The Miami Foundation seeks to build a Greater Miami where everyone can thrive through the signature Community Grants program.
Donor Name: The Miami Foundation
State: Florida
County: Miami-Dade County (FL)
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 02/28/2025
Size of the Grant: $10,000 to $100,000
Grant Duration: Grant Duration Not Mentioned
Details:
Priorities
The priorities for Community Grants are rooted in the Foundation’s values. They are principles that they aim to model together with the nonprofit partners.
- Advance opportunities for marginalized individuals and communities | They prioritize support for organizations working directly with communities that face marginalization to tackle disparities around race, age, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, mixed-abilities, and other lines of difference.
- Focus on progress | They support organizations whose work is guided by clear goals for the growth of individuals and communities. All partners will have strong potential to create timely, impactful opportunities for individuals and communities to advance and thrive.
- Build solutions | They prioritize partners that pursue long-lasting change for individuals and communities. Organizations should highlight underlying barrier(s) or challenge(s) they currently address so the residents can pursue their greatest potential.
- Collaborate with community | They value organizations with leadership that is representative and inclusive of the communities they serve, especially those that intentionally gather community feedback to guide their work. They believe in authentic community relationships and resident leadership.
- Sustainability | They support high-quality, viable work and prioritize investments that will strengthen organizations serving those most affected by marginalization and limited access to opportunity. They welcome proposals that will use awarded funds to strengthen their capacity and expertise to serve our most underserved in Miami.
Funding Categories
In 2025, in partnership with The Frederick A. DeLuca Foundation, Miami-Dade County, and the State Attorney’s Office of Miami-Dade County, they will invest $6 million over two years across the seven funding priorities listed below.
- Access to Health and Wellness | Improve health outcomes by connecting people to quality health resources and education, reducing health disparities, or tackling contributing social determinants of health.
- Economic Stability | Improve residents’ ability to meet local affordability challenges by providing access to opportunities that promote self-sufficiency, entrepreneurship, financial independence, or personal stability.
- Inclusion | Expand opportunities for people with disabilities to promote inclusion and opportunity across all aspects of community life.
- Inspiring Arts and Culture | Apply the power of arts and culture to strengthen community. This category will catalyze work that champions the diversity of the community, expands access to arts and culture experiences for residents, or increases opportunities for artistic expression.
- Safer Communities NEW | Promote safety in local communities through crime prevention and deterrence, efforts to reduce substance abuse and addiction, initiatives that combat human trafficking, support for survivors of violence, and youth development programs that encourage safety practices and promote overall community safety.
- Sustainable Environment | Develop a healthier, more resilient community by promoting environmental education and action on the restoration of Biscayne Bay (One Water, One Bay), preservation of the Everglades, protecting the communities from the effects of extreme heat, amplifying opportunities for water preservation, or expanding awareness and action on the climate crisis and its local effects.
- Thriving Youth and Families | Expand opportunities for families (from early childhood to elder-aged) to excel through high-quality education, personal development, and work to ensure their safety and stability.
Eligibility Criteria
- Eligible applicants include 501(c)(3) public charities in good standing with the IRS, religious organizations, and government entities that are serving Miami-Dade County. Projects with an established IRS 501(c)(3) fiscal sponsor are also eligible to apply.
- Location | Applicants must have operations in Miami-Dade and serve Miami-Dade County residents. While national and regional organizations are welcome to apply, they will give preference to those with demonstrated active programming physically located within Miami.
- Good Standing | If you have a current grant through any program at The Miami Foundation, you must be in compliance with that grant to apply. Please contact your grant manager with any questions.
- Number of Applications | Each applicant may submit only one application to only one category. Colleges, universities, and local government entities may submit up to three applications, each from a different department or college.
- Partnership Applications | They encourage collaboration and will prioritize organizations that demonstrate various levels of deep partnerships across the community and with different organizations. Since this funding is intended to invest in an organization’s sustainability and mission, collaborative proposals will not be considered this cycle.
- Grant Size | Award sizes will be dependent on an organization’s annual operating budget ranging from $40,000 to $70,000 for two years. Total awards, distributed over a two-year cycle, in accordance with an organization’s annual operating budget are:
- Under $500K | $40,000 Total Award
- Between $500K – $1M | $50,000 Total Award
- Between $1M – $5M | $60,000 Total Award
- Above $5M | $70,000 Total Award
- Funding Type | All awards will be mission-building, general operating support.
- Approaches | They welcome proposals from organizations from across the spectrum including those providing direct services, advocacy, community organizing, partnerships, and other approaches as appropriate.
- Restrictions | As required by IRS rules, grant funds may not be used: a) to carry on lobbying activities b) for partisan political activities c) to make a grant to any individual for travel, study or other similar purposes or to make a subgrant to any other organization or (d) to undertake any activity for any purpose other than the approved charitable and educational purposes.
For more information, visit The Miami Foundation.
