The Miami Foundation
/OVERVIEW: This funder prioritizes Miami, Florida, and has various grantmaking partnerships. Funding priorities include arts and culture, healthy lifestyles, housing and affordability, human services facilities, and well-being of children and youth.
FUNDING AREAS: Arts and culture, healthy lifestyles, housing and affordability, human services facilities, and well-being of children and youth, crime prevention, LGBTQ issues, substance abuse prevention
IP TAKE: As a community funder, Miami Foundation supports a wide variety of causes. However, it has been particularly active lately in the LGBTQ space.
PROFILE: Established in 1967, the Miami Foundation is based in Miami, Florida. It seeks to “with donors to champion their causes and improve local quality of life.” It is a community foundation with over 1,000 philanthropic funds, managing more than $300 million in assets and remains a cornerstone of Miami philanthropy. It supports civic leadership, education, and philanthropic services for both donors and fellow philanthropists.
Community grants remain the foundation's signature work, including funds from over 100 donors with permanent funds here. Funding interests include arts and culture, healthy lifestyles, housing and affordability, human services facilities, and well-being of children and youth. The bulk of community grants in recent years supports children and youth causes.
The foundation awards several scholarships to local high school graduates, minority students, students who have overcome great obstacles, and who meet other criteria. The funder maintains a database of local nonprofits that work in a variety of fields. It engages local nonprofits through organizational endowments, Give Miami Day, and the Knight Arts Challenge.
The Miami Foundation’s LGBT Community Projects Fund partners with the National LGBTQ Task Force and supports education and awareness of related issues in Greater Miami. Funding supports 4Ward Miami and the Aqua Foundation for Women. The State Attorney’s Fund for a Safer and Healthier Community partners the foundation and the Miami-Dade Office of the State Attorney to support substance abuse services and prevention education.
At the end of a recent year, the funder had over $271 million in total assets. Foundation financial data can be viewed here. Past grantees include AMIkids Miami-Dade and Better Way of Miami. The Public Space Challenge program invests $350,000 per year in ideas to improve parks and gathering spaces in Greater Miami.
Program Officer Victoria Fear is good contact for grant seekers. Charisse Grant is the senior vice president for programs at the Miami Foundation, and Javier Alberto Soto is the president and CEO. Direct general questions to the staff at info@miamifoundation.org or (305) 371-2711. The foundation is located at 40 NW 3rd Street, Suite 305, Miami, Florida 33128. Keep up with their news section and blog. Join the mailing list to stay informed about new opportunities.
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