Light a spark. Watch it spread.

All our visitors at the The Miami Foundation’s offices walk past the words that Julia Tuttle, the “Mother of Miami,” wrote to a friend in the late 19th century: “It may seem strange to you, but it is the dream of my life to see this wilderness turned into a prosperous country.”

Julia didn’t just dream – she catalyzed. She convinced others to believe in what Miami could become, and together they began building. We’re following her lead at The Miami Foundation, where we believe all of Miami shares both the responsibility and the possibility to build a greater Miami where everyone can thrive.

This year, we are putting our all into inspiring more generosity across our communities, from collective action to catalytic impact. Catalytic philanthropists give more than their money – they bring their voice, relationships, and a focus on longer-term change to address our communities’ biggest challenges.

This month, we’re celebrating the catalyzers in our network – the donors who sustain their generosity, play the long game with us, and make legendary contributions.

Join us in taking a page from Julia, our Living Legends, and our donors to ask yourself: What contribution can I make to help Miami thrive this year?

At The Foundation

Honoring our Foundation’s ‘Living Legends’

We break down silos and build bold solutions for Miami through the generosity of our network. The Foundation’s donors gave more than $130 million last year to fuel scholarships, food banks, arts, and support for Miami’s most vulnerable. That’s something to celebrate! And on February 26, we did just that; we toasted to the collective power and impact of all The Miami Foundation’s fundholders at our second annual Living Legends event.

Living Legends highlights what’s possible when individual philanthropy transforms into collective momentum. What a joy it was to spend an evening with legends who love Miami loudly.

Let’s partner together to build your own legacy of generosity and impact for Miami.

Celebrating the Dunn Family Foundation as a Donor Next Door

As a major philanthropist in South Florida, the Lowell S. & Betty L. Dunn Family Foundation has recently partnered with The Miami Foundation to support a number of nonprofits in the Miami-Dade region. Over the last few months alone, and as a Give Miami Day partner, the Dunn Family Foundation gave over $1 million to more than 25 nonprofits.

We have been honored to help the Dunn Family realize their philanthropic vision, and we were delighted to learn that they were selected in January as a 2026 honoree at Philanthropy Miami’s annual Donor Next Door for their generosity to our community.

The Dunns are passionate about supporting infrastructure for marginalized Miami residents, with a special interest in veterans, women, and children with urgent housing needs. Under the leadership of Lowell Dunn II, the Dunn Family is actively involving its next generation in cultivating generosity as they continue to strengthen the Foundation in their parents’ image.

Spotlight on our donors

As a new section of our newsletter, we want to help you get to know the immensely generous individuals and families who fuel our work at The Miami Foundation. In this issue, we spotlight our 2026 Living Legends honorees.

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