attendance and increase opportunities for school success.

Find Child Advocacy Center

Program provides multiple services to child abuse victims.

Find Child Welfare Preservation and Diversion Program

Program provides immediate services to families at risk of maltreatment and prevent removal of the child(ren) from their homes through decreasing risk factors and increasing protective factors.

Find Children’s Counseling Services (Domestic Violence)

Program is designed to promote strength, safety and well-being for Manatee County children.

Find Children's Community Action Team (CAT)

Program provides multiple services to youth and family depending on needs.

Find Children's Systems Advocate Program

The System Advocate assists the Family Safety Alliance in the oversight of the Community Based Care Provider of child welfare services for Desoto, Manatee, and Sarasota counties

Find Children's Therapy Center

Program provides a multitude of therapy treatments to children and their families.

Find Chosen Families (Adoption Preservation)

Program provides adoption preservation and support services through a multi-agency, integrated service delivery system in conjunction with partnering organizations (Family Network on Disabilities and Family Resources).

Find Collaborative Action Therapy for Children's Health/Wellbeing (Step Up Suncoast CATCH)

Program provides language and speech screenings, evaluations, and therapy for children aged 30 months through 5 years old.

Find Community Resources for Seniors

Find community resources for seniors living in Manatee County.

Find Coordinated Approach to Child Health (ELC-CATCH)

Program provides child-based community health program that aims to create healthy habits and behavior change in children by teaching them to identify and choose healthy foods and to increase their moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) each day.

Find Dream Oaks Camp

Foundation for Dreams, through our signature Dream Oaks Camp program, strives to create a place where children can recognize one another as individuals, not by their disabilities.

Find Early Care and Education Childcare Subsidy and Match Program

Program provides subsidized child care services for Manatee County children whose families meet the eligibility criteria.

Find Emergency Family Food and Baby Baskets

The Food Bank of Manatee partners with multiple non-profit agencies and churches in Manatee County who assist families in unstable or crisis situations.

Find Emergency Shelter and Group Homes for Children

MCS provides a full spectrum of programs serving over 12,000 children and families annually. Since its inception in 1977 as the Manatee County’s first and only emergency shelter for abused children in foster care, MCS has grown to offer programs in treatment, prevention, intervention, and residential services.

Find Emergency Veterinarians

Find Family Preservation and Reunification

The idea to re-engineer the child welfare system in Florida began simply enough with a question of “what would you do if you could?”…and the answer “to have the community manage the foster care system”. This question and answer came from the hearts of two compassionate leaders in Florida — former Governor Jeb Bush and former Sarasota Family YMCA President & CEO Carl Weinrich. Through these exchanges in 1994, the concept of Community Based Care (CBC) was born.

Find Family Support Services

Program provides respite care, family support services, and case management for chronically ill, medically fragile and developmentally delayed children and their families.

Find Focus on Literacy Program

Program provides a daily afterschool literacy program, Reading Buddies, will be provided to students in grades K through 3rd grade over 36 weeks.

Find Foundation for Excellence

Program offers before, after school and summer care activities. Activities include educational, recreational and social activities. Transportation provided to and from the center to local schools.

Find Future Leaders Academy

The Future Leaders Academy (FLA) is a rigorous year-round program focused on addressing the disparity in college enrollment of low-income, first-generation Latinx high school students and their families in Sarasota and Manatee counties.

Find Girls Alternative Program for Success (GAPS)

Program provides teen pregnancy prevention and individual development curriculum.

Find Great Futures Start Here

Program offers after school and summer care activities.

Find Healthy Teens Services

Healthy Teens is dedicated to empowering youth to make positive, healthy decisions for their success and wellbeing.

Find Help for Manatee County Veterans

Benefits offered for Veterans through Manatee County Veterans Services

Find Help Understanding Senior Medicaid and Medicare Options

The SHINE program ("Serving Health Insurance Needs of Elders") provides free, unbiased, one-on-one Medicare and Medicaid health insurance counseling for seniors.

Find Help with Applying for VA Healthcare

We can assist you in receiving health care from a VA health care facility.

Find Help with Employment Services for Veterans

Employment resources for Veterans

Find Helping Young People Excel

Program provides an innovative experience for teens by addressing key needs to promote positive youth development through academics, life skills, career development, work-readiness and recreation.

Find Home Instruction for Parents of Preschool Youngters (HIPPY) Services

Program provides home visiting, school visiting, school readiness program that helps parents prepare their 2-5 year-olds for success in school and beyond.

Find Housing for Veterans Experiencing Homelessness in Manatee County

Find housing for homeless Veterans

Find Housing-Focused Family Shelter Program

The program provides families with a safe place to live while they receive case management, seek/obtain employment, receive referrals for community partners, have life skills classes such as budgeting and parenting, while learning to demonstrate they can create and live within their budget before securing sustainable housing.

Find Important Animal Contacts

Find Information About the Active Military Combat Duty Grant Program

Assisting Veterans with the Active Military Combat Duty Grant Program

Find Information About the Offender Work Program

This program will provide a sentencing alternative for offenders who could be given the option at the time of sentencing to perform various labor activities for the benefit of the community in lieu of incarceration at the Manatee County Jail.

Find Information About the Pretrial Intervention Program

The Pre-Trial Intervention Program is for first time offenders only.

Find Information About Veterans Preference

Find information about Veterans Preference

Find Iron sharpening Iron Services

Iron Sharpening Iron provides a safe space for students after the school day, which can be challenging for many resource-limited families to find.

Find Kids Personal Safety Program

Program provides age-appropriate workshops on identification and prevention techniques to children in Manatee County schools.

Find Library Events and Classes

Manatee Library offers many programs for all ages, special events, storytimes, and classes!

Find Mentoring Matters-Impact Over Obstacles Program

For more than two decades, Take Stock in Children of Manatee County has been a beacon of hope for numerous promising students facing adversity and economic disadvantages in our community

Find Musical Motion Services

Musical Motion is a FREE learn & play class that encourages bonding while developing early learning and literacy skills in children. Sessions focus on creative activities that enhance brain development and build preschoolers’ social skills, language skills, motor skills, and more.

Find Nemours Reading BrightStart!

Program provides a supplemental curriculum designed to be an intensive intervention for teaching language and early literacy skills to small groups of three-four and five-year-old children screened and deemed at-risk for reading failure.

Find One to One Mentoring Services

Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Sun Coast provides one-to-one mentoring relationships to children ages 6-18 years old throughout the Gulf Coast of Florida in Sarasota, Manatee, DeSoto, Highlands, Hardee, Charlotte, Lee, Hendry and Collier counties.

Find Options for Veteran Outpatient Health Care

Our outpatient clinic provides primary care and specialty health services, including mental health care, dental services, social work, women’s health services and more.

Find Parent Partner Program

Program provides parent education and support for parents with children ages 0-12.

Find Parents as Teachers Program

The Parents As Teachers (PAT) program provides support for families through home visits, group events, a variety of health and developmental screenings, and a network of community resources

Find Pro Bono Civil Legal Services

The Financial Stability/Housing Services project aims to assist vulnerable clients in Manatee County with incomes below 250% of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL) in achieving self-sufficiency

Find Pro Bono Legal Services

Legal Aid of Manasota provides free legal services to low income residents of Manatee County in various civil matters.

Find Resident Resources

A comprehensive list of services available to residents of Manatee County.

Find SafePlace2B (Youth Residential Program)

Their mission is to inspire well-being and success in the lives of vulnerable children, youth and families
through responsive quality programs and safe places.

Find Sexual Assault Child Advocacy and Therapy for Children

Centerstone has developed a special approach to help children overcome behavioral health challenges. Our counselors and therapists create an environment of trust to encourage young clients to open up and share their feelings. We develop individualized treatment plans to address the unique needs of each child. By teaming with families, schools and communities, we build a network of support that allows healing to occur.

Find Sexual Offense Abuse Reactive (SOAR)

The evolution of treatment services in Manatee County began in 1985 with volunteer professionals who realized the importance of follow-up services for youth with offending history who were re-integrating back into the community from residential treatment.

Find Shelter for People Experiencing Homelessness

Find assistance, shelter or nighttime residence

Find Stepping Up to Success (SUS) Services

Girls engage in academic enrichment, skill-building, creative arts, positive social experiences, health and wellness, and develop empathy, resilience, and leadership qualities in a structured, supportive, and inclusive environment.

Find Success4Life Training and Mentoring

Replay Outreach exists to mobilize individuals, churches, and communities to reach at-risk youth in every local juvenile justice facility, school, and club. We encourage and challenge these individuals to find their direction, discover their passions, and achieve their purpose.

Find Teenage Pregnancy Prevention Program

For more than thirty-five years, Pace Center for Girls has been transforming the lives of girls and young women

Find Weekend Meals Program

Feeding Empty Little Tummies is dedicated to feeding Manatee County’s most needy – homeless and food insecure students. One backpack at a time!

Find Youth Intervention Prevention Services

An expansion into Manatee County for Community-Based Care child-welfare services began in the fall of 1999. Similar to the Sarasota County project, the YMCA became the Lead Agency of a Safe Children Coalition of community agencies to assist Manatee County’s abused and neglected children and their families in reaching their full potential in a safe and stable environment.

Find Teen Program - The Club, Ages 13-17

The CLUB – Teens Only Program provides teens more than a place to hang out with their friends, it emphasizes academics, graduating on time and planning for life beyond high school.

Get Assistance with Survivor Benefits

Manatee County Veterans Services can assist with access to benefits for survivors of deceased Veterans

Get Help for Veterans with Financial Needs

Call Manatee County Veterans Services to see if you qualify for financial assistance through the VA

Hire A Working Cat

All of us, including community cats, are happier when we have a job…and a purpose. These special community cats are not house pets.

Home Down Payment Assistance (Homeownership Training Course)

Many home buyers can afford a monthly mortgage payment but may not be able to pay all or a portion of the down payment and/or closing costs needed to purchase a home. Down payment assistance programs can help. As a first step in the process of meeting eligibility requirements, interested parties should schedule to attend a Homeownership Training Course.

Improving Your Non-Profit Agency

Community & Nonprofit Education provides nonprofit organizations serving Manatee County with opportunities to learn, connect and build their capacity in areas of governance, program outcomes, finance, leadership, fundraising, development, communications and marketing, and HR.

Careers and Internships

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