MIAMI – The Jorge M. Pérez Family Foundation at The Miami Foundation (the Pérez Family Foundation) is pleased to announce the grantees for the third edition of the Pérez CreARTE Grants Program (CreARTE). Following an open call in April 2023 that saw hundreds of outstanding applicants, the Pérez Family Foundation selected 39 cultural organizations across Miami-Dade County to receive a share of $5,000,000 to help cultivate a more vibrant, connected and stimulating arts ecosystem.
“The CreARTE program was born of our family’s desire to expand the transformative power of South Florida’s arts community,” said Jorge M. Pérez, internationally recognized philanthropist and founder of the Pérez Family Foundation. “Over the past four years, we have remained dedicated in our mission to help identify and support organizations that add to Miami-Dade County’s unique, vibrant cultural landscape. Every year, we are blown away by the talent and vision of our applicants. We look forward to following their professional achievements and contributions to our region in the years ahead.”
CreARTE Grant
The grants, which range up to $300,000, will be distributed over the next 2 years and will build upon the work of 20 existing partners while also creating new opportunities for 19 new CreARTE grantees. Overall, the funding will help fill key areas that impact the creative community most, including access to affordable workspaces, cultural equity and education. The grants have been awarded to organizations whose missions align with one of three main focus areas:
- Arts Access: Funding to support meaningful and diverse public engagement with and access to, various forms of high-quality art across Greater Miami and the integration of the arts into the fabric of community life.
- Arts Education: Funding to support high-performing, innovative organizations in Greater Miami working to ensure that all young people have equitable access to arts education opportunities.
- Artist Fellowships and Residencies: Funding to support the creation and/or expansion of artist fellowship and residency programs to expand local options for artistic professionals to hone their talents and showcase their work.
Since 2019, CreARTE has made a total investment of $10 million across 45 unique organizations in Miami-Dade County. This investment has enabled these organizations to reach hundreds of thousands of individuals through grant-supported programming, capacity building and impact assessment.
CreARTE is made possible through a unique partnership between the Pérez Family Foundation and The Miami Foundation, a pillar of the local nonprofit community that currently manages close to $445 million in philanthropic funds. The application review process was deeply informed by external community advisors who provided feedback on proposals. The chosen grantees demonstrated organizations’ willingness to grow and innovate, with plans to renovate spaces, expand education programs, highlight new and unique works and serve a diverse audience.
The CreARTE 2023 grantees include:
- Arts Access: Armour Dance Theatre; Art Prevails Project; Florida International University Foundation; Miami Children’s Museum; Miami-Dade County Auditorium; Museum of Contemporary Art; O Cinema; Rhythm Foundation; The Deering Estate Foundation; Third Horizon Film Festival; Miami Museum of Contemporary Art of the African Diaspora (Miami MoCAAD); [NAME] Publications; Hued Songs; and Commissioner.
- Arts Education: Area Stage Company; The Motivational Edge; The Children’s Voice Chorus; Moonlighter FabLab; Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County; African Heritage Cultural Arts Center; Arts for Learning; GableStage; Guitars Over Guns; Juggerknot Theatre Company; MAC; Miami City Ballet; Miami Music Project; Nu Deco Ensemble; O, Miami; Miami New Drama; and Young Musicians Unite.
- Artist Fellowships and Residencies: The Writers Room @ The Betsy; Women Photographers International Archive (WOPHA); Bakehouse Art Complex; Diaspora Vibe Cultural Arts Incubator (DVCAI); Fountainhead Arts; Miami Dade College – Miami Book Fair; Miami Light Project; and Oolite Arts.
“The Miami Foundation is incredibly proud to work with the Pérez Family Foundation to support arts access and education, artist fellowships and residencies,” said Miami Foundation President and CEO Rebecca Fishman Lipsey. “The bold investments made by the Pérez family to support our youth and our thriving arts scene are and will be transformational for our community. It’s an honor to be their partner in these endeavors.”
This announcement comes on the heels of a tremendously active and successful year in terms of the Pérez family’s arts-related philanthropic endeavors. In November 2022, Miami-Dade County and Related Urban, the affordable housing arm of Related Group, kicked off a first-of-its-kind artist-in-residence program, as part of the redevelopment of the historic Liberty Square.
The initiative provides artists with discounted homes and studio space directly within the reimagined Liberty Square, in exchange for their involvement in local art exhibitions and educational sessions for Liberty City residents. In December 2022, the Pérez Family Foundation announced $1.775 million in grants to benefit 13 Miami-based organizations, with the goal of promoting a stronger, more equitable South Florida. Recipients include Grameen America, Miami Waterkeeper, Together for Children, Dade County Street Response and The Everglades Foundation. In January 2023, Miami-based interdisciplinary artist and designer Cornelius Tulloch was named winner of the 2023 YoungArts Jorge M. Pérez Award, one of YoungArts’ largest financial awards.
In 2025, the Pérez Family Foundation will celebrate the 10th anniversary of its founding. The Pérez family and members of the Pérez Family Foundation look forward to celebrating and commemorating this significant milestone, and to continuing their involvement in Miami-Dade and growth as an organization.
