Yon patisipan nan pwogram Echanj pou Chanjman an monte sou sèn nan Fwa Liv Miami a, pou montre enpak transfòmatè travay òganizasyon an genyen nan bay moun ki te nan prizon pouvwa atravè defans ak edikasyon.
PÉREZ FAMILY FOUNDATION ANNOUNCES $2 MILLION IN INAUGURAL CreARTE GRANTS FOR THE ARTS
A thriving arts community makes Greater Miami a vibrant, connected and culturally engaging place to live. Earlier this year, The Jorge M. Pérez Family Foundation at The Miami Foundation established the Pérez CreARTE Grants Program to fund high-performing arts and culture organizations in Miami-Dade and help them scale their impact.
MIAMI’S KIDS HAVE SOMETHING TO SAY ABOUT CLIMATE CHANGE
“We’re entering it in seven different film festivals,” says Fernando Bretos, the former director of marine conservation at the Phillip and Patricia Frost Museum of Science, about a 30-minute documentary made by nine Miami-Dade high school students.
REDEMPTION: RIVERSIDE HOUSE GIVES EX-OFFENDERS A SECOND CHANCE
Editor’s Note: The State Attorney’s Fund for a Safer and Healthier Community aims to reduce substance abuse and impaired driving in Greater Miami. The Fund, created in partnership with the Miami-Dade Office of the State Attorney, supports services, prevention education and training activities. The 2019 grant cycle is open through August 16th. All 501(c)3 organizations serving Miami-Dade County may apply. Learn … Read More
GIRL SCOUTS CEO: WHY INVESTING IN STEM MATTERS
“The work of today is the history of tomorrow, and we are its makers.” -Juliette Gordon Low, founder Girl Scouts of the USA Juliette Gordon Low recognized, from the inception of Girl Scouts, that girls are capable of being trailblazers, visionaries and history makers. As we celebrate Women’s History Month, we reflect on the incredible strides and accomplishments of the … Read More
GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN: MIAMI’S NONPROFITS STRUGGLE TO RECOVER
With the longest government shutdown in U.S. history past them, local nonprofits are seeking a way to ensure they can continue to meet the needs of those affected – while maintaining their day-to-day operations. Hundreds of Florida’s nonprofits stepped up during the shutdown to help federal workers cope with financial and emotional stresses. In many cases, nonprofits offered immediate support … Read More
SOUTH FLORIDA NONPROFITS AND VOLUNTEERS STEP UP FOR PARKS DURING SHUTDOWN
The government shutdown that began just before Christmas has become a gut-wrenching experience for citizens who love national parks, including the park rangers told to stay home while parks remain open. Images of uncollected garbage, human waste and butchered trees in Yosemite Valley and Joshua Tree National Park have sparked public outrage nationwide, as America’s national parks have become collateral … Read More
IGNITING A PASSION FOR LEARNING: INSIDE SOUTH FLORIDA’S ONLY PUBLIC BOARDING SCHOOL
Founded in 2014, The SEED School Miami is the only public, college preparatory boarding school in South Florida. Their mission is a seemingly simple one: provide a rigorous education that empowers students to be academically and socially successful in college and life.
Beyond the rigorous academics, what helps students bloom is SEED’s Sparks program, says Tiffany Graver-Smith, director of development for The SEED School and a 2018-2019 Miami Leader. We chatted with Tiffany and visited the school to learn what makes SEED different and how they ignite a passion for learning, inside and outside the classroom.
USING DANCE TO CREATE A STAGE FOR EQUALITY
I measure time through dance. One of the best memories I have of my mom is standing on the tops of her feet as she danced in the living room. After she passed away, I would stand in the middle of the living room, close my eyes and try to recreate our waltz. Everything I knew about dance came from her.
I used to think dance should be kept in a studio or on stage – places where people were prepared for dance, as if dance required a setting. My 13-year-old self agreed with that when my dad and I were to scatter his father’s ashes in the lake behind our house. After minutes of silence, standing there, my dad turned to me and said, “Give us a little soft shoe, son.” There I stood, holding my grandpa Lou’s ashes in a cardboard box and, appalled but obedient, I tapped out Tea for Two in a pair of clogs. I felt highly inappropriate, believing the ceremony required more solemnity. I noticed for the first time since dancing atop my mom’s feet, though, just how cathartic dancing was for me. The tapping out of the rhythms brought me back to my best memories of her, and suddenly, this was not so much about duty or estrangement as it was about celebrating life.
ONE YEAR LATER: GRANTMAKING LESSONS LEARNED FROM HURRICANE IRMA
This month, we mark one year since Hurricane Irma left devastation in its wake throughout the Greater Miami region and Caribbean islands. Local nonprofits and generous donors have played a significant role in helping Miami-Dade and neighboring areas bounce back. Even as the storm loomed, we were getting calls from local and national organizations and people simply wanting to help.
In all, thousands of donors from around the world came together to raise more than $6.4 million, of which we’ve awarded $5.4 million in hurricane recovery grants to help with relief and ongoing recovery work in Miami, the Florida Keys, Puerto Rico and the Caribbean islands most affected by Hurricanes Irma and Maria. The dollars have helped rebuild homes in the U.S. Virgin Islands, support the distribution of hurricane relief food and supplies to Miamians who needed it most and aid long-term disaster preparedness in Puerto Rico. Here’s what we learned about grantmaking after a natural disaster:
Develop local partnerships ahead of time. Relationships with other organization and key community players is all the more important when a disaster strikes. Nurturing them and knowing who to call before a storm or other disaster is critical. The Florida’s First Coast Relief Fund, founded to help those affected by Hurricane Matthew in the Northeast Florida region, is a good example of the kinds of strategic cross-organization collaborations that can work in a crisis. Hurricane Irma exposed the clear need for Miami-Dade County to develop a coordinated community-based preparation and response strategy to complement governmental emergency management systems. While we didn’t have something formal in place at the time, we’re currently working on deepening our own relationships with other backbone organizations to ensure a more cohesive response both in fundraising and grantmaking.
Find out how prospective grantees operate. When it came to making local disaster recovery grants, we realized that although we knew what nonprofits did on a regular, day-to-day basis, we did not fully comprehend the role that they play (or were capable of playing) in times of disaster. The Foundation has since convened nonprofits around the table to better understand this side. In June, we brought together recipients of our hurricane relief funds to discuss needs, opportunities and ways to build up their capacity as a whole. The nonprofits then held their own simulation to practice their neighborhood-based disaster action plans. The sector as a whole needs to be better informed about each other’s roles to ensure appropriate referrals and to start fostering fruitful partnerships.
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