The need for arts groups to rely even more heavily on private donors became even more dire after arts groups throughout Florida received news that Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis vetoed more than $32 million in state arts grants on June 12, just weeks before the Fiscal Year 2024-2025 started on July 1.
Miami philanthropists Jorge and Darlene Pérez, stalwart financial supporters of the arts and other initiatives vital to Miami-Dade County, once again led by example that philanthropy can come in many forms. And while their recent gift to The Miami Foundation was in play before the arts vetoes, they set a good example of how it isn’t only gifts in the form of cash that can make a difference.
On Monday, July 1, The Miami Foundation announced that Jorge and Darlene Pérez donated their One Collins Avenue Miami Beach condominium with all proceeds going to the foundation.
(Courtesy of The Related Group)
It is the second time Miami philanthropists Jorge and Darlene Pérez have donated a home to The Miami Foundation in the past three years.
“The generous home donation from the Pérez family is part of their ongoing commitment to philanthropic giving to Miami,” said Rebecca Fishman Lipsey, president and CEO of The Miami Foundation. “Their philanthropy typically centers on arts, education, and economic mobility, and we see this support carrying on for many years to come.”
The Miami Foundation sold the 3,300-square-foot, four-bedroom condo on June 25 for $10 million to an undisclosed buyer.
In commenting on the state’s recent veto and the importance of the recent donation, Fishman Lipsey said: “The Foundation hopes in future years to see our state return to its long-standing commitment to healthy funding of arts institutions. In the meantime, many philanthropists, including the Perez family, are stepping up to help sustain our vital arts community. These institutions matter greatly to the vitality, strength, and health of our Greater Miami and we need to stand with them for the long haul, both in this moment of strain and in moments of plenty.”
This is the second property that the Pérez family donated to The Miami Foundation in the past three years. In September of 2021, the founder and CEO of Related Group and his wife donated the proceeds from the sale of their six-bedroom, seven-bathroom, 8,332-square-foot waterfront Coconut Grove home, “Villa Cristina,” to the organization. The property sold for $33 million.
The latest gift to The Miami Foundation, according to the organization, is also in line with Pérez’s commitment to The Giving Pledge, a movement of the world’s wealthiest individuals and families to dedicate the majority of their fortunes to charitable causes.
“This is the second time they have made a significant home donation to benefit our community, as they live out their Giving Pledge commitment,” said Fishman Lipsey in a statement, adding that donors who “activate untraditional assets as donations strengthen Miami.”
In the statement, Pérez said he hoped the current donation would “inspire others to take action and leverage their resources for the greater good.
Pérez served on the Board of Trustees of The Miami Foundation from 1991 through 1996 and in 2015, the Jorge M. Pérez Family Foundation was established at The Miami Foundation, with part of its mission to establish a permanent legacy their children can carry forward, according to the Foundation’s website.
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