The Miami Foundation Creativity Event
Fuels Miami arts community with $300K in signature grants

As part of its 50th Anniversary celebration at the Adrienne Arsht Center, The Miami Foundation celebrated six arts and culture organizations that stand out for creating experiences that build community. The Foundation’s “Creativity” event showcased local talent and spotlighted nonprofits that received $50,000 each, or a total of $300,000, as part of The Miami Foundation’s 50th Anniversary Signature Grants. This investment provides resources to nonprofits developing spaces where “creatives” can pursue new ideas, products, technologies and social solutions. The event was the culmination of a year in which the Foundation has made $1 million of signature philanthropic investments in Miami nonprofits.
Miami’s music scene was front and center as the 150 attendees enjoyed performances by the Miami Arts Studio student a cappella group, The French Horn Collective and Yoli Mayor of “America’s Got Talent” fame. Rick Schatz, The Miami Foundation’s board chair; Javier Alberto Soto, president and CEO of The Miami Foundation; and Jorge M. Pérez, chairman and CEO of The Related Group, gave remarks on how the arts shaped Miami’s past, present and future.
“To create a truly prosperous community, we must strive to make equity a priority,” Soto said. “Each of our grant recipients were selected because they are using the arts and creative spaces to break down barriers in our community and to bring people together across geographic, racial, ethnic and economic lines. Doing this builds understanding and empathy in ways that are key to the development of an equitable and just society.”
Soto announced the $300,000 in signature grants to the Adrienne Arsht Center, Guitars Over Guns, Miami Book Fair, New World Symphony, O Cinema, and Perez Art Museum Miami
Carlton Ford, Jairo Ontiveros, John Richard, Kirsten Podack, Javier Soto, & Jodi Farrell
Andrew Juska & Michael Rosenberg
Chad Bernstein, Javier Soto, Jono De Leon, & Bob Bernstein
Javier Soto & Jorge Perez
Fabia, Taylor, & Vernon Moxey
Edward Manno Shumsky, Rebecca Mandelman, & Darlene & Jorge Perez
Kareem Tabsch, Vivian Marthell, & Vivi Villagra
Josee Gregoire, Carla Hill, & Fabiola Registre
Javier Soto, Edward Manno Shumsky, Maureen O'Brien, Matthew Buttrick, Julisa Fuste, & Howard Herring
Gary Ressler, Julie Vives, Rebecca Mandelman, & Edward Manno Shumsky
Matthew & Jennifer Buttrick
Corey Davis & Trevor Ditzler
Natalia Crujeiras, Julie Neitzel, Rebecca Mandelman, & Franklin Sirmans