Community Grants Program

Thank you for your interest in Community Grants!

Application updates and Full Proposal invitations have now been shared with all 2022 applicants. All grant decisions will be released on Friday, June 10.

The Miami Foundation is grateful to invest in a stronger, more equitable Greater Miami every year through our Community Grants program. Community Grants is a permanent resource for Greater Miami, made possible by generous donors who trust the Foundation to address our community’s most pressing needs and greatest opportunities.  

Guided by input from community, our programs are constantly growing and evolving to serve residents throughout Miami-Dade County. This year, we are partnering with a network of philanthropists to grow the amount of funds available for our community. We will continue to prioritize principles of trust–based philanthropy to support our nonprofit partners as they strengthen our community and advance equity of all Miami residents. Learn more about the 2021 Community Grants partners here.  

Please carefully review the program guidelines to learn more about how we invest in nonprofit partners who share our values and passion for strengthening the Miami community. Following the initial Idea Stage, selected applicants will then be invited to submit full proposals.  

We welcome your feedback and look forward to working and learning together.  

Ver esta información en español. 

Gade enfòmasyon sa yo an kreyòl. 

The program guidelines and FAQ share everything you need to know about the program this year.

Meet this year’s Community Reviewers who guide the Foundation’s grantmaking decisions. Learn more about the role of Community Reviewers here.

Access your submitted application at any time through the Submittable platform.

WHAT WE FUND

In 2022, we will invest over $2.4 million across the six categories 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 helping them secure affordable, stable housing, recover from financial crisis, or increase earning potential.  
• Inclusion of People with Diverse Abilities | Expand opportunities for people with disabilities to lead purposeful, productive lives and be increasingly integrated into all aspects of community life. See our summary of this funding category here. This category is made possible by the Sofia Isabel Soto Fund for Inclusion of People with Diverse Abilities, in loving memory of Sofia Isabel, the daughter of The Miami Foundation’s former President and CEO, Javier Alberto Soto.   
• Inspiring Arts and Culture | Apply the power of arts and culture to strengthen community. This category will catalyze work that champions the diversity of our community, expands access to arts and culture experiences for residents, or increases opportunities for artistic expression.  

• Sustainable Environment | Develop a healthier, more resilient community by promoting action on the restoration of Biscayne Bay, protecting our most vulnerable from the effects of extreme heat, or expanding awareness and action on the climate crisis and its local effects. See our summary of this funding category here.   
• Thriving Youth and Families | Expand opportunities for youth to excel from early childhood to young adulthood through high-quality education, personal development, and work to ensure their safety and stability. This may also include support for adult caregivers so the whole family can thrive and work to advance youth development through the arts.  

What we prioritize

Our priorities align with our values that we hope to model together with our nonprofit partners. Our priorities also guide proposal review, so we encourage you to review this section as you consider a proposal. 

• Advance equity of marginalized individuals and communities: We exclusively support work with communities facing marginalization to tackle disparities around race, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, and other lines of difference.  
• Focus on progress: We support work 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: We prioritize work that pursues long-lasting change for individuals and communities. Organizations should identify the underlying barrier(s) or challenge(s) they will address so that individuals can pursue their greatest potential. Strong approaches will strive to improve individuals’ current lives while also preparing them for the long-term.  
• Collaborate with community: We prioritize organizations with leadership that represents the communities they serve, as well as organizations that intentionally gather community feedback to guide their work. We believe authentic community relationships and resident leadership are essential for effective work. 
• Sustainability: We support high-quality, viable work while also investing in what each organization needs to be strong and healthy. We will look for proposals that reflect how the organization will use awarded funds to power progress while strengthening capacity and expertise.

Eligibility & Use of Funds

Eligibility Requirements: Eligible applicants are nonprofits with an active 501(c)(3) status as a public charity or projects with an established fiscal sponsor that has this status. Government entities and tax-exempt organizations are also eligible. The proposed work must primarily serve Miami-Dade County residents. If you have a current grant through any Foundation program, you must be in compliance with that grant to apply. 

Grant Size: The maximum grant award is $30,000.  

Types of Funding: Nonprofits can select from two funding options. All grants are considered general funding to be used at the nonprofit’s discretion to support the proposed goals. 

• Program Support: Funds to support a particular program or initiative that you propose to start, sustain or grow. Proposed goals should focus on that program’s activities and outcomes.  

• Mission-Building Support: Funds to advance organization-wide work and goals that drive your mission, rather than a specific program. Mission-building partners seek to become stronger community resources. These funds are often used for more general expenses, which may include operations or infrastructure to support organizational success. Proposed goals should focus on organization-wide activities and outcomes.  

How to apply

Community Grants is a two-stage program: an initial Idea Stage and a Full Proposal Stage for invited applicants based on review of the submitted applications.  

Idea Stage: Introduce your work to strengthen Greater Miami. To respect your time, this first stage is brief. Organizations will provide basic information and an overview of the proposal, along with optional opportunities to share supplemental information. Applications were due by February 24.  

Review and Application Process: Idea Stage applications will be evaluated according to review criteria that align with the Community Grants program priorities. We will consider applications based on their individual strength and in the context of other submissions. Nonprofits that reflect the strongest potential will be invited to submit a Full Proposal. Community members review full proposals to ensure rich perspectives from people with personal and professional experiences related to each funding category. Please see the program guidelines for more details about both application stages.  We will share a list of this year’s community reviewers once they are confirmed. All applicants were notified on April 6 if they were invited to submit a Full Proposal.

Connect with us

Questions? Please contact Valerie Crum, Programs Manager, at vcrum@miamifoundation.org.

Timeline: