LTC 307-2021 Miami Beach Rising Above Grants UpdateMIANAI BEACH
City of Miami Beach, 1700 Convention Center Drive, Miami Beach, Florida 33139, www.miamibeachfi.gov
Alina T. Hudak, City Manager
Tel: 305-673-7010 , Fax: 305-673-7782
No. LTC # 307-2021 LETTER TO COMMISSION
TO: Honorable Mayor Dan Gelber and Members of the City Commission
FROM: Alina T. Hudak, City Manag r
DATE: July 23, 2021
SUBJECT: Miami Beach Rising Above Grants Update
I am pleased to announce that applications are open for the 2021 cycle of the Miami Beach Rising
Above grants totaling $110,000. Miami Beach Rising Above is the City's identifier and website
for climate resilience initiatives and information. Local non-profit organizations are encouraged
to apply for projects and programs with an emphasis on the environment including:
• Sustainable innovation,
• Restoration/conservation of wildlife or habitats,
• Energy efficiency and/or renewable energy,
• Waste reduction, recycling, and/or repurposing,
• Low impact development,
• Green infrastructure,
• Marine environments,
• Environmental justice,
• Water quality, and
• Education and Outreach.
This grant is made possible through the Boucher Brothers Miami Beach LLC Public Beachfront
Concession Agreement which includes value-added enhancements that include annual
contributions to support of environmental and marine related organizations and/or programs.
Similarly, the Franchisee Waste Hauler Agreement includes additional public services in which
an annual contribution is paid to the City to support environmental organizations.
A selection committee comprised of City staff will evaluate applications utilizing scoring guidelines
that address the following criteria: applicant experience, project benefit, project budget and priority
alignment.
Grant applications (Attachment A) will be accepted from July 22 until August 20 at 5:OOPM.
Applicants can access and submit the application at: www.mbrisingabove.com/grants. Awardees
will be announced on September 24th. Proposals are recommended to range from $2,000 to a
maximum of $30,000.
2019 Grant Cycle Awardees
During the last cycle, eight local organizations were selected. Due to the pandemic, grantees
were provided an extension to address any impacts to the schedule and deliverables for some of
the programs. The administration has worked closely with each organization to ensure they
receive the resources needed to meet their grant goals.
The following is a breakdown on the status for each of the 2019 grant awardees.
Pelican Harbor Seabird Station — Wildlife Protection ($25,000)
o Pelican Harbor Seabird Station (PHSS) has served as the only full-service native
wildlife hospital within Miami -Dade County for the past 40 years. Roughly 14% of
the 2,364 injured or orphaned native birds and wildlife were rescued from Miami
Beach since 2020. This represents 433 patients. PHSS has also hosted several
community events to educate the public about the environment, sustainability, and
marine conservation as it relates to trash, pollution, and fisheries entanglements
workshops. PHSS led eight public releases of seabirds, raptors and songbirds as
an opportunity to highlight partnerships and collaborative efforts with Miami Beach
Debris Free Oceans - #PlasticFreeMB ($21,500.00)
o Debris Free Oceans (DFO) is the City's lead partner in the #PlasticFreeMB
Businesses Certification Program. This past grant cycle, DFO developed a user-
friendly webpage for their Vendor Product Guide, which provides businesses with
an easy way to access sustainable plastic -free alternatives and a cost -benefit
"calculator" for businesses, to assess cost and landfill savings when switching from
single -use plastics to reusables/compostables. Other deliverables include
recruiting additional members, providing sustainability consultation services to
businesses, engaging Miami Beach students on plastic pollution and promoting
top tier #PlasticFreeMB businesses through events and social media.
North Beach Elementary PTA — Vegetable & Fruit Garden ($11,000)
o The North Beach Elementary Parent Teacher Association (PTA) proposed the creating
of vegetable and fruit garden on the campus of the school which would be tied to
educational on sustainable gardening and health. Due to the pandemic and public
schools being closed down, they have not been able to implement the deliverables as
of yet. However, the city is working with president of the PTA to begin the process over
the summer as Covid-19 restrictions are being lifted.
VolunteerCleanup.org —Waterway Clean-ups ($10,000)
o VolunteerCleanup.org engages volunteers to clean their neighborhoods,
shorelines and waterways, to raise awareness about marine debris and encourage
people to reduce their reliance on single -use disposable plastics. Grant
deliverables included leading two of four beach clean-ups which collected over 200
lbs. of litter. Moreover, two waterway cleanups to help promote the education on
Biscayne Bay through MBRisingAbove app will be scheduled in the fall. All cleanup
events will utilize the Clean Swell app to gather data on the amount and types of
litter found in our City.
Miami Beach Botanical Garden — Bee Hives at the Garden ($10,000)
o The Miami Beach Botanical Garden (MBBG) worked with professional beekeepers
from the South Florida Beekeeping Association to set up and maintain an apiary
at the garden. The apiary has a total of four hives. Each hive holds 10-20,000
honeybees. The grant has allowed MBBG to hire a professional beekeeper for
maintenance health checks of the hive, safe relocation of feral hives into the apiary
and outreach to community. Deliverables pending completion include the planting
of a demonstration pollinator garden complete with educational signage and edible
plants.
Surfrider Foundation — Dune Restorations ($10,000)
o For over 15 years, Surfrider has been an instrumental partner in the restoration
through maintenance, the removal of invasive species and the planting of native
species in the City's dune system. With their grant, they have hosted four dune
restoration events to remove non-native vegetation from over 230 square feet of
dune area with 158 volunteers. Additional deliverables pending completion include
two native planting events.
Dream in Green — Energy & Water Efficiency Education & Outreach ($7,500)
o Dream in Green's (DIG) leads organizing and implementing workshops in local
communities and will include dissemination of money saving initiatives and tools to
implement in their households that will lead to lower utility bills. Grant deliverables
include the designing and planning of three WE -LAB workshops in the city. In addition
to a virtual We -Lab workshop which included distributing toolkits to participants, DIG
led two separate workshops with the Chamber of Commerce. An in-person WE -LAB
workshop will be scheduled in the fall for the community.
Miami Waterkeeper — Biscayne Bay & Water Quality ($6,000.00)
o Miami Waterkeeper (MWK) proposed a strategic outreach and education campaign
related to nutrient pollution, fertilizers, and water quality in Biscayne Bay. Deliverables
included providing marketing material on fertilizer use and hosting one virtual training
for the community. One additional training targeting property managers, landscapers,
and contractors is pending. The goal of this effort is to increase awareness of water
quality impacts to Biscayne Bay and promote environmental stewardship.
If you have any questions, please contact Elizabeth Wheaton at
elizabethwheatonP-miamibeachfl.gov.
Attachment A — MB Rising Above Grant Application (www.mbrisingabove.com/grants)
ATH K/ESW/FCT/YP
RISING
ABOVE
Miami Beach Rising Above Grants
The City of Miami Beach is pleased to announce a grant opportunity for organizations
with a focus on environment, sustainability, and resilience. The city is seeking community-
based organizations with the experience to undertake innovative projects or programs
which can include but are not limited to:
• Restoration/conservation of wildlife or habitats • Marine Environments
• Energy efficiency and/or renewable energy • Environmental Justice
• Waste reduction, recycling, and/or . Water Quality
repurposing . Outreach and Education
• Low impact development/green infrastructure
Available Funding
The city will award a total of $110,000 to be distributed amongst several
organizations. Each proposal can request a maximum of $30,000. The city, at
its sole discretion, reserves the right to amend the distribution of funds and
project/program scope.
Funding Priorities
Applicants are encouraged to focus on two or more of these priorities:
• Sustainable innovation • Social Equity/Impact Climate Change Mitigation
• Biscayne Bay • Youth Engagement or Adaptation
• Environmental Justice • Environmental Stewardship
Geographic Area
All projects shall focus on or take place in the limits of the City of Miami Beach.
Metrics
Projects must provide outcomes and metrics that will be used from the inception to
completion of the project or proposal.
Eligible Applicants
Eligible applicants are non-profit organizations registered in the State of Florida as eligible
to conduct business. Applicants must be properly licensed to do business in the City of
Miami Beach and Miami -Dade County and meet insurance thresholds prior to the award
of funds.
Application Information
Applicants must complete the application in its entirety and include the delineated
attachment documents. Incomplete applications will not be considered.
Required Attachments:
• Project budget
• Document(s) indicating non-profit status
Submit all questions and applications to: sustainability@miamibeachfl.gov
Applications must be submitted by 5:00 PM on August 20, 2021.
Applicant Information
Applicant Name
Applicant Address
City State Zip Code
Contact Name Title
Telephone E-mail
Funding Priority Area
❑ Climate Adaption or Mitigation ❑ Environmental Justice
❑ Social Equity ❑ Youth Engagement
❑ Sustainable Innovation ❑ Environmental Stewardship
❑ Biscayne Bay ❑ Other
Project Summary - Brief
Provide a short summary of your project. (150 word max.)
Proposed Budget - Brief *
Proposed Project Budget Amount Requested
*The application must be submitted with detailed project budget
Proposed Project
In the space below, provide a summary of the proposed project including sustainable and/or
environmental impact, scope of work and staff involved. (500 word max.)
Metrics and Data
(Projects must provide measurable, quantitative outcomes (data, metrics numbers, measurements,
statistics) associated to the project. List out any outcomes to be collected. (250 word max.)
Social Impact and Equity
Provide a description of the social impact of the project and/or how the project will incorporate social
equity (250 word max.)
Project Collaborators
Explain how the applicant will collaborate with other organizations to bring the project to fruition. List
collaborating agencies and their specific role(s). (200 word max.)
Applicant Experience
Explain what experience the applicant has in relation to the proposed project. (200 word max.)
Applicant Certification
On behalf of the applicant organization, we certify that all of the information contained
in this application is true and accurate. We further understand that the material omission
or inclusion of false information contained in this application constitutes grounds for
disqualification of the application and applicant.
Signature of Preparing Party
Name/Title:
Date:
Signature of Authorizing Party
Name/Title:
Date:
Submit applications to yanirapineda@miamibeachfl.gov