Photo Credit: Osmany Torres
Arts Access Miami announces a historic $5.6 million investment from The Frederick A. DeLuca Foundation to transform arts education in 100+ schools.
Arts Access Miami (AAM), the largest collective impact initiative for arts education in Miami-Dade County, has announced a transformative $5.6 million investment from The Frederick A. DeLuca Foundation. This historic investment will ensure consistent, high-quality arts education programming for over 90,000 students across more than 100 public schools by 2029.
The investment supports a multi-stage strategy designed to scale and sustain programming across the region. A $2 million allocation will secure long-term arts education through 2028 in 75 schools across Miami Gardens and South Dade, impacting approximately 65,000 students.
An additional $3.6 million will fund the initiative’s expansion into Central Miami beginning in 2026. This growth sets the foundation for future expansion into the East and West regions, with the goal of reaching all 325 public schools in Miami-Dade by 2032.
“This investment isn’t just about expansion, it’s about momentum,” said Sammy Gonzalez Zeira, CEO and Founder of Young Musicians Unite and part of Arts Access Miami leadership. “We’ve built the model, proven the impact, and earned the trust of schools, funders, and families. Now we have the fuel to take it further.”
“Collaborations like this have the power to change systems,” said Rebecca Fishman Lipsey, President & CEO of The Miami Foundation. “Thanks to the DeLuca Foundation and a growing coalition of partners, Miami-Dade is becoming a national model for how to provide access to the arts to all.”
Over the past five years, Arts Access Miami has demonstrated that systemic change is possible when schools, nonprofits, public officials, and funders align around a common goal. With over 4,500 instruments donated, more than 300 youth performances produced, and $3.7 million in grants awarded to expand access and equity, the initiative has become a national model for arts education reform.
This latest investment enables AAM to launch new staffing, planning, and onboarding infrastructure to expand throughout Central Miami. At the same time, the initiative will continue its efforts to secure long-term public investment, pursue state-level policy change, and build the systems needed to sustain impact across every region.
