Cutler Bay Community Fund

The Town of Cutler Bay launched the Cutler Bay Community Fund (the "Fund") in 2013 to establish partnerships with other nonprofits that will help to improve the quality of life of residents in our community. The Fund is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) overseen by a Board of Directors consisting of the current Cutler Bay Mayor and Town Council. 100% of the funds collected through the community fund are used solely for charitable purposes, with priority given to organizations that provide services within the Town of Cutler Bay. Your contribution to the Cutler Bay Community Fund may be earmarked for a particular service category or unrestricted for use in any of our charitable programs. The Fund currently has six (6) service categories that direct our grant-making: educational, aesthetic, environmental, cultural, social services, and other philanthropic activities.

People must understand that even though we are a government entity, we still need to fundraise. While we are not your typical funding source for 501 (c) 3 entities, we still make a difference in the community by awarding mini-grants to nonprofits serving the Cutler Bay Community. Since its inception, the Cutler Bay Community Fund has supported projects introducing youth to STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math), Civic Engagement, Leadership Development, Environmental Awareness, Positive Peer Relationships, and more.

One particularly inspiring success story of how your donations to the Fund enhance the lives of Cutler Bay residents is an annual reoccurring grant award to a local foundation that supports homeless and displaced children. Because of this program, seventy-five elementary and middle school-age children in Cutler Bay no longer face food insecurity. This program offers these disadvantaged children food security by providing seven prepackaged meals and snacks to keep them fed over the weekends. It alleviates the stress of wondering where their next meal will come from. By bridging the hunger gap, this foundation's mission is to set these students up for success at home, in the classroom, and in their future endeavors.

Here are a few more examples of how the Cutler Bay Community Fund has directly impacted the community:

• Cutler Bay Middle School children can participate in the NESTT program at Deering Estate, learning ecology, biology, marine biology, geology, archeology, and environmental science. 

• Seventy-four 12-18-year-old under-resourced Cutler Bay Students striving to achieve post-secondary success can participate in a "student teaching students" program and a peer mentoring learning community.

• Seventy-five elementary and middle school-age children in Cutler Bay no longer face food insecurity due to a program providing seven meals and snacks to keep them fed over the weekends.

• A well-deserving honor student received a scholarship to help defray college costs.