Betty Griffin Center

The Betty Griffin Center is a nonprofit agency in St. Johns County, Florida that supports survivors of domestic and sexual abuse.

The current CEO is Kelly Franklin, who was appointed to the position on October 1, 2001 to replace retiring Joyce Mahr, who had been with the organization for 25 years and served as CEO for 13 years. Staff and advocates work from its outreach center, located in St. Augustine, Florida.

The nonprofit agency's 2019 Audited Financial Statement indicates its total annual budget is $5.9 million. A board of directors oversees the CEO. For the 2023-24 Fiscal Year, the 13-member board of directors was chaired by Jayne Evans, the CEO of Heart Touch Communications for Nonprofits.

The name of the organization is linked to Elkton, Florida resident Betty Griffin. This was occurring at the same time St. Augustine Sherriff Neil Perry supported establishing a permanent shelter for victims of domestic violence in the city in the mid 1980s.

Because of these origins, the organization was known as the Betty Griffin House from 1990 until 2016. With funding received through the Community Foundation of Northeast Florida in 2015, the organization rebranded as Betty Griffin Center in October 2016 to a brand that captured all the services provided "beyond providing shelter for those fleeing domestic or sexual abuse".

The nonprofit agency is funded by individual donors, grants and fundraising events held throughout the year. The Betty Griffin Center 5K Run for Peace event has been held for nine consecutive years (held virtually during the COVID 19 pandemic in 2020). Other annual events include the Fashion for Action fundraiser, which celebrated its third consecutive year in 2023, along with an annual art and poetry calendar contest involving submissions from St. Johns County Students, which has been conducted for more than 10 years.

The nonprofit also generates operating funds through public donations of used items that are resold at two thrift shoppes -- the original located at Anastasia Square Shopping Center in St. Augustine and a second added at Julington Square, located in the western part of St. Johns County, Florida.