By Zelalem Adefris | zelalema@catalystmiami.org
Catalyst Miami is a nonprofit that works alongside local communities to address immediate needs and build a better future together. Our mission is to build power with frontline communities throughout Miami-Dade County to collectively advance justice and achieve shared prosperity. We believe those most impacted by economic and environmental injustice should lead the solutions. That’s why we work to expand participation in the economy and democracy so that systems like housing, budgeting, and climate planning are shaped by and accountable to the people they’re meant to benefit.
Our programs create pathways to both individual and community well-being, deepen civic participation, and strengthen our environments and communities through people-led solutions. From direct services and cooperative ownership, to grassroots leadership development, policy advocacy and community organizing, we utilize a range of strategies to drive systemic change and advance economic and climate justice. Our ultimate vision is a more just society where everyone can lead healthy, prosperous and self-determined lives.
Since our founding in 1996, Catalyst Miami has empowered tens of thousands to become financially secure and civically engaged. In 2024, Catalyst Miami’s programs benefitted 16,532 Miami-Dade County residents. We collectively championed $63.4 million in funding for climate justice, equitable transit, housing justice, libraries, and cultural arts, as advocated by 1,139 community members involved in our organizing efforts.
Our Prosperity Campaign services delivered over $1 million in direct financial benefits to clients, including: $726,000 approved food assistance for 544 clients, $216,000 tax refunds for 183 clients; an estimated $50,000 energy bill savings for 110 households receiving free attic insulation via our Green Corridor partnership; $42,000 debt reduction for 5 households; and $29,000 increased savings for 18 households. We helped 481 clients enroll in affordable health coverage like Medicaid. We supported 200 small businesses and cooperatives through our broader Community Economic Development work. Since our leadership training programs inception in 2016, we have graduated over 750 grassroots leaders. Many of our graduates go on to launch nonprofits, step into policy advocacy, or take roles in local government.
We work primarily with “frontline communities”–those most impacted by climate change, disinvestment, and exclusion from wealth-building and civic life. For nearly three decades,
