The Sanibel-Captiva Shell Club was founded in 1963 by twelve members of the island community. Today the club has about 100 members and is the only shell club to fully fund a student through graduate school into a PhD program at the University of South Florida, St. Petersburg. They also give scholarships to several marine institutions, including the Bailey-Matthews Shell Museum. The club raises money from the proceeds of the Sanibel Shell Show, an annual competitive event.