MIAMI, Feb. 3, 2004 – A series of new investments in Overtown will help area residents train for better-paying jobs and prepare for home ownership, as well as provide after-school youth activities and other resources for low-income families in Miami’s historic African-American community.
Trustees of the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation recently approved more than $1.5 million in new grant awards for organizations serving Overtown residents. The grants follow a $1.4 million investment last August in low-income housing and represent the latest commitments in the foundation’s ongoing Neighborhood Revitalization Initiative for the adjoining Overtown and East Little Havana communities, now approaching $20 million.
Partners for Self-Employment Inc. of Miami was awarded $225,000 over three years for a program aimed at increasing home ownership and improving Overtown residents’ access to financial programs and services. Now in its 10th year, the organization’s Micro-Business, USA program helps low-income families achieve financial self-sufficiency by earning, saving and managing money.
Other three-year ventures receiving Knight Foundation support include Communities in Schools of Miami, awarded $247,500 for its LEAD program (Leadership, Empowerment and Academic Development) in partnership with the Miami Rescue Mission, and B.A.M.E. Community Development Corporation, Miami, awarded $200,000 for job training and workforce development programs at two Overtown technology centers.
“When we launched our Overtown revitalization effort two years ago, we understood it was going to require a sizable, long-term investment,” said Hodding Carter III, Knight president and CEO. “We are encouraged by the level of excellent work under way by a number of local and national organizations that are focusing their energies on Overtown. But we don’t want to kid ourselves – we know this is going to be an extended effort.”
Knight funds are also going to several other organizations serving Overtown residents:
- Overtown Youth Center, $200,000, for after-school youth programs.
- Roots in the City, $194,250, for beautifying five Overtown sites with murals and gardens.
- Suited for Success, $150,000, for job readiness programs in Overtown and East Little Havana.
- Adopt-a-Classroom, $100,000, to provide supplementary instructional materials for elementary teachers.
- KidVentures, $90,000, for entrepreneurship education for middle and high school students.
- Greater Miami Tennis Foundation, $75,000, for after-school and summer youth programs.
- Miami Children’s Museum, $60,000, for programs serving children from low-income families.
The latest grant awards build on last summer’s grant funding to Habitat to Humanity for low-cost housing in Overtown and, before that, a $5.4 million investment to launch the Overtown Transformation Partnership, a collaborative community development effort in the neighborhood.
The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation promotes excellence in journalism worldwide and invests in the vitality of 26 U.S. communities.