How Miami’s Indian Community is Changing Philanthropy and Family Support

Miami may well be the gateway to Latin America, but it’s quietly been growing an Indian diaspora that is influencing the city’s culture. Be it high-rises of Brickell to the medical centers in Coral Gables, Indian-American professionals within tech, healthcare and entrepreneurs are balancing their luxury South Florida lifestyle with a commitment to their roots. 

This dual presence is a form of global citizenship and economic redistribution, where supporting heritage in India has become exceedingly easy and rife. Not just the popularity of these outflows, but the fact that Indian-headed households in the U.S. have a median annual income of over $150,000.

Image by Dream Makkerz / Pexels

South Beach to South Asia

For many in Miami’s Indian community, home is where the heart is - not geography. There is a sense of duty to support aging parents and fund educational scholarships back home, as well as contributing to community projects. 

When identifying the best way to send money to India from the USA, digital solutions have clearly facilitated the rise in these instant bank deposits and remittances. The speed of this capital flow effectively turns private family support into a form of decentralized foreign aid, which is particularly poignant after Trump’s cuts to USAID. While the moral onus isn’t on the diaspora to pick up the slack, they are regardless, and it’s in part thanks to technology.

Moving away from sluggish, traditional remittances to instant digital transfers (which can be tracked) has also changed the nature of philanthropy. Financial support used to be reserved more for emergencies or major life events, but today, micro-philanthropy has been much more accessible. And with the virality of social media storytelling, it’s easier to convey these messages of help and fundraising.

It might be sponsoring a local festival in Mumbai or supporting a health clinic in Kerala, but Miami’s affluence is clearly having knock-on effects. By normalizing these frequent (often smaller) transactions, the diaspora is moving away from occasional charity and towards a model of sustained, predictable economic partnership. Because it’s diversified, rather than weighted towards the multi-millionaires, it’s a much steadier outflow.

From India’s perspective, yes they have a brain drain, but it eventually comes full circle to some extent. Even if less than a quarter of Indian’s frequently send money back home, the disparity in wages, and therefore disposable income to remit, more than makes up for it. 

The diaspora therefore remains an active participant in India’s growth, particularly as India leads global remittance inflows with an estimated $137 billion annually. Online money transfer services like Ria Money Transfer are the infrastructure facilitating these figures, not just technically, but culturally, as Indians see remittance as frictionless compared to before.

Miami's professionals are being the change they want to see 

Rather than just family obligations, it’s reported that many are using their professional position to fund sustainable ventures in India. This can be termed venture philanthropy, where South Florida’s Indian business leaders invest in Indian startups. Yes, to make money, but it’s clearly driven by social/charity goals too. This means that it’s not just wealth being transferred back home, but a growth mindset that has a multiplier effect.

By ML Staff. Image courtesy of Pexels