The Miami Foundation Accelerator Grants Civic Engagement

The South Florida Digital Alliance (SFDA) has launched a comprehensive “digital empowerment” initiative called the South Florida Technology Learning Center project (TLC). The goal of TLC is to better prepare our community to participate and compete in the new digital society and digital economy by helping our residents become more adept at using new technologies. The TLC program provides access to technology, training,... more »

The Liberty City Digital Commons (LCDC) proposes the creation of a Wi-Fi network in Liberty Square, the largest public housing development in Miami’s Liberty City, a historically African American, culturally significant community where fewer than thirty percent of households have Internet access. The initiative will be launched using open technologies for wireless communications, such as mesh networking, to allow for... more »

Our GOALS:
1. Engage 10,000+ Volunteers per year.
Every project is designed to:
2. Make Miami a better place to live today.
3. Make Miami's future safer from Sea-Level Rise and Climate Change.

Urban Paradise Guild (UPG) has fielded hundreds or thousands of Volunteers every year from 2009-2014.
Now, we are ready to grow!

UPG is a Volunteer-Powered Organization: 100% of our Staff and Workers are Volunteers!
In the... more »

In celebration of FIU’s upcoming 50th Anniversary in 2015, the university’s renowned Center for Leadership and Service (CLS) will challenge its students, employees, alumni, family and friends to “GIVE 50” – 50 hours of service to the community in recognition of FIU’s 50 years in the community. The massive community engagement project intends to spark a commitment to a life of active citizenship that will promote a long-range,... more »

This year, PACT is training 115 leaders intensively to engage over 1,800 people to work on making local policy changes related to housing, crime, and keeping our children out of the prison system.

To win justice, PACT holds ‘direct action’ meetings with thousands of community members, encouraging public officials to take action and holding them accountable by using the power of organized communities. Once PACT members... more »

This civic engagement project aims to create opportunities to connect eight individuals by inviting them to attend an event with food, conversation and networking in an intimate personal setting. Sharing experiences and professional networks will broaden individual community engagement using a small group format. There are four main goals of Power of Eight. Participants will have an opportunity to: (1) Connect with others... more »

Miami is filled with smart, solution oriented citizens who care about their community and who would contribute to solving community and social issues in a public, collaborative forum if the barriers to engagement were lowered. However, there are very few practical ways for people in Miami to access decision makers in order to share their ideas for community improvement and do so with limited requirements asked of them.... more »

Increase volunteerism, community engagement and donor investment throughout South Florida with the PhilanthroFest 2015 Festival.

Entering it's 4th year, the festival showcases 100+ causes & community resources while connecting people in need to service providers, and those who wish to get involved, donate or volunteer connect with organizations that align with their passions and values.

Philanthrofest is scheduled... more »

AEDAP Youth Step Up Initiatives is part of AEDAP Youth Leadership Trainings.
It is designed to enroll a series of youth ages 8 to 18 and provide them a media forum radio/television allowing them to share their thoughts on Civic Engagement. The program will have three aspects
1) Collection of Information - Free Speech: data collection. This process allows the youth to get acquainted with peers and start sharing by... more »

HandsOn Miami has recently installed a Youth Advisory Council - a youth Board of Directors consisting of 14 teenagers representing 11 different schools across Miami-Dade County. Their goal for 2015 is to inspire, equip, and mobilize 500 of their peers (ages 5-17 years of age) in active and meaningful hands-on volunteer service to make Miami a better place by supporting local nonprofit organizations.
If accelerated,... more »

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Miami (BBBS) is the premier mentoring organization of South Florida, helping thousands of children each year through professionally supported, one-to-one relationships with caring adult volunteers. Through its Mentoring Resource Center (MRC), BBBS collaborates with over 40 youth-serving organizations, delivering program development consultation and customized training for mentoring agencies... more »

Code for Miami is a collective of locals who are committed to using technology to improve Miami’s civic engagement, relationship between local government and the citizenry and the overall quality of life of the community. We’re proposing the continuation and expansion of our weekly Civic Hack Nights; a weekly gathering for those who want to find innovative ways to better their communities. A “Hack Night” is for those... more »

Although voter participation shows high numbers in Miami Dade the age of the voters reflects very low participation from younger voters. This project intents to look for what would turn a millennial into an active participant in the democratic process.

Lack of information and limited understanding is one of the critical factors that is often sited by voters as their reason for not voting. We’d like to prototype a county-specific voter app that at minimum:
1) Clearly and objectively translates what’s on the ballot from legal jargon to a clear, simple, unbiased question
2) Provides links to voting recommendations (or endorsements) from several varied local organizations... more »

Experience Enterprises is a grassroots project focused on improving the economic and social culture of inner city communities. it is a creation of monthly events and workshops that target youth, but also engage the whole community. Each event will not only provide fun and entertainment, but also provide community service opportunities for youth, leadership development with hands-on experience, and educate the community... more »