(Miami, FL - January 12, 2023) - Mayor Francis Suarez announced  today  that  the City of Miami will fund ?ve organizations dedicated to advancing STEM education in the City of Miami. The funds are granted through the Economic Accessibility Initiative (EAI) through Venture Miami, which aims to provide access to economic opportunities in the tech industry for Miami citizens. As part of this initiative, Venture Miami has selected 5 organizations to receive a total of $250,000 in grants to support their programs and initiatives.

"The Economic Accessibility Initiative is an important step towards  building  clear pathways for our citizens to participate in the tech industry and leverage  technology in  the early stages of their education," said Mayor Francis X. Suarez. "I am proud to support these organizations and their efforts to provide access to economic opportunities in the tech industry for Miami citizens at an early age."

The ?ve organizations selected to receive grants as part of the EAI include Breakthrough Miami, Do Good 4 1, Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE), CodeArt, and Dibia Dream. Each organization will receive $50,000 to support their programs and initiatives.

"We are grateful to Mayor Suarez and the City of Miami Commission for their support of the Economic Accessibility Initiative," said Lori-Ann Cox, leader of Breakthrough Miami. "These funds will allow us to deepen our existing programs focused on technology, innovation, and youth leadership development, and engage more students in tech and innovation through our summer institute and school year programming."

"We are thrilled to be a part of the Economic Accessibility Initiative and receive funding from Venture Miami," said Max Joseph, President and Founder of Do Good 4 1. "These funds will allow us to serve more residents in District 5 through our STEM program, STEAM Labs Computer Science, we believe an early integration of STEM activities increases student proclivities toward entering a STEM career or college pathways.

"The Economic Accessibility Initiative is an incredible opportunity for NFTE and the youth we serve," said Christopher Birgnolle, leader of NFTE. "These funds will allow us to continue our mission of igniting the entrepreneurial mindset in students and empower them to own their futures through the Made in Miami project.

"We are grateful for the support of Mayor Suarez and the City of Miami Commission through the Economic Accessibility Initiative," said Brandon Okpalobi, leader of Dibia Dream. "These funds will allow us to continue to spark social change through enrichment and educational support that directly touches the lives of youth and families, many of whom are from economically disadvantaged and at-risk communities."

"CodeArt is honored to be a part of the Economic Accessibility Initiative and receive funding from Venture Miami," said Executive Director Amy Austin Renshaw. "These funds will allow us to provide more girls with the opportunity to learn about computer science and technology in a fun and supportive environment."

The Economic Accessibility Initiative is focused on developing a long-term approach to economic growth in Miami that allows citizens to bene?t from the  economic  opportunities provided by the tech industry. Priority areas for this initiative include technical and non-technical career positions, upskilling and re-training, small business support and digital transformation, internships/apprenticeships, STEM programs, digital equity, and diversity and inclusion.

For more information, please contact each organization’s respective leader. For Breakthrough Miami [email protected], DoGood41 [email protected], NFTE [email protected], CodeArt [email protected], and Dibia Dream [email protected].

About Venture Miami

Venture Miami is a team that was assembled by City of Miami Mayor Francis Suarez. The mission and goal  of the Venture  Miami team is to make Miami the "capital of capital" with an innovative technology ecosystem and economy that delivers for everyone. Our ?ve pillars are (1) provide concierge support for funders & founders. (2) connect talent to jobs. (3) meaningfully promote diversity, equity & inclusion. (4) bridge connections between new to market entities and the existing innovation ecosystem. (5) support regional collaboration amongst other local governments,  economic  development  agencies & organizations.