17 Organizations to Support During Give Miami Day 2023

Miami has long been a place that's both wildly underserved and super-duper-rich. We are rife with do-gooders and saturated with bad guys. One way to bridge these great divides and create better equity is by supporting the nonprofits doing the necessary work on the ground to enrich our communities and protect our city on Give Miami Day. It kicks off Thursday, November 16 — although the campaign is encouraging everyone to donate earlier than that.

The Miami Foundation, which distributes foundation funds through grants in the area, launched Give Miami Day in 2012. Each year, it raises awareness about new and established organizations that work to strengthen the tapestry of goodness that holds together our funny little magical city.

While every org is worthy of your giving this Give Miami Day, New Times has listed a few below you may want to support.

Allapattah Collaborative CDC

If Wynwood has taught us anything, it's that gentrification sucks. Supporting the Allapattah Collaborative CDC will help create equitable development in an area vulnerable to gentrification, given its proximity to downtown Miami. The group helps protect small businesses and cultural authenticity in the area.

The Black Archives History and Research Foundation of South Florida

Our elected leaders are trying to erase and distort Black history in our public school curricula. We can fight for the truth by preserving history. The Black Archives does just that through its archival collection, which is available to the public. It also makes better futures by providing the Overtown community with job training and opportunities at its historic Lyric Theater location.

Bookleggers Library

Who would have ever thought that a place as shiny and new as Miami would embrace a project that brings together a community around used books? Since 2012, Bookleggers has been a wonderful and inspired addition to the cultural scene in South Florida. It not only increases access to books; a byproduct of the endeavor is that it's environmentally responsible. There's nothing not to love about Bookleggers.

Debris Free Oceans

No one wants to be responsible for filling up the oceans with garbage. What better reason to go zero-waste? The Miami-based organization is working to help our county get it together to limit its trash. Already, it's removed 55,000 pounds of trash from reefs and beaches. It educates children and the community on plastic pollution and creates government sustainability programs that help businesses end single-use plastics.

Exchange for Change

It's so necessary that every single one of us has the chance to change, grow, and tell our tales. Exchange for Change (E4C) provides incarcerated people with the skills to write their stories through a variety of writing courses along with different higher-education institutions. Starting as one class with 17 students at Dade Correctional Institution, the organization now serves 300 students in 75 classes at state prisons, county jails, and private juvenile residential centers.

Guitars Over Guns

Guitars Over Guns empowers young people in underserved communities through music and mentorship to improve their lives. This school year, thanks to this group, a team of 50 trauma-informed, paid teaching artists will give 850 Miami-Dade students, ages 13-18, the support they need to grow and thrive.

The Historic Hampton House

Liberty City, Overtown, and Brownsville were once the center of Black community and culture in Miami. Historic Hampton House, known as the "social center for the South," preserves that rich and wonderful history through youth and family programming and arts experiences. It was once an inn with a jazz club, restaurant, and swimming pool where Martin Luther King, Jr. was documented taking a dip. He also delivered an early version of his "I Have a Dream" speech there.

Hued Songs

Everyone needs the right to experience arts and culture. Hued Songs brings productions that spread Black culture and joy throughout our area. It uses song, dance, spoken word, and more to ensure every voice is elevated and heard and everyone can access the performance experiences they need to nurture their spirits.

Islandia Journal

Islandia Journal preserves the many strange and zany stories and myths of Florida and the Caribbean through its historical deep dives and creative writing. Launched only a couple of years ago, this is a must-subscribe magazine for anyone who loves or loathes — or both — the Sunshine State.

Miami Girls Rock Camp

Girls just wanna have fun — and become skilled at playing musical instruments. At Girls Rock Camp Miami, girls and nonbinary kids from 8-17 can hone their musical and performance skills, gain self-esteem, and foster community. After a week-long summer day camp with instructors, visiting arts and DJs, and more, campers get to perform live in concert. It's an incredible program that's created a strong community that reaches beyond the summer week to support local working musicians.

Miami Waterkeeper

Clean water is essential for life. And you can thank Miami Waterkeeper for working to keep our waterways clean for us and our wildlife. We need advocates for our ecosystems urgently. And these folks take action using science, public policy pushes, education, and outreach. Our homes may be deep under that clean water soon, but until then, this is an effort every Floridian needs to be passionate about.

Miami Workers Center

Miami Workers Center is a cornerstone working with lower-income workers who are primarily Black and Hispanic to help raise their wages and improve working conditions. The organization brings justice and respect to working people in the area and aids neighborhoods most in need of transformation.

Oya Matamba

This is a relatively new organization founded in 2020 to help Black women and children connect with holistic and indigenous practices, including capoeira, yoga, and other healing and transformative classes and events.

Pioneer Winter Collective

Inclusivity in the dance world is a rarity. But Pioneer Winter Collective brings together people of different ages and physical abilities to perform in public spaces. No one is erased or left out. The website states, "We believe that every body dances, and every body carries validity and virtuosity." Truly a jewel in our crown, we need to honor nonprofits like Pioneer Winter Collective that elevate and celebrate all of our humanity through the arts.

Pridelines

Pridelines has been supporting the LGBTQ community since it launched in response to the hateful Anita Bryant's 1977 "Save Our Children" campaign. It remains a touchstone for the community here in South Florida by providing a safe space to promote dialogue and wellness and foster social change.

TransSOCIAL

Trans people are often forced to face uniquely dehumanizing challenges that cisgender folks never have to confront. That's why TransSOCIAL, which makes sure the "T" in LGBTQ is prioritized, is a necessary addition to the queer community in South Florida. Their specialty is giving people the support and tools they need to change their gender markers. They also offer health care, workplace equity, and other resources.

Transit Alliance Miami

We all know we should be out walking, biking, and taking public transit for a few reasons. Transit Alliance Miami is making it possible for us to protect the environment and strengthen our bodies by advocating for walkable and bikeable streets and better transit in South Florida.