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(Photo credit: Osmani Torres)
Arts Access Miami was created in 2020 to address long-standing gaps in arts access across Miami Dade.
After arts funding was cut during the 2008 recession, many schools went more than a decade without consistent arts programs. Since then, Arts Access Miami and its partners have worked to rebuild the foundation of arts education in public schools and after school settings.
Today, schools participating in Arts Access Miami report higher student attendance, stronger academic engagement, and increased participation in arts learning. Through coordinated investment, shared leadership, and clear accountability, the initiative is reestablishing the arts as an essential component of a well-rounded public education experience.
Led by Young Musicians Unite (YMU) and fiscally sponsored by The Miami Foundation (TMF), Arts Access Miami brings together schools, nonprofit organizations, funders, and civic leaders to build a sustainable countywide system for arts access.
The Central Dade Arts Alliance represents the next phase of this strategy, following the successful launches of the North Dade Arts Alliance in 2020 and the South Dade Arts Alliance in 2024-25. CDAA will serve more than 3,500 students across key neighborhoods including Brownsville, Allapattah, Liberty City, West Little River and Gladeview — areas where arts opportunities historically have been limited.
“Miami is proving that real change happens when we build together. No single organization can expand arts access alone,” said Sammy Gonzalez Zeira, Young Musicians Unite CEO and president of Arts Access Miami. “When nonprofits, schools, funders, and community leaders unite around our students, we create opportunity, belonging, and real pathways for every child to rise. This is the future of public education.”
This expansion marks the third of five planned regional alliances, following the successful launches in North and South Dade. Over the next several years, Arts Access Miami will continue its countywide rollout, with West Dade and East Dade alliances planned for 2027 and 2028, respectively — ultimately reaching more than 90,000 students across over 100 schools by 2028.
During the next three years, Arts Access Miami will invest $14.9 million in arts education across Miami-Dade County Public Schools, supported by Daniel Lewis, The Frederick A. DeLuca Foundation, The Kirk Foundation, The ELMA Foundation, The Children’s Trust, the Ocean Reef Community Foundation, Jorge M. Pérez Family Foundation and the Cities of Miami Gardens and Homestead.
“This collective impact approach is unique in the country,” said Alan Valladares, director of Arts Access Miami. “By aligning public investment, private philanthropy, and nonprofit innovation, we’re showing that the arts aren’t an extracurricular — they’re core infrastructure for learning and youth development. Miami is setting a national standard for what collaboration can achieve.”
“Collaborations like this have the power to change systems,” said Rebecca Fishman Lipsey, president and CEO of The Miami Foundation. “Thanks to many generous donors and a growing coalition of partners, Miami-Dade is becoming a national model for how to provide access to the arts for all.”
Since its founding, Arts Access Miami has grown to serve more than 14,500 students across 70 public schools every week. By 2028, Arts Access Miami will have reached more than 90,000 students across over 100 schools, ensuring that every child in Miami-Dade has access to consistent, high-quality arts education. With the launch of the Central Dade Arts
Alliance, this reach will continue to expand and deepen across the county.
Applications for the Central Dade Arts Alliance RFP, now open, close Sunday, Dec. 22, at 11:59 PM EST.
For more information, visit ArtsAccessMiami.org/RFP.
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