Administrative Grants Assistant, Danielle and I recently attended FIU’s 7th Annual MetroForum on the State of the South Florida Economy. This was presented by the FIU Metropolitan Center, which has partnered with numerous elected officials, nonprofit organizations, business and government agencies during its 20-years of dedication to improving South Florida’s public policies and quality of life. The Snay Group has often used data from the FIU Metropolitan Center’s studies to document the need for funding in support of Miami-Dade nonprofit programs for which we have prepared grant proposals.

Highlighted here is a summary of the keynote speaker’s presentation that we hope will be of interest to Miami-Dade County nonprofit organizations and business executives, especially those interested in improving workplace and economic inclusivity:

In his speech Achieving Inclusive Growth in a Disruptive Age, Alan Berube, Senior Fellow and Deputy Director of Metropolitan Policy Program at The Brookings Institution, presented a compelling case for economic inclusivity in Miami-Dade County. Berube began his presentation by comparing the demographic changes in Miami-Dade County and San Diego County from the 1970s to 2016. While these counties shared similar demographic figures in the 1970s, today San Diego residents are significantly more prosperous than those in Miami-Dade, as shown here:

1970
County	Jobs	Median Income	% adults with bachelor’s degree	Hispanic/non-white share of population
San Diego County	388	$55,200	14	26
Miami-Dade County	392	$49,800	11	54

2016
County	Jobs	Median Income	% adults with bachelor’s degree	Hispanic/non-white share of population
San Diego County	1,422	$70,800	37	54
Miami-Dade County	1,158	$45,900	28	86

While Miami-Dade’s higher Hispanic/non-white population was, and continues to be, significantly larger than San Diego, both counties have had a similar growth pattern in their Hispanic/non-white populations. Berube emphasized that San Diego implemented a more inclusive economic growth approach than Miami-Dade, which has positively impacted it’s Hispanic/non-white population in a way that has not occurred in Miami-Dade.

Berube further emphasized how the educational disparities between Black, White and Hispanic Miami-Dade residents have impacted economic levels such that in 2016:
• Whites are more educated and wealthier than the US average median income
• Hispanics are slightly better educated and wealthier than the US average
• Blacks fall below the US average for both education and median income

This information is visually represented in the charts here:

 

Berube stated that to become more prosperous, South Florida’s economy must also be more inclusive, especially for its Black and Hispanic populations. He illustrated how this can be accomplished by focusing on the technology sector, which will provide a larger portion of jobs as the field continues to grow. Sadly, although Miami ranks among the top twenty metropolitan areas in the United States that have seen job growth in the technology sector from 2010 to 2016, Miami-Dade’s Hispanic and Black populations have been under-represented in this field.

In his presentation, Berube highlighted three nonprofit organizations operating in San Diego and two other metropolitan areas that have successfully fostered prosperity and inclusivity in their local economies:
• San Diego’s CONNECT – one of the nation’s oldest and most successful startup accelerators that fosters relationships between the research, business and investor communities in southern California
• Atlanta’s Opportunity Hub – an inclusive innovation, entrepreneurship and investment ecosystem building platform focused on proven methodologies as a path to disrupting poverty and the racial wealth gap
• Milwaukee’s Inspire Southeast Wisconsin – an online platform that allows businesses to interact with future workforce members through internships and apprenticeships for diverse members of the community

According to Berube, there are three factors needed to achieve inclusive economic development:
• Growth – expansion of business and jobs
• Prosperity – better quality jobs and business
• Inclusion – all levels of the community grow and prosper

Berube ended his presentation by quoting Maryann Feldman and Michael Storper who said, “Economic development occurs when individuals have the opportunity to actively engage and contribute to society and are likely to realize their potential.” He concluded that Miami-Dade County has the capacity to experience prosperity similar to San Diego County but only if there is inclusive economic growth.

Tech growth is one of the industries that has been positively impacting economic development in Miami-Dade County. However, the lack of inclusive economic development in all sectors of the economy marginalizes certain communities in Miami-Dade, which will stunt the county’s total economic growth. As Feldman and Storper emphasized, it is vital that all members of the community are given the chance to participate and contribute to their local economy. Berube demonstrated in his presentation that nonprofit organizations can create inclusive economic environments that benefit marginalized groups. There is a need for Miami-Dade and South Florida-based nonprofit organizations to do the same.

For more information on Alan Berube and the FIU 7th Annual MetroForum, please see https://metropolitan.fiu.edu/outreach/past-events/the-7th-annual-metroforum-state-of-the-south-florida-economy/.

To explore possible grant opportunities in support of inclusivity, please fill out the Grant Readiness Questionnaire below:

 

Grant Readiness Questionnaire