Sandi Vidal of Central Florida Foundation: Women Who Move The City

Meet Sandi Vidal, Vice President of Community Strategies & Initiatives.

May 31, 2022

Orlando Magazine Staff,

SANDI VIDAL

Vice President of Community Strategies & Initiatives | Central Florida Foundation

Sandi Vidal describes herself as “just a girl trying to change the world one day at a time.” In her role at the Central Florida Foundation, she does just that.

Sandi oversees the Foundation’s annual grant-making program, where she is responsible for the over $5 million (and growing) in grants and scholarships deployed each year. Her work covers social justice efforts, Foundation signature initiatives like 100 Women Strong, and a women’s giving initiative.

Most recently, Sandi and her team designed Thrive Central Florida, a framework to address the region’s most critical issues through five impact funds focused on Economic Stability, Healthcare, Livability, Education, and Community & Social connection. Thrive is about discovery and curiosity, breaking down silos, implementing practical solutions, and making sure they work.

In the past, it’s been unclear who owns specific community issues and how to get to the result. Thrive changes that by streamlining goals and incentivizing proven solutions for systems change. With Thrive catching the attention of global partners, The Brookings Institution and the United Nations Foundation invited Sandi to share the work with their audiences.

Sandi shows her passion and commitment to making Central Florida a better place. Her community involvement and ability to create connections between organizations, individuals and local governments show her credibility within the region. Her community involvement and ability to create connections between organizations, individuals, and local governments show her credibility within the region.

She has a gift and expertise in taking complex, scary, audacious goals, and ideas and making them come to life. She has done this time and time again. Central Florida is lucky to have a strong, intelligent, and kind leader that cares deeply.

Central Florida Foundation stewards philanthropic dollars on behalf of individuals, families, and nonprofits. We partner with people who are determined to make a difference in their community. Knowing that true change demands more than dollars and cents, we foster collaboration, fuel ideas, and spearhead the innovation to transform our region for good.