26 Miami groups were shortlisted for a $25,000 award. Here’s who they are

Three community groups were named on Thursday as the first winners of the Elevate Miami Awards. Nominees for the awards were solicited through a social media campaign that generated nearly 2,500 responses. The contenders were narrowed down to a shortlist of 26 organizations, from which three winners were chosen. Here is the shortlist.

Propelling Into Triumph (PIT)

Housing

Propelling Into Triumph (PIT) empowers young adults transitioning out of foster care through mentorship, life-skills training, and career guidance. Founded by Shavon Saint Preux, who drew on her own experience navigating the foster care system, PIT offers young people the kind of support she once needed herself. Through Saints House transitional housing and wraparound coaching, participants build essential skills — budgeting, cooking, employment readiness — alongside the personal work of healing and goal-setting. The model is intentionally small-scale, emphasizing consistent mentorship and clear milestones such as securing identification, opening bank accounts, finding jobs, and moving into stable housing. Shavon leads with a high-expectation, high-support approach and partners with local organizations to connect participants with educational, legal, and mental-health resources. The results are tangible: more pay stubs, fewer nights without housing, and growing confidence among participants as they gain stability and independence. PIT fills a critical gap in a system that too often leaves young adults on their own once they age out of foster care.

Nana’s Restart

Housing/economic development

Nana’s Restart was born as a neighbor-to-neighbor lifeline in Overtown, giving families practical help such as school supplies, food drives, toy giveaways, re-entry support, and case-by-case navigation when a bill, a court date, or a crisis hits. Founder Anitrice “Mama Joy” Jackson has built a trusted storefront for dignity — people come because they know they’ll be seen. Programs flex with community input; one week they provide backpacks and uniforms, another it’s guidance for returning citizens, another it’s groceries and diapers. The work is hyperlocal, relationship-rich, and quick to respond — precisely what many large systems struggle to be. The throughline is economic breathing room: removing friction so parents can work and kids can learn. The program’s impact is felt in restored connections and households staying afloat. As demand grows, the organization is formalizing operations, partnerships, and fundraising to multiply what started as one woman’s relentless care.

The Hive

Education/Youth Development

The Hive creates teen‑centered creative spaces: pop‑up studios, workshops, and activations where young people make things, find mentors, and test out futures. Workshops are guided by local creatives who remember what it felt like to be 15 and eager to try —think beats and video, zines and design, entrepreneurship basics and life skills. The Hive’s work mixes access (tools, software, and production know‑how) with agency (youth‑led programming and opportunities to showcase new skills). Outputs look like portfolios, first gigs, and the confidence to pitch an idea — or just to keep practicing. Early momentum shows in increased participation by teens and opportunities to collaborate with partners.

Project Transforming Hope

Education/youth development

Project Transforming Hope (PTH) runs an eight‑month fellowship that supports and boosts young Black males toward post‑secondary options, economic mobility, and wellness. The curriculum is deliberate: monthly thematic intensives (financial literacy, career pathways, AI fluency, water safety), learning in the field from the Everglades to lab visits, near‑peer mentorship, and a capstone “Shark Tank” pitch. Fellows leave with a network, credentials and a better sense of their own potential. PTH’s co‑founders — educator‑organizer David L. Jackson (chief transformation officer) and executive‑operator Rashard Johnson (COO) design for belonging and rigor. Outcomes to watch include graduation and placement rates, internships, micro‑credential attainment, and alumni persistence through college or skilled careers. In a region where opportunity is unevenly distributed, PTH functions as both program and movement: a counter‑story that says young Black men deserve to thrive.

Health in the Hood

Climate/food justice

Health in the Hood turns vacant lots into urban farms and turns gardens into health. Launched in 2013, the organization connects families in food deserts with fresh harvests, nutrition education, and paid work maintaining neighborhood gardens. The theory is simple: If healthy food is grown around the corner — and residents take part in cultivating it — access, agency, and health outcomes improve together. What begins as raised beds becomes a home for workshops, youth apprenticeships, and community pride; harvest days double as gathering days. Health in the Hood has grown a network of sites across South Florida and a playbook for scaling: assess the site, train stewards, measure yield and distribution, track household impact. The work sits at the intersection of climate resilience and health equity, seeding cooler neighborhoods, greener blocks, and stronger social ties.

Everglades Law Center

Climate/environmental justice

A public‑interest law firm with the Everglades at its heart, Everglades Law Center (ELC) advances restoration and defends South Florida’s ecosystems through policy advocacy, negotiation, and litigation. Its docket spans wetland protections, Endangered Species Act issues, stormwater and sprawl, and the hard details of the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan. ELC represents coalitions and communities whose voices are often sidelined, pressing agencies to follow science and law. At stake are water quality, flood risk, biodiversity, and the long‑term habitability of South Florida. Impact is measured in case outcomes, enforcement improvements, and policy wins that ripple beyond a single case. In an era of accelerating sea‑level rise and development pressure, ELC provides the structural power and legal leverage to make restoration real.

Big Blue & You

Climate/ocean education

Co‑founded by marine science communicator Danni Washington and her mother, Michelle Swaby‑Smith, Big Blue & You invites youth — especially girls and underrepresented communities — into ocean stewardship through art, media, and hands‑on science. From the ArtSea Festival to workshops and content that celebrate “science + creativity,” Big Blue & You lowers barriers to marine education and makes conservation feel personal and joyful. Its programs catalyze youth leadership and connect participants to South Florida’s living classroom: Biscayne Bay and beyond. The impact shows in the alumni who pursue STEM, the partners who integrate ocean education into their own work, and the way kids begin to see themselves as scientists and storytellers. In a coastal city negotiating climate realities, helping young people love and defend the ocean is essential.

Moonlighter FabLab

Education/youth development

Moonlighter is a nonprofit makerspace — a collaborative workshop — on Miami Beach where students and neighbors learn digital fabrication by doing. Laser cutters, 3D printers, CNC tools, and access to an open‑studio help young people turn ideas into prototypes. Educator‑led programs such as Fab Academy modules, museum partnerships and school collaborations translate tech into accessible pathways. At Moonlighter, art meets engineering, community nights meet rigorous curricula. Alumni leave with tangible skills, portfolios, and the confidence to iterate. Founded by designers Tom Pupo and Daisy Nodal and now run by a lean creative team, the lab demonstrates how a neighborhood fab space can widen participation in the innovation economy.

Virtutem Populo, Inc.

Education/youth development

A student‑led civic organization, Virtutem Populo trains the next generation of Florida changemakers through leadership institutes, policy advocacy, and hands‑on civic projects. Youths design town halls, shadow local officials, and learn the mechanics of public problem‑solving, from drafting agendas to building coalitions. The organization’s growth has been fueled by peers recruiting peers and partnerships with schools and local initiatives. Virtutem Populo underscores that democracy is a skill set. With thousands of students engaged, the program shows a growing appetite for non‑performative civics that respects youth agency.

The Dennis Project

Education/youth development

The Dennis Project honors a family legacy of public‑school teaching by bringing STEM to where kids live, learn, and play. Founded in 2012 and named for grandmother Amelia Dennis, a Title I teacher who earned her credentials later in life, the nonprofit runs “Super STEAM Saturdays” and community‑based programs that ignite curiosity and confidence. The energy is welcoming: hands‑on experiments, facilitators who understand and respect the youths’ culture, and consistent faces that kids trust. The goal is to go beyond exposure and build belonging in STEM spaces that can sometimes be exclusionary. Outcomes include increased persistence in math and science, parents reporting renewed enthusiasm, and a pipeline into school‑day opportunities. In neighborhoods where enrichment often costs more than families can spare, The Dennis Project offers high‑quality learning that feels like home.

Miami Freedom Project

Education/Youth Development

Miami Freedom Project (MFP) is both civic classroom and cultural platform, working to transform Miami’s political culture with programming that feels like Miami — cafecito‑fueled conversations, faith‑rooted dialogue and multilingual storytelling. The project invests in civic education, narrative change, and movement‑building on issues from immigrant justice to climate and economic dignity. Organizers bring deep campaign and data skills alongside hospitality for people across differences, a combination that draws in residents who may not see themselves as “political.” The theory of change is to normalize civic participation, grow trusted messengers, and connect everyday Miamians to consequential local decisions. A growing board and advisory bench reflect cross‑sector leadership. Leaders include founding organizers and directors such as Carlos Odio and peers in Miami’s civic ecosystem; board members have included civic entrepreneurs like Leo Gorordo and Juan Cuba.

The Poetry Potluck

Education/youth development (arts)

Part poetry reading, part block party, the Poetry Potluck is a community gathering that animates historically Black spaces with verse, music, food‑sharing, art activations, and conversation. The format is deliberately hospitable — people eat, listen, read, and talk — and the results are civic as well as cultural: Neighbors meet, share histories, and a public square appears. Events average 100–200 attendees. Poetry Potluck has grown a roster of volunteers who treat the series as family. The initiative now includes a Revisionist Poetry Prize and partnerships that embed the arts into place‑keeping. In a climate of polarization and isolation, the Poetry Potluck is a reminder that culture is infrastructure.

Tropical Audubon Society

Climate/conservation

For more than seven decades, Tropical Audubon Society (TAS) has been “South Florida’s Voice of Conservation,” advocating for birds, habitats, and the waters that sustain them. Today the work spans Everglades restoration, Biscayne Bay health, smart growth, and policy vigilance at every level. Field trips and citizen science keep people close to the wonder that is the foundation of the society’s mission. Legal, policy, and communications teams move the levers of change. As climate threats sharpen, Tropical Audubon connects dots between wildlife protection and human resilience — because aquifers, mangroves, and migratory pathways are all part of one system.

The McKenzie Project, Inc.

Housing/economic development

The McKenzie Project is South Florida’s only Black trans‑led nonprofit, advancing the safety, housing stability, and economic power of Black TGNCNB+ people. Services include emergency assistance, housing navigation, name‑change and legal support, health linkages, and leadership development. Community trust is the core asset; the team meets people where they are and fights upstream against criminalization, housing discrimination, and gaps in care. The organization also advocates for policy and philanthropic shifts that move resources to those closest to the problem. In a region where trans people — especially Black trans women — face disproportionate violence and poverty, the McKenzie Project’s existence is itself an intervention.

Sports Konnect

Education/youth development

Sports Konnect weaves mentorship, mental‑health awareness, and STEM into sports programming for youth from under‑resourced Miami‑Dade neighborhoods. The offer is simple: Show up for basketball, soccer, or a skills clinic and leave with new language for emotions, tools for teamwork, and curiosity about robotics or science. The model reframes sports as a doorway into whole‑child development with coaches trained as mentors and trauma‑informed guides. Their current scale includes dozens of sites with plans to serve more than a thousand teens annually.

Women For Success

Housing/economic development

Women For Success equips women to launch and grow ventures through grants, mentorship, and a peer community that celebrates each other and their business plans. The nonprofit curates workshops on sales, finance, and legal basics, matches founders with advisors, and distributes microgrants that fuel early wins. The design is strengths‑based: affirming identities and delivering practical tools and networks. In a landscape where capital access remains inequitable, Women For Success is building an alternative on‑ramp — especially for women of color and first‑time founders. Stories of impact feature entrepreneurs who move from idea to revenue and from side hustle to employer.

Blue Scholars Initiative

Climate/marine education

Blue Scholars takes students onto Biscayne Bay so they can learn “about the ocean on the ocean.” Co‑founded by educators Adam Steckley and Doug Brown and modeled on proven marine education programs, the nonprofit blends on‑water inquiry with classroom preparation and follow‑up. Students collect data, handle equipment, and meet scientists — learning to love a bay that needs their stewardship. The ambition is bigger than field trips. Blue Scholars aims to graduate ocean‑literate citizens who can read a tide chart, trace a watershed, and advocate for ocean-friendly policy. As Blue Scholars grows its programming, guiding principles (safety, ecology, community, stewardship) anchor the program and its growth.

Good Samaritan Relief Inc.

Education/youth development (civic)

Good Samaritan Relief focuses on civic education and participation within Caribbean and Caribbean‑American communities in South Florida. Programs include citizenship application support, voter registration events, youth civic leadership workshops, and resource distribution tied to civic milestones. The organization also hosts mental‑health conversations and community service initiatives that build trust alongside turnout. In a time of disinformation and disengagement, Good Samaritan Relief treats civic literacy as a public‑health intervention. Informed families navigate systems with less stress and more agency. Newly formalized, the nonprofit is building governance and partnerships to sustain growth while staying close to its neighborhood roots.

Living in Abundance, Inc.

Housing/economic development

Living in Abundance meets people in crisis with tangible relief — hot meals, care packages, clothing and hygiene kits, backpack drives. Interventions also include navigation to housing, employment, and social‑service resources. Volunteers are the engine of the initiative. Living in Abundance’s pop‑up distributions and street outreach bring help directly to parks, shelters, and encampments. The program’s ethos is compassion paired with pragmatism — “What do you need today, and who can we call together?” The narrative is many small miracles: nights off the street, a clean uniform for class, a return call from a landlord, a first paycheck. Over time, the team is formalizing data practices to capture outcomes like rehousing, job connections, and school stability for kids.

Free Plastic, Inc.

Climate/circular economy

Free Plastic treats South Florida’s plastic waste stream as raw material for art, education, and local manufacturing. The project organizes cleanups, develops small‑scale recycling and fabrication techniques, and turns recovered plastic into durable objects that tell a story. Workshops reveal the physics and limits of recycling, and public art installations make pollution visible and alternatives tangible. By operating under a fiscal sponsorship and partnering with schools, makers, and coastal stewards, Free Plastic builds a distributed network of collectors and creators. The goal is to shrink single‑use culture by shifting norms and proving that local closed recycling loops are possible.

Amplify Community Resources

Education/youth development (mental health)

Amplify Community Resources (ACR) advances community mental health through culturally rooted programming. Its Teen Talk sessions, parent circles, and wellness outreach normalize seeking help and equip families with practical tools. Founded by Ruban Roberts, a seasoned family therapist and community leader, ACR pairs clinical insight with neighborhood wisdom. The curriculum centers on conflict navigation, emotional literacy, and resilience. The programming is delivered by facilitators who look like and live among the participants. ACR’s posture is proactive: meet youth before crisis, de‑stigmatize care, and connect households to a continuum of services. Recent recognition and grants are fueling expansion across schools and community sites.

Bookleggers Library

Education/youth development (literacy)

Bookleggers is Miami’s first (and only) free bookstore, a mobile‑meets‑brick‑and‑mortar experiment that has given away tens of thousands of books since 2012. Pop‑ups, a Bookbike, and a Library Trailer bring literature to parks, festivals, shelters and prisons. Booklegger’s Wynwood storefront anchors the network with events and a “take a book, any book” invitation. In an era of closures and bans, Bookleggers also defends the civic role of books — curiosity, empathy, argument.

Dream in Green

Climate/K–12 sustainability

Dream in Green (DiG) empowers K–12 students and educators to design and implement energy and environmental solutions in their schools and communities. Signature programs like the Green Schools Challenge blend teacher training, student leadership, and real‑world projects that cut utility use and build climate literacy. DiG’s model proves that sustainability education can produce measurable resource savings while growing agency in young people. Alumni carry climate competence into careers and civic life, and school districts gain cost savings and momentum for deeper decarbonization.

Refugee Assistance Alliance

Housing/economic development

Refugee Assistance Alliance (RAA) accompanies newcomer families from crisis toward stability through intensive case management. Services include English tutoring, women’s support circles, and volunteer “friendship teams.” Founded in 2017 as neighbors rallied around Syrian arrivals, the alliance expanded during Afghan resettlement and now serves a diverse community of survivors of conflict. The approach is relational and practical — staff members and volunteers help newcomers navigate healthcare, schools and work, learn language, and build social capital. Impact shows up in first leases, first jobs, and kids finding their footing. The alliance also advocates for a more welcoming South Florida ecosystem.

Books & Books

Education/youth development (arts & culture)

Books & Books is South Florida’s literary commons: an indie bookstore network that hosts hundreds of author events a year. The store curates with care, champions local authors, and partners widely with schools, libraries, and cultural institutions. In a retail landscape tilted toward scale, Books & Books proves that depth and hospitality can be a business model and a civic asset. Over the years, countless readers have gathered in its courtyard for conversations and events, discovering how books can bring people together.

MORAES

Climate/marine science pathways

MORAES is a Miami‑based nonprofit building pathways into marine and environmental science through internships, scholarships, research assistance and citizen‑science opportunities. Students and volunteers join habitat restorations, sea‑turtle monitoring, research into dolphins and other cetaceans, and beach cleanups — work that both builds resumes and roots students in place. The organization stitches together university labs, agencies, and community partners so more locals can see themselves in the field. In a city defined by water, MORAES helps ensure the next generation of scientists comes from here and stays for the work.

This story was originally published November 20, 2025 at 6:00 PM.