About

Surfing’s Evolution & Preservation Foundation is a community of more than 100 nonprofit organizations and individuals working together to fulfill our mission to preserve surfing history and culture, protect Florida’s shorelines and coastal environments, educate our communities and promote water safety.

Surfing’s Evolution & Preservation Foundation, Inc., is a 501 (c)(3) charitable organization. Founded by Ron and Lynne DiMenna, who hope that through education and public engagement, the programs and activities the Foundation supports will sustain the surfing lifestyle and protect Florida’s beaches for generations to come.

Our Mission:
  • Fund the proposed The Stoked Experience® (Surfing’s Evolution Experience®)
  • Support programs and events of likeminded organizations for the benefit of ocean and shoreline health
  • Promote education on beach safety
  • Support and promote lectures and board sports events
  • Promote education and action in coastal pollution and beach ecology
  • Provide funding for needed beach enhancements
  • Allocate resources for safety needs such as lifeguards on high-risk beaches
  • Fund and promote community activities such as beach clean-up events, educational materials, and conservation initiatives

The Origin of Partnerships That Preserve Florida’s Coasts

As we introduce a new Partner Stories section on our website, it feels like the right time to reflect on how Surfing’s Evolution & Preservation Foundation began its journey as a funding partner—and how that journey led us to a community of more than 100 organizations and individuals working to protect the places and lifestyle we love.

It all starts with our mission.

Our mission is the reason the Foundation was created. It guided the legislation that made the Endless Summer® specialty license plate possible, and it continues to guide every decision we make about where the funds from plate sales go.

It was an ambitious mission, encompassing a wide range of community and environmental services. We pledged to support surfing, board sports and their history; promote water safety; educate the public about ecological issues affecting our beaches and waterways; support efforts to keep these places clean and preserved. We also pledged our support to lifeguards and the people who help keep our waters safe, while looking forward to our future project; The Stoked Experience® (Surfing’s Evolution Experience®), as a tribute, to the culture and lifestyle that inspires us.

For a brand-new foundation, it was a lot to take on.

We started from scratch. No one knew who we were. We had a long name, no established network, no history in these communities and no expertise in all the areas our mission touched. What we did know was that we didn’t need to be the experts. Our job was to find the people and organizations already doing the work, fund them, and learn from them.

As plate sales began generating funds, we were eager to begin giving back. We launched our website and waited for grant requests. They didn’t come rushing in.

So, we immersed ourselves in water safety, conservation, surfing, environmental education, beach preservation and community service. Then we started making calls, asking a simple question: Could we help?

The response was often surprise followed by excitement.

And then something unexpected happened. We discovered how incredibly rewarding it was to build a community of partners.

Many of the people we met were working full-time jobs while pouring their remaining time and energy into a nonprofit they believed in. Others were building their organizations with little more than volunteers, determination and a deeply personal reason for doing what they did. They saw something that needed to be done—and decided to do something about it.

Every new partner made our mission feel more real, and motivated us to keep looking.

Before long, our partners began helping us find others. One organization would tell another about the Foundation. We would attend an event and discover others we hadn’t known about. Those moments always felt like finding treasure.

As our network grew to include larger, established organizations, we found the same thing: a shared drive and genuine love for the work. Partnerships with organizations such as Keep Florida Beautiful, the Florida Parks Foundation and the Guy Harvey Foundation have helped us extend our reach and connect with more people. They have been wonderful partners—and wonderful teachers.

Over the years, we’ve learned that building a community comes down to some simple things:  sharing information, showing up, listening, keeping our grant process simple and making it easy for people to work together. Giving what we can, when we can.

We will continue looking for new partners, learning from the people doing the work and being a resource wherever we can. And we will continue to take pride in every partnership we build. Every partner, project and milestone matters.

And when we say, “It’s not just a pretty plate,” we mean it.

The Endless Summer® specialty plate represents something much bigger than what you see on the road. It supports a community of people and organizations working every day to protect our beaches, our waterways, our safety, our history and the lifestyle that connects us all.

But nothing beats the community behind it.

And that community includes every person who chooses to put an Endless Summer® plate on their vehicle.

We invite you to get to know the people and organizations that make our mission possible.

Their stories are where our story really begins.

Partner Stories

Behind every organization is a story. A passion that sparked an idea.

Learn more

License Plate

Endless Summer® Specialty License Plate, Support Florida Beach Preservation

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NEWS

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A COPY OF SURFING’S EVOLUTION & PRESERVATION FOUNDATION’S OFFICIAL REGISTRATION AND FINANCIAL INFORMATION MAY BE OBTAINED FROM THE DIVISION OF CONSUMER SERVICES BY CALLING TOLL-FREE (800-435-7352) WITHIN THE STATE. REGISTRATION DOES NOT IMPLY ENDORSEMENT, APPROVAL OR RECOMMENDATION BY THE STATE. REGISTRATION NO. CH41137

The owner of the registered trademark for ENDLESS SUMMER® is Bruce Brown Films, LLC. Bruce Brown is a pioneer in the surf culture and created the classic surf documentary “The Endless Summer®”. Bruce Brown Films, LLC supports the Foundation’s goals, and has graciously allowed the Foundation to use the “Endless Summer®” name for this important fundraising and awareness effort. The Endless Summer® Florida specialty license plate,  Surfing Capital® merchandise, and Endless Summer® specialty license plate sticker were created by Surfing’s Evolution & Preservation Foundation, Inc., a 501(c)(3) charitable organization as a revenue source to assist with our financial quest to preserve Florida Beaches. All proceeds benefit the Foundation. Endless Summer® is a registered trademark of Bruce Brown Films, LLC and is used under license. The graphic design of the surfer on the beach at sunset is a copyrighted design owned by Surfing’s Evolution & Preservation Foundation, © 2008. SURFING CAPITAL® is a registered trademark of Ron Jon Surf Shop of Fla., Inc. THE STOKED EXPERIENCE® is a registered trademark of Surfing’s Evolution and Preservation Foundation, Inc. A copy of Surfing’s Evolution & Preservation Foundation’s official registration and financial information may be obtained from the division of consumer services by calling toll-free (800-435-7352) within the state. Registration does not imply endorsement, approval or recommendation by the state. Registration no# CH41137.