Together, we build stronger communities
Through strategic investments, community partnerships, and responsive programming, we address critical needs and expand opportunities for Miami-Dade communities.
Expanding access to quality education, youth development, and lifelong learning opportunities that empower residents to achieve their full potential and contribute to stronger communities.
Advancing community well-being by addressing health disparities, expanding access to quality care, and supporting the physical, mental, and emotional health of individuals and families across Miami-Dade.
Connecting residents to stable, affordable housing — because physical safety and community resilience begin with a secure home.
Expanding access to income, capital, and opportunity so families can build financial security and participate fully in civic life.
2026
Education
In 2026, The Carrie Meek Foundation partnered with the Girl Scouts of Tropical Florida and Miami Youth Garden to launch a Girl Scout Partnership Troop at Carrie P. Meek/Westview K-8 Center.
Through this innovative afterschool model, Miami Youth Garden staff are trained to serve as Girl Scout troop leaders and lead weekly troop meetings on campus. The program is expected to engage approximately 12 to 15 girls, providing access to Girl Scout membership, leadership development, program materials, activities, and transportation to events when needed.
By bringing Girl Scout programming directly into a trusted school and community setting, the partnership helps remove barriers to participation while creating opportunities for girls to build confidence, strengthen leadership skills, develop meaningful relationships, and take an active role in their communities.
The initiative reflects the Foundation’s commitment to expanding access to high-quality educational and youth development opportunities for children and families across Miami-Dade County.
2024
Cross-Pillar Program
Funded through the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office on Violence Against Women, this program engages men and boys across Miami-Dade County as active allies in the prevention of violence against women and girls. Through culturally responsive workshops, leadership development, and community dialogues, the program equips male participants with the tools, language, and commitment to become advocates for safety in their homes and neighborhoods.
The program builds on the foundation’s longstanding belief that safer communities require the full participation of everyone in them, and that men and boys are essential partners, not bystanders, in ending gender-based violence.
2024
Economic Development
The Carrie Meek Foundation is expanding access to high-quality workforce training through the Carrie Meek Aviation Workforce Innovation Center, an initiative designed to prepare Miami-Dade residents for careers in one of South Florida’s fastest-growing industries.
Made possible through an $850,000 Congressional appropriation (HUD Grant) secured by Congresswoman Frederica Wilson, the Center will serve residents from Opa-locka, Liberty City, Miami Gardens, Hialeah, and surrounding communities by providing industry-relevant skills training, career development, and pathways to employment.
The Aviation Workforce Innovation Center will feature state-of-the-art training labs focused on:
The program is designed to equip unemployed and underemployed individuals with the knowledge, technical skills, and support needed to access high-demand, family-sustaining careers while strengthening Miami-Dade’s workforce pipeline.
2022
Opa-locka, Florida City, and Liberty City
The Meek Mobilize Grants Program invested in nonprofit organizations, faith-based institutions, community groups, business owners, and neighborhood activists organizing grassroots efforts in three of Miami-Dade’s most underserved communities: Opa-locka, Florida City, and Liberty City.
The program sought the best ideas, projects, and initiatives that united residents around critical quality of life causes affecting Miami-Dade’s Black and Brown communities. Funded projects were evaluated across three principles:
2023 — 2025
Community-Wide / Multiple Focus Areas
Administered by the Carrie Meek Foundation in partnership with Miami-Dade County, the Supporting Safer Communities (SSC) program was one of the most significant community violence intervention investments in South Florida’s history. Launched in April 2023, the program took a public health approach to gun violence, funding organizations across four service areas: high-risk interventions, reentry services, mental health and victim outreach, and grassroots community groups.
Nearly 30% of funded organizations were first-time grantees, reflecting the foundation’s commitment to reaching historically underfunded groups doing vital work in their neighborhoods.
invested across Miami-Dade
Organizations funded
Residents directly served
Homicide reduction in Liberty City
Education Access Initiative
As part of the SSC program, there was also a scholarship component that reflected Congresswoman Meek’s core belief that education is one of the most powerful tools a community has. The program provided scholarships of up to $25,000 to 80 low-income students.
Per scholarship
Carrie Meek Scholars supported
Focus area
A BLUEPRINT FOR HOPE: lessons and legacy from Miami-Dade’s Supporting Safer Communitites Program 2023-2025
2023
Housing
New World Condominium Relief | Emergency Relief
In 2023, The Carrie Meek Foundation activated its Community Action Fund to support more than 200 residents displaced by the devastating January 28 fire at the New World Condominium in North Dade.
With support from the Office of Miami-Dade County Commission Chair Oliver Gilbert III and Antioch Missionary Baptist Church of Miami Gardens, led by Pastor Arthur Jackson III, the Foundation raised more than $35,000 to provide direct assistance to impacted individuals and families.
Through the relief effort, eligible households received $475 gift cards to help cover immediate living expenses. More than 50 families participated in a community reception at the Betty T. Ferguson Recreational Complex, where residents also had an opportunity to reconnect with neighbors and request additional support related to housing and employment.
The initiative reflects the purpose of the Foundation’s Community Action Fund: mobilizing partners, resources, and direct assistance to help South Florida residents respond to crisis and begin rebuilding their lives.
Raised for direct resident assistance
Residents displaced by the fire
Families supported at the relief reception
2023
Education | Community Collaboration & Student Support
The Carrie Meek Foundation launched the Florida City Student Success Summit to strengthen the network of organizations, educators, community leaders, families, and residents working to support young people in Florida City.
Created through the National Partnership for Student Success Community Collaboration Challenge, the Summit brought together stakeholders from across the education and community-services ecosystem to identify gaps, strengthen partnerships, and explore more coordinated approaches to helping students succeed.
Through community listening, facilitated discussions, and collaborative workshops, participants focused on three critical areas affecting local students: mental health and well-being, student engagement and absenteeism, and academic achievement. The initiative also centered the voices and experiences of students and families to help ensure that future strategies reflect the needs of the community.
The Summit was designed as a starting point for a broader student success collaborative in Florida City, connecting organizations and individuals around shared goals and helping build a more coordinated, people-centered system of support for children and youth.
Community stakeholders targeted
Student success priorities
Community collaborative envisioned
2021-2022
Health / Community Grant Initiative
In 2022, The Carrie Meek Foundation partnered with HOPE Murals to support an arts-based youth development initiative addressing gun violence among young people involved in the juvenile justice system.
Through its character development program, HOPE Murals engaged youth at the Miami-Dade Regional Juvenile Detention Center in mural creation, guided reflection, and small-group activities designed to strengthen self-awareness, self-esteem, self-discipline, and self-efficacy. Participants used art as a tool to reflect on their experiences, explore the choices that shaped their lives, and envision a different path forward.
The initiative also supported the development of measurable outcomes that could demonstrate the program’s impact and help create opportunities to expand similar programming within Florida’s juvenile justice system.
This partnership reflects the Foundation’s commitment to addressing the root causes of violence, investing in underserved youth, and supporting innovative approaches that strengthen individual well-being and community safety.
Youth engaged in the initial program cohort
Arts-based character development sessions
Juvenile detention center partnership
“Art gives young people a way to reflect on where they have been, understand where they are, and imagine where they want to go. Through HOPE Murals, youth are encouraged to recognize their own potential and see a future beyond the circumstances that brought them into the juvenile justice system.”
2021
Cross-Pillar Initiative
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Carrie Meek Foundation launched a grants initiative to help address the disproportionate impact of the public health and economic crisis on Black and brown communities across Miami-Dade County. Through targeted investments in trusted nonprofit organizations, the Foundation expanded access to essential services while advancing long-term equity in housing, health, education, and economic opportunity.
The initiative supported organizations providing eviction prevention, legal assistance, workforce development, food security, mental health services, educational enrichment, and leadership development for residents facing the greatest barriers during the pandemic.
invested in community-based solutions
Nonprofit organizations funded
Focus areas supported
3 grantees • $15000
3 grantees • $120000
3 grantees • $50000
3 grantees • $15000
Lucia Davis-Raiford
President & CEO – The Carrie Meek Foundation
2001 — 2016
Education Access Initiative
Maximum per family per year
Carrie Meek Scholars supported
