Kids Hope Alliance CEO Saralyn Grass served as a local celebrity during the 2025 I'm A Star Foundation Celebrity Basketball Classic. The game raised money for unhoused students in Duval County on July 26, 2025, at Riverside High School. |Photo by Will Brown
Published on October 22, 2025 at 4:47 pm
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Saralyn Grass was fired as chief executive for the Kids Hope Alliance during a board meeting Wednesday.
Grass faced public critique for her role in a private consulting company that touted its grant writing services as well as subject matter expertise about education, schools and child abuse.
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Kids Hope Alliance Chief Administrative Officer Kenneth Darity will lead the organization on an interim basis.
The Kids Hope Alliance board referred questions about Grass’ employment status to Mayor Donna Deegan’s office. A statement from Deegan’s office said the board would work with the city’s Employee Services Department to select a permanent leader for the alliance.
“I respect the independence of the Kids Hope Alliance board of directors and today’s decision that they believe was in the best interest of the organization’s mission,” Deegan said in a statement.
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“I’m truly grateful for Dr. Grass’s many years of service to Jacksonville and her commitment to children and families. Our administration will continue supporting the city’s vital nonprofit partners and working with the KHA board to ensure Jacksonville remains a community where our young people and families can thrive.”
Action News Jax was the first local news organization to report Grass’ consultancy business earlier this month.
History of Kids Hope Alliance
Earlier this fall, an Office of Inspector General’s report also found that Kids Hope Alliance did not press all of the nonprofits it funds for insurance and liability information.
Grass did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Earlier this year, Grass spoke with Jacksonville Today about a grant that Kids Hope Alliance won from the U.S. Department of the Treasury. At that time, Grass praised the public investment in children.
“Over the past five years, we’ve grown more than we ever have, serving more kids than we ever have,” Grass told Jacksonville Today in February. “I think it really just shows that Jacksonville, the mayor, City Council, all elected officials truly do prioritize kids and see the importance of it — and an economic driver as well.”
Less than three months after that conversation, Grass and her husband, Gabe, created Verdant Synergies. According to Florida Division of Corporations records, Verdant was created May 3.
Saralyn Grass is listed as its current president. Gabe Grass is listed as a manager for the company.
Though Verdant stated on its website that it does not conduct business with organizations that had business with the city of Jacksonville, Gabe Grass’ biography with the Grant Professionals Association listed “K-12 Education” “Municipal/Local Grants” “Nonprofit Organizations” and “Early Childhood Education” as directory categories where he specializes.
The administration of former Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry created the Kids Hope Alliance in 2017. It combined the Jacksonville Children’s Commission and the Jacksonville Journey into one child services organization. Since the alliance’s creation, Grass was the third person to serve as CEO in either a full-time or interim capacity, after Joe Peppers and Donald Horner III.
Grass was named the Kids Hope Alliance CEO in 2023. She previously served as the organization’s chief programs officer before accepting the top position.
In the 2025-26 fiscal year, which began Oct. 1, the Jacksonville City Council approved $52.4 million to disburse to child services organizations.
