Marking over a decade of structured giving, The Jorge M. Pérez Family Foundation released a new philanthropy report this week detailing more than $350 million in total family giving aimed at transforming South Florida into a thriving, equitable cultural and civic hub.
The report — The Art of Giving A Legacy of Impact by The Jorge M. Pérez Family — was released Wednesday during WLRN’s Sunshine Economy Summit.
Jorge M. Pérez, a billionaire developer and co-founder of The Related Group, appeared at the summit with Jennifer O'Flannery Anderson: President and CEO of the Community Foundation of Broward, to talk about the critical importance of philanthropy in the region.
"It was very important for us to publish the report because we feel that it shows others what great things can be accomplished by giving," Pérez told a crowd of 200 at the summit in Fort Lauderdale. "We look at this as a way of showing people that it's great to do philanthropy."
Established in 2015 as a donor-advised fund at The Miami Foundation, the Jorge M. Pérez Family Foundation's total contributions span arts and culture, education, health and well-being, economic development, and the environment.
"I don't really want to be known as the guy that built a thousand buildings," said Pérez. "I'd much rather be known as somebody that cared about society and gave back and created a family tradition of giving."
"My proudest philanthropic achievement was to be able to help establish our Family Foundation," said Pérez's wife, Darlene Pérez. "For us it was a way to truly give back to the different areas we feel passionate about..."
The arts have long been the centerpiece of the family’s efforts, accounting for $280 million of total committed funding. Their flagship initiative, Pérez CreARTE, was launched in 2019 to fund local cultural organizations across categories such as Arts Access, Arts Education, and Artist Fellowships. By its fourth cycle, CreARTE has awarded over $16 million to 56 nonprofits. Grantees have leveraged this support into an additional $22.7 million in outside funding, reaching approximately 900,000 people in South Florida.
"The CreARTE grant has invited us to dream even more boldly about the future," said Dejha Carrington, co-founder of Commissioner, one of CreARTE's recurring grantees. "By providing essential capacity-building support at pivotal moments in our growth, this partnership has not only helped sustain our team but also given us the runway to map out our long-term strategy and goals."
Beyond local grants, the family’s landmark $35 million gift in 2011 to rename the Pérez Art Museum Miami (PAMM) established the first major U.S. art museum named after a Hispanic donor.
PAMM Director Franklin Sirmans said the family's ongoing involvement — nearing $100 million in total cash and artwork —goes beyond financial contribution: "It was about being involved and supportive and passionate about this project that we are all a part of."
The family's philanthropic reach extends across several other areas:
— Education ($35 million invested): Initiatives include the Jorge and Darlene Pérez Scholars Endowment at Florida International University (FIU) and long-term support for KIPP Miami and The Education Fund’s Food Forests for Schools.
— Health & Well-Being ($21 million invested): Highlights include an $11 million commitment to the Jackson Health Foundation for Jackson Memorial Hospital’s new emergency room facility.
— Environment ($7 million invested): Support includes title sponsorship of Aspen Ideas: Climate and funding for Miami Waterkeeper and The Everglades Foundation.
— Economic Development ($7 million invested): Direct grants to the Allapattah Collaborative CDC and Grameen America, which provided microloans to over 8,600 low-income women entrepreneurs in its recent grant cycle.
