The Racial Equity Fund
The Racial Equity Fund represents the Foundation’s commitment to mobilizing resources and investing in solutions that combat systemic racism, inequity, and injustice, creating long-term change and building a more just and equitable Miami.
Our Why
Our community’s strength lies in its diversity. However, we can only leverage the full power of our diversity when all communities have shared/equal power, access, and opportunities.
The Miami Foundation envisions a world where that is true – and is working to make it a reality by investing in leaders and organizations that bring perspective, proximity, and expertise to creating an equitable and resilient Greater Miami.
Launching the Racial Equity Fund
The Foundation’s focus on racial equity, which began growing years ago with its first State of Black Philanthropy event in 2016, accelerated with The Racial Equity Fund.
Organizations and individuals who had spent decades on the front lines of the fight for racial equity saw increased traction in the wake of the tragic killing of George Floyd by police. We recognized their need for support to maintain momentum and acted quickly to elevate and support them so they could leverage the moment of national reckoning to truly move the needle on racial equity in Greater Miami.
As a first step in a broader strategy, we launched The Racial Equity Fund in June 2020, seeding it with $100,000. Since then, more than 150 donors have come to the table to raise more than $2 million to power serious change in our community. Money will not solve the problem, but we believe it can give extra power to those uniquely positioned to increase their impact on systemic racism and catalyze real change.
Today, the Foundation ensures a sustained, intentional focus on racial inequity, embedding a lens of racial equity into how we operate, invest, and engage with the community.
Hear from Our Latest Racial Equity Fund Grant Partners
Who We’ve Funded
The Foundation has invested millions through six funding cycles to strengthen Greater Miami’s ecosystem of groups and individuals focused on changing systems that hold racial injustice and inequity in place and those working with intention to solve for the dynamics that impose daily harm.
Dozens of organizations and community leaders have been awarded grants from the Racial Equity Fund. They are doing deep community power-building and organizing, mobilization, activism, and creating just alternatives. They are driving sustained movement and long-term change as they tackle systemic issues, such as policing of people of color, justice and incarceration practices, access to an affordable place to live and basic healthy food, economic inequity, and treatment and rights of groups systemically marginalized.
In 2024, we launched the Saltwater Fellowship, awarding $1 million to ten leaders addressing racial inequity through their work. You can read more about this round of grants here.
The Racial Equity Fund Donors
We seeded the Racial Equity Fund with just $100,000 in June 2020. Since then, more than 150 donors have banded together to raise more than $2 million to power serious change in our community. We are grateful to every donor and partner, including catalytic gifts from both the Jorge Pérez Family Foundation and Facebook.
