Later this week some of Miami’s most iconic buildings – including the Freedom Tower, Frost Science and the Biltmore — will go purple. It’s all about Give Miami Day, the biggest giving day of the year for Miami-Dade’s nonprofit community, founded and produced by the Miami Foundation.
About 1,100 nonprofit organizations – all verified by the Miami Foundation – will be asking for donations this year. We’ll offer some tech-specific suggestions but before we get to that, a primer for our newbies: Give Miami Day is a 24-hour online fundraiser, making it super easy to donate any amount $25 or higher to individual campaigns on one platform. In 2021, Give Miami Day donors sent $33.4 million to 975 local nonprofits, a record year. Last year, donors sent more than $32 million to local nonprofits, and more donors participated than in 2021.
Give Miami Day starts at 12:01 a.m. Thursday, Nov. 16, and ends at 11:59 p.m. that same day. But you don’t have to wait: Early Giving is already underway!
Of course, we hope you will support this nonprofit: Refresh Miami. Your donations keep this news site humming (never a paywall) and so much more. But as our tech community has experienced exponential growth the last couple of years, there have been many amazing nonprofits supporting the #MiamiTech community – or the future generation of #MiamiTech – in important ways.
It takes a village, indeed. It’s time to open your wallets.
So then, we are again presenting 5 ways that nonprofit organizations are helping the tech and startup ecosystem and could use your support. No doubt I’ve inadvertently missed some but hopefully this gives you some ideas on how to help them. [To make it easy for you, the nonprofits’ Give Miami Day funding pages are linked. Follow the link for more information on them and to donate.]
1
Nonprofits are inspiring the next generation of coders, entrepreneurs and creators.
Bridge the gender gap in tech and increase opportunities for girls by supporting Code/Art, which has used an art-infused curriculum to empower over 8,000 girls with in-demand career skills. Support Moonlighter FabLab, which also produces Maker Faire Miami, so that our kids can be makers and will have the skills, tools and opportunities to create their own future. Two organizations, S.E.E.K Foundation and Tech Girl Power, inspire and educate children in underserved communities in coding and other STEM and STEAM careers,
2
Nonprofits provide or support education in technology or entrepreneurship
Since 1987, NFTE has been providing education and entrepreneurship education in public schools, giving thousands of youth in South Florida’s low-income neighborhoods access to real opportunity. Miami EdTech provides public school teachers and students with tools, training and acceleration to launch careers in computer science and most recently AI. Built by engineers for engineers, CodePath provides college-age students access to free hands-on technical training, career guidance, mentorship and a community. And the Venture Miami Scholarship Fund provides tuition support through gap funding for at-need City of Miami residents studying in a STEM field at FIU, UM MDC or FMU.
3
Nonprofits also support and promote an inclusive ecosystem. Opportunity Connect works with minority entrepreneurs from underserved communities in Miami and provides the necessary tools to become successful entrepreneurs. Web3 Equity inspires, educates and onboards women and engages male allies to ensure gender equity in web3, and the Center for Black Innovation provides programming and resources to guide Black innovators along capital pathways and works to scale Black ecosystems. Tech Equity Miami is a first of its kind funding consortium that aims to remove entry barriers into the tech industry and that will create opportunities for underrepresented groups, including youth and small businesses.
4
Our nonprofits are helping startups get to the next level.
Endeavor Miami supports high-impact entrepreneurs and offers growth accelerator programs to early-stage companies in the Florida ecosystem. Seaworthy Collective is a startup community and venture studio empowering entrepreneurs and investors in ocean and climate impact. Venture For America recruits and connects ambitious and talented recent graduates with jobs in startups. Radical Partners, a social impact accelerator, runs social entrepreneurship bootcamps and leadership programs.
5
And last but not least, we are telling the stories of Miami and connecting the community.
Yes, were biased. That’s Refresh Miami, the hub of Miami’s tech and startup community since 2006. In 2023, in addition to our robust news site, we also unveiled the Miami Tech Dashboard, a free data source for the #MiamiTech community, expanded our job board and talent matching, held adozens of events, and much more. Working closely with industry partners, Refresh plans so much more in 2024 – with your help. Unable to donate this week? Pro tip: donate anytime on our website!
Thank you for your continued support and readership.
Follow Nancy Dahlberg on X @ndahlberg and email her at [email protected]
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