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RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING THE FUNDING OF 23 GRANTS FOR A TOTAL OF $134,000.00 FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF CULTURAL AFFAIRS FISCAL YEAR 2025-2026 COMMUNITY GRANTS PROGRAM � THIRD QUARTER FOR VARIOUS ENTITIES; WAIVING RESOLUTION NO. R-130-06; AUTHORIZING THE COUNTY MAYOR OR COUNTY MAYOR�S DESIGNEE TO EXECUTE GRANT AGREEMENTS AND TO EXERCISE ALL PROVISIONS, INCLUDING THE CANCELLATION PROVISIONS, CONTAINED THEREIN

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WHEREAS, this Board desires to accomplish the purposes outlined in the accompanying memorandum, a copy of which is incorporated herein by reference,
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS OF MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, FLORIDA, that: this Board hereby waives the requirements of Resolution No. R-130-06, and approves funding of 23 grants for a total of $134,000.00 from the Fiscal Year 2025-2026 Community Grants Program � Third Quarter, as follows:
Fiscal Year 2025-2026 Community Grants Program � Third Quarter
1 4 A Tempo Ensemble, Inc. $5,928.00
2 Arts Accelerator, Inc. $5,928.00
3 Association of Exchange and Development of Activities and Partnership AEDAP, Inc. $2,773.00
4 Blue Scholars Initiative, Inc. $5,928.00
5 Caro Events, Inc. $5,928.00
6 Centro Cultural Boliviano Masis, Corp. $5,928.00
7 Exile Projects, Inc. $5,928.00
8 Fresh Start of Miami-Dade, Inc. $5,928.00
9 Friends of the Wynwood School of Music, Inc. $5,928.00
10 Iberoamerican Film Arts & Festival, Inc. $5,928.00
11 Italian Film Festival, Inc. $5,928.00
12 Latine Theater Lab, Inc. $5,632.00
13 Miami Art Club, Inc. $5,928.00
14 Miami Collegium Musicum, Inc. $5,928.00
15 Miami River Fund, Inc. $7,904.00
16 New Conscience Productions Corp. $5,928.00
17 NWD Projects Inc. $5,928.00
18 Pinecrest City Music Project, Inc. $5,928.00
19 Success At Work Inc. $5,059.00
20 The Things Lab, Inc. $5,928.00
21 Time and Harmony Inc $5,928.00
22 We Art Foundation, Inc. $5,928.00
23 What If Works, Inc. $5,928.00

and authorizes the County Mayor or County Mayor�s designee to execute grant agreements, in substantially the form of the sample attached hereto, with each grantee for and on behalf of Miami-Dade County, Florida and to exercise all provisions, including but not limited to amending the grant agreements to correct any non-material errors or to address minor project revisions of a non-material nature, and exercising the cancellation provisions contained therein.

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Date:
To: Honorable Chairman Anthony Rodr�guez
and Members, Board of County Commissioners

From: Daniella Levine Cava
Mayor

Subject: Fiscal Year 2025-2026 Community Grants Program - Third Quarter Recommendations for a total of $134,000.00

STAFF RECOMMENDATION
Executive Summary
This item seeks approval from the Board of County Commissioners (Board) to award Fiscal Year 2025-2026 Community Grants Program � Third Quarter grant funding recommendations to 23 applicants (supporting events and activities in April, May, and June), totaling $134,000.00, cumulatively.

Each quarter, recommendations are made by the Community Grants Program Panel (Panel) and the Cultural Affairs Council (Council). The Panel convened on February 5, 2026, and recommended funding all 23 applicants for a total of $134,000.00. The Council convened on February 19, 2026, and unanimously recommended to fund all 23 applicants. The funds were allocated via the Fiscal Year 2025-2026 Miami-Dade County budget.

The Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs� (Department) Community Grants Program (Program) supports cultural programs, projects, and events, such as fairs, parades, and neighborhood festivals, on a quarterly basis. The Program funds arts projects with strong community involvement and/or outreach components. The Community Grants Program encourages projects and activities that preserve heritage, traditions, and culture, as well as social service organizations and cultural groups that develop collaborative intervention projects using the arts. The Department�s grants programs are promoted to hundreds of organizations and individuals through the Department�s e-newsletter, social media platforms, open workshops and on the Department�s website. The Department also promotes the programs through partner organizations and collaborations with Commission District offices. Applicants are offered one-on-one consultations, workshops, and technical assistance, including a corrections process, prior to the panel review. While every Commission District may not be represented in a specific quarter of this program, over the course of the entire fiscal year, grantees are represented from all districts.

Recommendation
It is recommended that the Board of County Commissioners (Board) approve the funding of 23 grants, totaling $134,000.00, from the Fiscal Year 2025-2026 Community Grants Program
� Third Quarter. Attached is a list describing the projects being recommended for funding. In addition, it is recommended that Resolution No. R-130-06 (requiring contracts with non-governmental entities be signed by the other parties before being submitted to the Board) be waived in order to expedite the allocation of funding support for these time-sensitive tourism-oriented and community events.
Scope
The impact of this agenda item is countywide.

Delegation of Authority
The County Mayor and/or County Mayor�s designee is delegated the authority to execute the grant agreements and exercise all provisions, including cancellation provisions contained therein.

Fiscal Impact/Funding Source
The FY 2025-2026 Adopted Budget indicates that the item has been budgeted. Refer to the table below for additional information. A total of $378,000 was allocated in the First and Second Quarters of this program. The current Third Quarter recommendations, totaling $134,000.00, continues the recommended Community Grants allocations for this fiscal year, leaving a balance of $133,000 for Fourth Quarter applicants.

Revenue Name Budget Reference
Fund Code Revenue Amount
� General Fund Countywide
� Carryover
� Tourist Development Surtax
� Convention Development Tax
� Tourist Development Tax � FY 2025-2026 Adopted Budget, page 184
� FY 2025-26 Adopted Budget Ordinance No. 25-98, Agenda Item H, Attachment A, pages 309, 906 S1031 $645,000

Track Record/Monitor
Each recommended organization has a track record for responding to Departmental grant requirements and contractual conditions. Ashlee Thomas, Interim Director of the Department of Cultural Affairs, is responsible for monitoring the grant contracts.

Background
The Community Grants Program is responsive on a quarterly basis to organizations that develop small and large-scale community-based programs, projects, events and publications. When taken together, all four quarters provide a picture of the entire year of activities and the broad diversity of applicants and projects. The Program encourages: (1) activities and projects that preserve heritage, traditions and culture; and (2) social service organizations and cultural groups developing collaborative intervention projects using the arts. An inclusive program, Community Grants supports approximately 100-125 projects each year from nonprofit organizations serving all thirteen districts. With four deadlines a year, the Program welcomes applications for cultural projects that are reflective of the diverse population of Miami-Dade County.


In addition, the Department�s grants programs are promoted to hundreds of organizations and individuals through the Department�s e-newsletter, social media platforms, open workshops and on the Department�s website. The Department also promotes the programs through partner organizations and collaborations with Commission District offices. Interested applicants are encouraged to attend free in-person and virtual workshops that are held throughout the year that explain the grants process. Applicants are offered one-on-one consultations (offered in multiple languages), workshops, and technical assistance, including a corrections process, prior to the panel review. The Department's grants administrators work closely with applicants to ensure their success and account for the fact that virtually all of the nonprofits that apply are recommended for funding support. In addition, these grants administrators are friendly, knowledgeable and understand that it is essential to make applicants of all sizes and backgrounds feel welcomed and well-served. Applications are fairly and thoroughly evaluated pursuant to the published review criteria in public meetings by volunteers who serve on the program�s review panel, and applicants are strongly encouraged to attend the meetings. Panels are chaired by members of the Department�s advisory board, the Cultural Affairs Council, and are appointed by the Council with the objective of ensuring that full diversity and broad expertise are represented.

As noted earlier, the Community Grants Panel convened on February 5, 2026, and recommended funding all 23 applicants for a total of $134,000.00. The Cultural Affairs Council convened on February 19, 2026, wherein the Fiscal Year 2025-2026 Community Grants Program � Third Quarter recommendation to fund 23 applicants for a total of $134,000.00 was approved unanimously.

The projects selected for funding represent a diversified range of activities and demographic locations. In their deliberations, the Panel and Council carefully considered and applied the Community Grants guidelines. Each applicant organization was evaluated specifically based on the following competitive review criteria: (1) quality of program; (2) administrative capability; (3) marketing strategy; (4) fundraising efforts and (5) geographic location of event.

It is recommended that Resolution No. R-130-06 (requiring contracts with non-governmental entities be signed by the other parties before being submitted to the Board) be waived as it is in the best interest of the County to proceed in this manner in order to expedite grant allocations for time-sensitive tourism-oriented and community events. Simultaneously with this Board item, the Department has submitted the grant agreements to the grantees for their execution and such agreements will be executed by the County following Board approval. This �dual track� approach saves from one to two months of time in providing funding support to projects that have been evaluated through a thorough and already lengthy grants review process. As a safeguard, the Department negotiates the grant agreements by closely adhering to the descriptions of projects that are summarized in the list of grant projects attached to this memorandum to ensure that County grant funds are used strictly for the activities that are listed in this memorandum and represented in the subsequent grant agreements.

Attached is a list describing the projects being recommended for funding.




______________________
Jimmy Morales
Chief Operating Officer