28 Jul A Time To Boldly Go Forward

Building communities of equitable opportunity is the heart, soul, and joy of my professional journey. I love being immersed in communities, working with people living the issues and leading change, evolving my roles to help move change forward. And my time at The Miami Foundation has gifted me these privileges beyond measure for 27 incredible years!

I’m still so inspired and energized by the abundance of people shaping the greater good in Greater Miami and beyond. Bravely persisting with and without limelight. Collectively aspiring toward dignity, justice, and opportunity for all. Boldly going forward to embrace change and new possibilities for impact.

And now is my time to go forward and evolve my role with and beyond the Foundation.

I am honored and excited to share that I am transitioning to a strategic consultancy role with TMF. This evolution will include a continued relationship with the Foundation, as I also expand beyond to do broader social purpose consultancy work.

Working with the Foundation, I’ll lead its signature Miami Fellows program and advise on leadership and strategy matters. So I will remain a ready resource as TMF charts its way boldly forward, powered by a stellar, growing team! Beyond TMF, I look forward to harnessing my experience and abilities to work with social-purpose minded institutions, organizations, and individuals in diverse sectors. I’ll be building a consulting practice of my own to help others on strategies for building community, creating equitable opportunity, investing resources, growing leadership, and communicating powerful narratives.

I am forever grateful for that day in 1995 when Ruth Shack asked me to leave journalism at The Miami Herald to become program officer at Dade Community Foundation where she was president. Ruth created the opportunity for me to boldly go forward and embrace new possibilities. I am proud and thankful to have played a leading role in the shaping, growth, and evolution of the Foundation – anchoring its work in service of building and strengthening community.

I carry forward deep appreciation for the countless amazing social change makers who allowed me to play a part in advancing their work, as I pursued mine, and for all who generously embraced and supported me. Knowing I have relationships with you moving forward means the world to me.

I salute every one of the hundreds of staff I got to work with as we grew TMF from $35M when I joined to $350+M today. Every trustee who guided the journey. Every funder and donor who trusted TMF to actualize their charitable aspirations.

I see everywhere across Greater Miami enduring footprints and fingerprints of my time at the Foundation. Nonprofits that got their financial wings with a seed grant. Families in affordable housing built through funder collaboratives we ran decades ago. Thousands of donors who made TMF their philanthropic home. Miami Fellows Alums leading in key community roles, fulfilling the vision of the 23-year-old program – including our own Foundation’s President & CEO Rebecca Fishman Lipsey, who I’m proud to have mentored personally.

I can still be reached at my Foundation email – cgrant@miamifoundation.org – through mid-August, or you can contact me at clgrant305@gmail.com. As I enter this new stage, I look forward to continuing to boldly build community – working in a different way, but still working for the greater good together.