Jorge Pérez’s foundation celebrates a decade of supporting the arts in Miami
The mark of Jorge Pérez and his development firm, The Related Group, can be seen across South Florida in the skyline — but the towering buildings will never match the immeasurable human impact he’s had. A child from a low-income family who learns to play the violin. A teenager from a tough neighborhood who discovers the arts and gains discipline. An older adult who couldn’t afford a concert ticket but can now attend thanks to a philanthropic effort.
The Cuban American developer, art collector, and philanthropist has given more than $200 million to art initiatives, many through the family-run Jorge M. Pérez Family Foundation.
His passion for art began in childhood, when his mother would take him to museums and buy him books — gestures he admits he didn’t fully appreciate then as he does now.
“I realized art made me think. It has allowed me to become a better person, someone more aware of what’s happening in the world,” says Pérez, who this month celebrates the 10th anniversary of the Jorge M. Pérez Family Foundation.
In 2012, he signed The Giving Pledge —the commitment launched by Bill and Melinda Gates and Warren Buffett for the world’s wealthiest individuals to donate much of their fortune to philanthropy.
Now 75, Pérez speaks about art with a contagious enthusiasm — the kind that makes you wonder why you’re not heading to a museum right now, perhaps to the Pérez Art Museum Miami (PAMM), where he’s made several multimillion-dollar donations.
“What we’re trying to build is a cultural ecosystem,” Pérez told el Nuevo Herald. “There isn’t a major city without one — a place where everyone can experience and absorb the arts. I’m proud of the organizations that help make that happen, the ones that contribute to creating better, more disciplined students.”
A whole day for the arts in Miami
On Oct. 14, the Pérez Art Museum Miami hosted the Pérez Grantee Summit — a gathering that marked a decade of the Jorge M. Pérez Family Foundation. Each year, Jorge and his wife, Darlene, meet with representatives from the South Florida nonprofits they support to hear directly about their needs and challenges.
They also invite public officials and policymakers to take part — voices Pérez says are crucial at a time when arts institutions are facing funding cuts.
“When philanthropy falls for other reasons, the arts are always the most affected,” Pérez says, while also pointing to other pressing problems. “Homelessness is a very important issue, so we donate to education and economic development. That feeds the stomach. With art, we also feed the soul, the mind, creativity— what separates us from animals.”
What began as a series of unstructured donations evolved into a more strategic effort in 2015, when the family formally created the Jorge M. Pérez Family Foundation. Since then, it has supported 160 South Florida nonprofits with $80 million in grants over the past decade.
Pérez says he likes to see firsthand how the money is used.
“We approach it like a business,” he explains. Independent evaluators regularly assess the work of the organizations and programs they fund. Most are doing incredible work, he said, so they often increase support.
“We give the money over three years, because you can’t get all the results in one year,” he says, adding that they contribute to both “university organizations and small non-profits doing great work.”
Each Jorge M. Pérez Family Foundation meeting begins with an artistic presentation from one of the organizations or projects they support. Sometimes Pérez takes the time to meet the students who benefit from after-school programs or to talk with the artists.
“I love sitting with them, seeing how the teacher or curator shows them artworks, and the questions they ask,” Pérez says.
Sometimes, grantees are invited to barbecues at the Pérez home — a chance, he says, for them to see what’s possible. “I want them to understand how far they can go… because I started with nothing.”
Born in Argentina to Cuban parents, Pérez spent his teenage years in Colombia before coming to Miami in 1968 to study at what was then Miami-Dade Junior College. He later earned a bachelor’s degree from Long Island University and a master’s in economics and urban planning from the University of Michigan.
His career began with a focus on building public housing. “I wanted to do something with a social purpose,” he told el Nuevo Herald in a 2018 interview. “It was wonderful — I was making money and helping people.”
That success has fueled his philanthropy. Last year, Pérez and his wife donated a $10 million Miami Beach condominium to The Miami Foundation, which manages the family foundation. In 2021, he donated $33 million from the sale of his former Coconut Grove home to the same organization — the largest gift in its history and among the biggest ever in Miami.
An arts grants program in Miami
During the one-day Pérez Grantee Summit, the foundation also announced the newest group of organizations selected for its CreARTE program. Established in 2019 in partnership with The Miami Foundation, CreARTE has invested more than $16 million in Miami-Dade organizations to expand access to the arts.
This year, 43 innovative projects will share $5 million over the next two years to strengthen visual and performing arts programs and arts education initiatives.
Among the 2025 grantees—each receiving up to $200,000—are Teeny Violini, which brings music education to early learning centers; Karen Peterson and Dancers, whose Everyone Dances residency program serves teens with special needs; and Brevo Theatre, which uplifts underrepresented voices through creative performance and storytelling.
“Generosity continues to change lives in Miami and beyond,” said Rebecca Fishman Lipsey, president and CEO of The Miami Foundation, in a press release. “We are immensely proud to work so closely with the Pérez family, fulfilling their Giving Pledge commitment through bold investments in the arts, education and opportunities for artists.”
One program that has thrived thanks to support from the Jorge M. Pérez Family Foundation is Fountainhead Residency, a nonprofit that offers artists a monthlong stay in a restored 1950s home in Miami’s Morningside neighborhood. The setting — leafy, tranquil, and steps from Biscayne Bay — was designed to foster creativity.
“It was intentionally created in a house so visitors to the artists feel at home; that’s where it began and where we continue,” Kathryn Mikesell, cofounder and executive director of Fountainhead Residency, told el Nuevo Herald.
In the early days, Mikesell handled everything herself — from cleaning bathrooms to making beds for artists. When Fountainhead became a nonprofit in 2017, the Pérez Family Foundation was among its first major supporters. Jorge and Darlene Pérez, she said, have not only donated every year but also introduced the organization to other key philanthropists in Miami’s art community.
Fountainhead Residency welcomes curators, collectors, and art lovers to meet and connect with resident artists. The organization documents each artist’s creative process through photos and video, and once a month, it invites the public to visit the studios and engage in conversation.
.jpg "Jose Villalobos in his Fountainhead studio_photograped by Zachary Balber (2).jpg")
That open-studio experience happens to be one of Jorge Pérez’s favorite activities. “When he’s with an artist, he gives them his full attention,” Mikesell said, calling the relationship between Fountainhead and the foundation “a true partnership.” “They’re not just supporters — they share our joy. They’re always checking in on us,” she said, noting that the Pérez family has also helped provide critical museum exposure for many artists.
Pérez, who is acutely aware that most artists “earn little or nothing,” remains steadfast in his commitment to them.
“We want to give more,” he says of the foundation’s future. “We’ll leave money for philanthropy, of course, but I want to invest as much as I can now — to see the results firsthand. We’ll keep supporting high-impact programs and hope others will replicate them on a larger scale so that our funding creates even more success stories — and helps make Miami a better city.”
For information about Perez Family Foundation grants: jmperezfamilyfoundation.org/grant-opportunities/
This story was originally published October 15, 2025 at 4:15 PM.
