5 ways nonprofits support #MiamiTech and why Give Miami Day needs you

 Perhaps you noticed Refresh Miami’s homepage banner turned purple today. Later this week some of Miami’s most iconic buildings – including the Freedom Tower, Frost Science and the Biltmore — will go purple, too. 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.

More than 1,000 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. Last year, Give Miami Day donors sent $33.4 million to 975 local nonprofits, a record year.

Give Miami Day starts at 12:01 a.m. Thursday, Nov. 17, 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 Refresh Miami. Your donations keep this news site humming (never a paywall) and so much more – including a big year ahead for Refresh. But of course there are many amazing nonprofits supporting the #MiamiTech community – or the future #MiamiTech community – in important ways and it takes a village, indeed.

So then, here are 5 ways that nonprofit organizations are helping the tech and startup ecosystem. 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 uses an art-infused curriculum. Support Moonlighter FabLab 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. Built by engineers for engineers, CodePath provides college-age students access to free hands-on technical training, career guidance, mentorship and a community. And new this year, 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. Look no further than the important work of Web3 Equity, which inspires, educates and onboards women and engages male allies to ensure gender equity in web3, and the Center for Black Innovation, which provides programming and resources to guide Black innovators along capital pathways and works to scale Black ecosystems.

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.

5

And last but not least, we are telling the stories of Miami and connecting the community.

Yes, that’s Refresh Miami, the hub of Miami’s tech and startup community since 2006. In 2023, we also plan to  double-down on talent. Working closely with industry partners, Refresh plans to expand and improve our job board, launch a robust talent database and more.

Give Miami Day through the years. Graphic produced by Give Miami Day.

Thank you for your continued support and readership.

Follow Nancy Dahlberg on Twitter @ndahlberg and email her at [email protected]

Nancy Dahlberg