Setting the bar: Jacksonville's Delores Barr Weaver honored for civic voice, giving

Until this week, The Community Foundation for Northeast Florida had only awarded its Prize for Civic Engagement two times.

The third recipient of the prize, which recognizes those who speak out "courageously for the common good on matters of civic importance," is prominent Jacksonville philanthropist Delores Barr Weaver.

The announcement was made Wednesday at the foundation's 60th-anniversary celebration.

Weaver is "nationally renowned for her unprecedented philanthropy in our region," said Michael DuBow, chairman of the foundation's board of trustees. "The prize recognizes her equally remarkable legacy of using her voice and platform to spark thoughtful community dialogue around important and under-recognized issues."

In a video aired at the event, former foundation vice president of programs Kathleen Shaw said of Weaver, "She's not afraid of anything. She is certainly not afraid to stir the pot."

"She has changed so many lives and certainly made our community better," Shaw said.

Weaver was unable to attend the event but sent her thanks.

"I am truly honored," she said. "I often say that it’s the nonprofits who make it possible for me to play a part in building a better community. So, to all who are involved in their work — whether as a volunteer, a board member or supporter — thank you for all you do."

Weaver and husband Wayne Weaver were the first owners of the Jaguars NFL team. They actively supported the community after they arrived in 1993 and continued after they sold the team in 2011.

What has Delores Barr Weaver meant to people?

She in particular has blazed a philanthropic trail, so far giving about $209 million to about 300 organizations that include area hospitals, nonprofits and schools. Her largest gift was made in one fell swoop — $61 million to the foundation to be given to various nonprofits in 2023.

Along the way, she became well-known for the exhaustive research she undertakes on organizations and causes before donating to them. Her support was viewed akin to the Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval.

When Weaver donated to the nonprofit Florida Youth Maritime Training, "It made me so happy because it meant that Mrs. Weaver had looked over what we were doing and decided it was worthwhile," CEO Bob Russo said in the video.

"Being in so many different meetings with her and watching the questions and just what she is thinking about is amazing to me," Sally Hazelip, head of the Northeast Florida School of Special Education, also said in the video. "It has been an honor to just sit, almost at her feet, to say tell me more, teach me more, how do you become ... a Delores Weaver. The basis is her love and passion for people."

Weaver's civic leadership has been broad. When the couple owned the team, Weaver led the Jaguars Foundation, which made community grants. The foundation also initiated the Straight Talk program, a media and grantmaking initiative to address teen pregnancy and reproductive health and give youth a forum.

A longtime advocate of the special-needs community, she founded the Connectable campaign to recognize the talents of people with intellectual and development differences. She also has supported the LGBTQ community through the nonprofit JASMYN and the foundation's LGBTQ Community Fund, human trafficking survivors through the nonprofit Rethreaded and helped address affordable housing through Habitat for Humanity of Jacksonville.

She founded the Delores Barr Weaver Policy Center that advocates for girls and addresses sexual violence in the military and co-founded the Women’s Giving Alliance.

Delores Barr Weaver sets the bar for philanthropy

A list of examples of Weaver using wealth and her voice could go on and on, according to the foundation.

“It takes many types of assets — social, moral, reputational, intellectual and financial capital — to build the better community we all want to see," the foundation's president, Isaiah Oliver, said. "Delores has led the way in showing us the good we can do when we put all our resources to work to take on the issues that matter."

She has "set the bar in this community for philanthropy in all types of capital," he said.

Past foundation board chairman Lawrence "Laurie" DuBow, father of the current chairman, agreed.

"Many people in the city are inspirational to us, but Delores taught us how to give in a way that is more meaningful. She truly changed the landscape," Dubow, also a philanthropist, said in the video. "Delores' giving is educational, as she has such a clear and unique vision for meeting the needs of our community."

Nina Waters, former foundation president, noted that Weaver has donated funds to causes worldwide. But she also "puts her mouth where her money is," Waters said in the video.

"She sees something in people, she sees something in their passion and she makes an investment in them as well as the nonprofit they are leading," she said.

Weaver frequently uses matching and challenge grants, which has helped "nonprofits to grow their donor base and get more people involved in their cause," Waters said.

When Rethreaded purchased a new building during the COVID-19 pandemic, Weaver arranged a matching grant and encouraged other donors to support. As a result, the nonprofit moved into the new digs debt-free, quadrupling its capacity to hire human trafficking survivors.

"Mrs. Weaver stepped up," founder and CEO Kristin Keen said. "She paved the way for us."

She also stepped up on the affordable housing issue, supporting HabiJax in developing townhouses and its first tiny-home community, former CEO Mary Kay O'Rourke said in the video.

"She really believes in housing as the foundation for a stable life, especially for children and families," she said.

When Weaver first came to Jacksonville, she had the idea of students earning tickets to Jaguar games, rather than the team just handing them out to schools. That led to the team's Honor Rows program. And with the Jaguars Foundation's Straight Talk program, she "believed there was an opportunity to use her platform to address issues that aren't so easy to talk about," program officer Marjorie Marquinez said in the video.

Delores Weaver: 'Hard to walk away' from the Jaguars

Originally from Columbus, Ga., Weaver established the Delores Barr Weaver Legacy Fund at the foundation with a historic $50 million gift in 2012. She has established permanent endowments for almost 50 nonprofits.

The other recipients of the prize were Bill Brinton, a past foundation chairman and founder of Scenic Jacksonville, in 2007, and attorney Bill Scheu, a "servant leader" and also past foundation chairman, in 2014.

bcravey@jacksonville.com, (904) 359-4109

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Jacksonville's Delores Barr Weaver honored for civic voice, giving