Rebecca Fishman Lipsey, CEO, The Miami Foundation

In an interview with Invest:, Rebecca Fishman Lipsey, CEO of the Miami Foundation, shared insights on the organization’s achievements, strategies for fostering collaboration, approaches to equity, and efforts to support resilience in nonprofits and small businesses amidst economic challenges.

What were some of the Foundation’s achievements over the last year?

Our mission is to help Miami become the most generous city in the world. In 2023, a study conducted by AmeriCorps and the U.S. Census Bureau ranked Miami as the city with the lowest civic health in the country, citing low voter turnout, volunteerism, and donations.

Over the last decade, The Miami Foundation has worked to change that narrative. As a hub for generosity and civic health, we’ve aimed to inspire Miamians to get involved and give back.

One standout achievement this year is Give Miami Day, our annual initiative to engage the entire city in giving. We saw 109,000 donations — one of the highest-performing giving events globally. Seeing that level of participation in a city once labeled as having the lowest civic health makes me incredibly proud.

Another milestone is the growth of our foundation, a hub for philanthropic wealth in the community. Over the last few years, we’ve grown significantly from $263 million in assets in 2015 to $570 million in 2024. This reflects Miami’s generosity and the community’s growing sense of connection.

What are some of the most pressing challenges and opportunities you see in philanthropy and community development in Greater Miami today?

One major challenge is the issue of silos and the need to break them down. Miami, a hub for innovation and small businesses, is a place where the American Dream is achievable for many. In fact, 80% of Miami businesses are micro-businesses, with fewer than 10 employees.

However, this environment often leads to duplication of efforts. Many organizations, especially in the social impact sector, work independently to solve similar problems. With over 1,000 nonprofits in Miami, many operate at a limited scale. Encouraging collaboration — without necessarily merging — could lead to bigger challenges being solved more effectively.

Affordable housing and affordability overall remain pressing concerns as Miami continues to grow. Maintaining upward mobility, a defining feature of our community, is critical. Public education also remains vital to ensuring opportunity for everyone.

The greater challenge, however, lies in fostering collaboration. Miami has strong leaders tackling these issues, but we need to align resources and strategies to achieve greater impact than any single organization could alone.

How has the Foundation adapted its strategies to address systemic issues like affordability, racial equity, economic disparities, and climate change in recent years?

One initiative I’m particularly proud of is the launch of our collective impact department four years ago. This initiative identifies Miami’s most pressing issues and rallies stakeholders to address them collaboratively.

During COVID, for example, we tackled the issue of Internet access. At the time, 100,000 kids in Miami lacked Internet access but were required to attend school online. Without coordination, we would’ve seen fragmented efforts — one group buying laptops, another hotspot, and so on. Instead, we aligned on a single strategy.

As a result, we connected over 300,000 people to the Internet and provided the necessary devices and training. This ensured every child received the support they needed during an incredibly disconnected time.

Our collective impact department continues to address critical issues by uniting philanthropists, problem-solvers, and community leaders. This approach allows us to go beyond simply providing grants and develop comprehensive, collaborative solutions that benefit the entire community.

How does the Foundation approach its dual role as a convener of stakeholders and a direct grantmaker?

I don’t think of it as balancing these roles — it’s not about splitting time between one or the other. We make grants year-round, addressing a wide range of issue areas. This work naturally connects us with hundreds of nonprofits, and through these relationships, we learn a great deal about their work and needs.

The real question is: What do we do with that insight? For me, it feels like a responsibility. If we’re gathering valuable perspectives from nonprofit leaders and philanthropists, we can’t let those conversations end. We have to elevate them.

For example, if consistent feedback highlights a specific challenge, we can convene nonprofit leaders, philanthropists, government, and other stakeholders to address it collaboratively. I see it as an opportunity to level up — using our position and insights to amplify impact and create solutions that no single organization or sector could achieve alone.

Given the current economic pressures, how is the Foundation supporting small businesses and nonprofits to build resilience?

A few years ago, I learned that the average Miami family has just $400 in savings. Imagine the risks this creates — how even a flat tire or a week of missed work can disrupt someone’s life. This isn’t a small subset of our community; it’s a widespread reality.

In response, hundreds of organizations in Miami are working to address this challenge. As inflation rises, we focus on equipping these organizations to build resilience so they, in turn, can help individuals and families do the same.

One impactful shift we’ve made is to provide flexible, multi-year investments. When organizations operate on one-year funding cycles, they’re limited in the solutions they can create. They can’t plan long-term, iterate, or pivot effectively.

By offering unrestricted, multi-year support, we empower nonprofits to use resources as they see fit. Those closest to the issues know best how to address them. Micromanaging or restricting funds hinders their ability to adapt and respond to what works.

Over the past three years, we’ve invested $15 million in minority-owned small businesses through our Open for Business program, directly supporting the people and businesses that help Miami thrive.

How do you ensure that equity and inclusion are central to the Foundation’s work?

Equity and inclusion are core to who we are and what we do. It’s not just about ensuring every program or initiative is designed with equity in mind — it’s also about having brave conversations.

In today’s political climate, it’s become harder to talk openly about inequities. Some of the language around diversity, equity, and inclusion has been heavily scrutinized, and many organizations that began their equity efforts a decade ago now find it more challenging to implement these initiatives.

As a leadership force in Miami, our role is to continue these conversations, even when they’re uncomfortable. Miami is a place of incredible opportunity, but it’s also a place of profound inequity. To address this, one of our key strategies is publishing data. Data speaks for itself. It’s not emotional or subjective — it’s factual.

For example, when we show where philanthropic dollars are going in Miami, it becomes clear which issue areas or neighborhoods are receiving resources and which are not. Similarly, when we highlight the demographics of leaders receiving funding, the disparities become evident. Publishing this kind of data encourages people and organizations to act differently because they can’t ignore the disparities once they see them.

Looking ahead, what are your top priorities for the Foundation over the next few years?

My number one goal is for the Foundation to invest $1 billion in solutions for Miami. We set this ambitious goal a few years ago as part of our three-year strategic plan. At the time, we had already invested $500 million. Today, we’re at $750 million, and my aim is to reach $1 billion by the end of 2026.

This milestone is significant because it reflects the generosity of Miami and our commitment to bold solutions for the city’s most pressing challenges. It’s not about the money we house — it’s about the money we’ve mobilized to make an impact.

What is your vision for Miami over the next decade, and what role will the Foundation play in bringing that vision to life?

I began with this, and I’ll end here: we want Miami to be the most generous city in the world. One of the unique challenges of Miami is that so many people come here from other places and often still feel like those places are home. My goal is for everyone who lives, works, or plays in Miami to feel that Miami is home.

When a place feels like home, you care about it. You invest in its future. My vision is for everyone in Miami to feel proud to be a co-author of the city’s story and motivated to give back.