Coral Gables Community Foundation Awards: Fall 2021 Grant Recipients

On December 2, 2021 the Community Giving Program awarded grants with a value of $63,500 to these 39 South Florida organizations. For information on how to apply for future grants please read more about the Community Giving Program.

Actors’ Playhouse – To provide a scholarship for the winner of the annual Young Talent Big Dreams county-wide youth talent contest

AUM Home Shala – Funding will be used for yoga classes for seniors at the Coral Gables Adult Activity Center led by two yoga therapists trained to work with this demographic.

Bake A Wish Cakes Miami (of which $500 will come from the Community Giving Fund + $500 from the Culinary Arts Fund) – Providing homemade and decorated birthday cakes to children who may otherwise not receive a cake on their birthdays. Cakes are prepared by local high school students.

Baptist Health South Florida Foundation – To fund the Donor Breast Milk program at South Miami Hospital

Beaux Arts Miami – To support the HandsOn! Program that brings area public school children to the Lowe Art Museum for a tour and art lesson (with materials) from a museum docent.

Branches, Inc. – To fund the Grow & Climb program providing afterschool tutoring and enrichment to low-income children Kindergarten thru 5th grade

Camillus House – To support their Art Therapy program

Coral Gables Senior High College Advising Department – To support incentive gifts for students on college signing day as we as for teacher appreciation gifts to those teachers who spend extra time on college preparedness for students.

Coral Gables Senior High PTSA – To support the COVID Essay contest where students document their experiences throughout the pandemic

Chapman Partnership – To support the Chapman Buddies Mentoring program providing homeless youth with a mentor

Crystal Academy Coral Gables – To support teaching functional life skills for independent living and career development for children on the autism spectrum.

Dibia DREAM Inc. – To provide STEM programming and project kits and supplies for GW Carver Elementary School students

The Early Childhood Center (ECC) (at Coral Gables Congregational Church) – To fund the STEAM outdoor classroom/learning space at the school

Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden – To provide educational field trip experiences for 4th and 5th graders from David Fairchild Elementary

Friends of Gables High – To support the purchase of a new marquee on the Bird Road side of the school.

GableStage – To support the production of the play White Card

Girl Scouts Council of Tropical Florida (GSTF) – To support Girl Scouts Spring overnight camp at Camp Mahachee in Coral Gables for low-income girls ages 5-17

highlights News Magazine at Coral Gables Senior High (@highlights) – To provide funding for design and editing software needed for the student-run newspaper at Coral Gables Senior High

ICU Baby – To fund ICU Baby’s Transportation Assistance Program at South Miami Hospital offering stipends to offset transportation costs for low-income level families so they may more regularly visit their NICU baby without the burden of prohibitive transportation costs.

Junior Achievement of Greater Miami. – To fund the Junior Achievement’s economics program, benefiting 200 students at Gables High School

Junior Orange Bowl – To support the Junior Orange Bowl’s annual parade and toy drive

Ladies Empowerment and Action Program (LEAP) – To provide transformational in-prison education to women who are within a year of release with things such as getting on their feet, securing employment and housing.

Mental Health America & Florida Initiative for Suicide Prevention (MHA/FISP) – Funding to provide educational presentations on mental health and suicide prevention in the Coral Gables community

Miami Bridge Youth and Family Services – To support the Host Homes program serving
children and young adults age 18-21 who have aged out of foster care

Miami Children’s Chorus – To fund children’s ensemble classes and rehearsals at First United Methodist Church of Coral Gables

Miami Children’s Museum – To fund free educational field trips to the Museum for Coral Gables public school students

Miami Diaper Bank – To support their diaper distribution program for low-income families

Miami Lighthouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired – To provide Low Vision Eye Examinations at Miami Lighthouse for adults who live in Coral Gables. They will be provided at no cost to individuals who are uninsured and have financial need.

Miami Waterkeeper – Funding to launch the Waterkeeper Teacher Ambassador program pilot program at Coral Gables High School and International Studies Preparatory Academy inviting teachers from these schools to participate in Biscayne Bay literacy professional development and to provide them with resources to incorporate Biscayne Bay Literacy into their curriculum. Miami Waterkeeper is headquartered in Coral Gables.

The Murray Dranoff Foundation – To support the annual Piano SLAM program at Ponce Middle School and Coral Gables High School

Ponce De Leon Middle PTSA – To provide funding to enhance outdoor seating options with picnic tables and to purchase and utilize composters that will offset the cafeteria and paper waster + lay new mulch in muddy areas of the school.

The Food Pantry at Riviera Presbyterian Church in Coral Gables – To support the food pantry, which has been in operation in Coral Gables for 25 years. The pantry hosts distributions
twice a week on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

South Florida Digital Alliance – Funding to provide refurbished computers and laptops to public schools throughout Coral Gables for use in the classroom, libraries and testing labs

Lotus House/Sundari Foundation – To provide support for homeless women and children

The Home Team (funding from the Golden Gables Fund) – To provide funding for the “Nonflict” Conflict Resolution Program incorporating social & emotional and
cognitive learning using the art of Jujitsu to the Title 1 Kindergarten – 6th graders at the Gibson-Bethel Community Center.

UM-NSU CARD – Funding for a sibling mediated intervention for Coral Gables families with children on the autism spectrum. The goal is to increase social interaction and emerging verbal behavior levels through a sibling mediated intervention. (University of Miami – Nova Southeastern University Center for Autism and Related Disabilities, aka UM-NSU-CARD)

Wellspring Counseling located in Coral Gables- To provide professional mental health counseling for Coral Gables residents who demonstrate financial need.

Whispering Manes Therapeutic Riding Center – Using miniature horses, funding to support an anti-bullying campaign for 3rd and 4th graders at two Coral Gables elementary schools using equine-assisted activities and storytelling.

Young Musicians Unite – Funding to support instrument purchases and repairs as well as artistic personnel for the Jazz Band at Coral Gables High School.

TOTAL IN GRANT FUNDING – $63,500