Miami, FL December, 2019 – Friends of The Underline (FUL), a 501C3 non-profit organization advocating to transform the underutilized land below Miami’s Metrorail into a 10-mile linear park, urban trail and canvas for artistic expression, today announced that it has been awarded a $150,000 grant from Health Foundation of South Florida to support community outreach during planning, design, construction and technology master plan.

Specifically, the grant will fund The Underline’s community outreach for technology, accessibility, health & wellness and connectivity initiatives during the project’s planning, design, construction and technology master plan. The Underline is heavily dependent on community input and the grant from Health Foundation of South Florida will enable additional staff to facility conversations that ensure its facilities and programs are relevant to the hundreds of thousands of people who live in Miami Dade, as wells as tourists and business professionals seeking to utilize the transformative project.

”We are so thankful for the Health Foundation’s significant grant,” said Meg Daly, President and CEO for Friends of The Underline. “This grant will help us reach thousands of people who live, work and study near The Underline. It will enable us to hear not only what they want ON the Underline, but also want they want to DO on The Underline and how they will get there.”

“Health Foundation of South Florida was an early investor in The Underline and, since then, we’ve been nothing but impressed with all that’s been accomplished. Now, we’re proud to continue our support for this next chapter, as the Friends of The Underline seeks greater input from the surrounding community. The work they’re setting out to do—to learn more about the roles technology, art, education and connectivity can play in the further development of The Underline— is critical. Understanding what residents want and how they will actually use the park will ensure what’s built is truly of the community and by the community,” says Steven Marcus, President and Chief Executive Officer of Health Foundation of South Florida.

The first phase of The Underline, The Brickell Backyard, is scheduled to open in June 2020.

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About The Underline
The Underline is a planned 10-mile urban trail, linear neighborhood park and public art destination that will span from the Miami River, north of Brickell Metrorail station, to Dadeland South. The Underline project will feature dedicated bike and pedestrian paths, amenities, art, programming, lighting, native vegetation as well as safety features and improvements at road crossings. The Underline will be built in phases, the first of which will begin in the Brickell area. For more information visit, www.theunderline.org and/or follow them on social on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @theunderlinemia.

About Health Foundation of South Florida
Health Foundation of South Florida, a nonprofit grant making organization, is dedicated to improving health in Broward, Miami-Dade and Monroe Counties. By funding providers and supporting programs to promote health and prevent disease, the Foundation makes a measurable and sustainable impact in the health of individuals and families. Since 1993, the Foundation has awarded more than $86 million in grants and program support. For more information, please call 305.374.7200 or visit the Web site, www.hfsf.org