Destin Charity Wine Auction Foundation Announces Its New Name to Better Reflect Its Regional Impact

Destin Charity Wine Auction Foundation Announces Its New Name to Better Reflect Its Regional Impact

Today, the Destin Charity Wine Auction Foundation will become the Northwest Florida Children’s Foundation (NFCF), representing its 21 years of investment in systemic change for children and families throughout the Florida Panhandle.

Since its inception, the organization has invested more than $42 million into a collaborative network of nonprofits that support children and families throughout Okaloosa, Walton, Escambia, and Santa Rosa counties. Today, partner charities work together to address the region's most pressing 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 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 events, including the annual Destin Charity Wine Auction and Harvest Wine & Food Festival, will continue under their current names, with proceeds directly benefiting NFCF's nonprofit partners.

“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 Northwest Florida Children’s Foundation 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.”

In 2026, 16 charities received $3.25 million in grants from NFCF:

Ascension Sacred Heart Emerald Coast

Boys & Girls Clubs of the Emerald Coast

Caring & Sharing of South Walton

Children's Home Society of Florida

Children in Crisis, Inc.

Children's Volunteer Health Network

Ellison McCraney Ingram Foundation 

Emerald Coast Autism Center

Emerald Coast Children's Advocacy Center

Habitat for Humanity of Walton County

Mental Health Assoc. of Okaloosa and Walton Counties

Northwest Florida Guardian ad Litem

Opportunity Place, Inc. 

Point Washington Medical Clinic

Westonwood Ranch

Youth Village