The Destin Charity Wine Auction Foundation announced Monday that it has changed its name to the Northwest Florida Children’s Foundation, a rebrand the organization said better represents the scope of its work across the Florida Panhandle.
- The foundation, based in Miramar Beach, has invested more than $42 million over 21 years into a network of nonprofits serving children and families in Okaloosa, Walton, Escambia and Santa Rosa counties. Its partner organizations address challenges including healthcare, housing, food insecurity, abuse prevention, education, mental health and family stability.
“Our growth has given us the opportunity to think bigger about what’s possible for children in Northwest Florida,” said Karah Fridley-Young, president of the Northwest Florida Children’s Foundation. “By investing in a network of nonprofit partners and encouraging collaboration rather than competition, we’re helping organizations move beyond immediate needs to address larger, interconnected challenges. That spirit of partnership is what makes our community special, and our new name better reflects the breadth of the work we support and the children at the center of it all.”
The foundation’s flagship events — the annual Destin Charity Wine Auction and the Harvest Wine & Food Festival — will continue under their current names. Proceeds from those events will directly benefit the foundation’s nonprofit partners.
In 2026, the foundation distributed $3.25 million in grants to 16 charities, including Boys & Girls Clubs of the Emerald Coast, Children in Crisis Inc., Emerald Coast Children’s Advocacy Center, Mental Health Association of Okaloosa and Walton Counties and Habitat for Humanity of Walton County.
Other grant recipients included:
- Ascension Sacred Heart Emerald Coast
- Caring & Sharing of South Walton
- Children’s Home Society of Florida
- Children’s Volunteer Health Network
- Ellison McCraney Ingram Foundation
- Emerald Coast Autism Center
- Northwest Florida Guardian ad Litem
- Opportunity Place Inc.
- Point Washington Medical Clinic
- Westonwood Ranch
- Youth Village
“Our Foundation has long been synonymous with the Destin Charity Wine Auction, and we’re incredibly proud to have built an event that our supporters look forward to year after year,” said Tiffany Edwards, chairman of the board of directors. “But the auction is the means, not the mission. This evolution more fully reflects who we are as an organization, the children and nonprofit partners we serve, and the impact we create in our community every day of the year.”
