Florida Heart Research Foundation

What Florida Heart Research Foundation does

Florida Heart Research Foundation, Inc. is a Florida-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1944 (originally as the Miami Heart Institute) and headquartered in Miami, with a stated mission to stop heart disease through research, education, and prevention. The foundation operates as a grant-making and fundraising entity rather than a healthcare provider; its core product is the Stop Heart Disease specialty license plate — Florida's only specialty plate supporting heart disease research — authorized under Florida Statute 320.08058(43) since July 1, 2003, generating $25 from every plate sale and renewal, with 80% of plate proceeds statutorily mandated for research, education, and prevention programs. Working through its supporting organization, Miami Heart Research Institute, the foundation grants over one million dollars annually to cardiovascular investigators across a network that includes Mayo Clinic (Rochester and Jacksonville), Georgetown University, Mount Sinai Medical Center, the University of Miami, and Florida-based universities (FIU, FAU, FSU, USF, Miami-Dade College).

Its revenue mechanics depend on three streams: (1) the mandatory $25 license plate contribution, distributed through Florida DMV channels and processed by tag-agency partners including Broward Tag & Title and Baumgardner Auto Tag Agency; (2) direct donations and recurring giving via the qgiv online portal, amplified by a matching-gift relationship with the Joseph Weintraub Family Foundation up to $25,000 annually; and (3) event-driven fundraising, anchored by the annual Key West Ride to Beat Heart Disease cycling event, 5K Color Runs, Heart Month programming, and corporate employee-engagement challenges. Programs include the Cardiovascular Summer Research Internship at FIU, Doctoral Student Grant Programs at FIU and FSU, nursing scholarships for cardiovascular students, and the $50,000 annual Stop Heart Disease Early Career Researcher of the Year Award presented with the Florida Chapter of the American College of Cardiology. The foundation supports a Florida Heart Ambassador volunteer network that extends community reach, and its operations are managed by a Board of Trustees chaired by Joe Ann Batcheller with Nancy R. Cavalie as Executive Director.

The foundation targets two primary segments: Florida motorists and donors who fund the mission through plate switching and direct giving, and cardiovascular researchers and medical institutions (notably early-career investigators) who receive grants, awards, and internship/doctoral funding. Geographic reach is statewide Florida via the DMV channel and national via collaborative research publishing, though funding decisions and plate-program economics are entirely Florida-bounded. The entity's defensibility is rooted in its statutory exclusivity for the heart-disease specialty plate and its 70-plus-year operating history as one of the first cardiovascular research institutions in the United States.

Name

Florida Heart Research Foundation

Legal name

Florida Heart Research Foundation, Inc.

Website

https://floridaheart.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1944

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Florida Heart Research Foundation is a Miami-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit (founded 1944) that funds cardiovascular research, education, and prevention in Florida, primarily through donations and Florida's exclusive Stop Heart Disease specialty license plate.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Nonprofit Cardiovascular Research and Health Advocacy

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Voluntary Health Organizations (813212), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321)

akta.pro primary industry

Health & Medical Research Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Research & Science Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAI), Community Health & Prevention Program Funding (HLAJALAF)

Keywords

• Cardiovascular research funding
• Heart disease prevention
• Medical research grants
• Nursing scholarships
• Nonprofit fundraising

Headquarters

HQ city

Miami

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Specialty License Plate Sales: Revenue from the Stop Heart Disease specialty license plate sales. Florida law mandates that 80% of funds raised from plate sales support heart disease research, education, and prevention programs throughout Florida. $25 from every plate sold and renewed goes to the foundation.
2. Donations and Fundraising: Direct donations from individuals, corporate sponsors, and fundraising events. The foundation runs events like the Key West Ride to Beat Heart Disease, 5K Color Runs, and Heart Month campaigns. Donations are tax-deductible as the foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit.
3. Corporate Partnerships: Partnerships with corporations like Vertilux Ltd. who run employee challenges and matching donation programs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Florida Heart Research Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that raises and grants funds to stop heart disease through research, education, and prevention. Its core offerings include the Stop Heart Disease specialty license plate program (the only Florida plate supporting this cause), cardiovascular research grants awarded to investigators at institutions such as Mayo Clinic, Georgetown, Mount Sinai, FIU, FSU, and University of Miami, the Early Career Researcher of the Year Award, student internships and doctoral grant programs, nursing scholarships, and community awareness events including the Ride to Beat Heart Disease and Heart Month initiatives.

Product overview

Florida Heart Research Foundation is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization (affiliated with Miami Heart Research Institute) dedicated to stopping heart disease through research, education, and prevention. The organization operates primarily as a funding entity, not a technology product company. Its core offerings include: the Stop Heart Disease specialty license plate program (the only Florida specialty plate supporting this cause, raising funds through $25 annual fees), research grant programs supporting cardiovascular researchers at institutions including FIU, FSU, Mayo Clinic, Georgetown University, Mount Sinai, and University of Miami, educational programs including nursing scholarships and summer research internships for students, community engagement through the Florida Heart Ambassador Program, and annual fundraising events including the Ride to Beat Heart Disease, 5K Color Run, and Heart Month initiatives. The Foundation awards over one million dollars annually through its supporting organization Miami Heart Research Institute.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Stop Heart Disease Specialty License Plate Florida's only specialty license plate supporting heart disease research, education, and prevention. $25 from every plate sold and renewed goes to Florida Heart Research Foundation, with 80% of funds raised mandated for heart disease research, education, and prevention programs statewide.
• Research Grant Program

Quantifiable outcome

• Over $1 million granted annually to cardiovascular research
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

17 partnerships are on record, tiered core, secondary and minor.

• Mayo Clinic RochestercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative research partner in cardiovascular research. Mayo Clinic Rochester researchers receive funding from the foundation for studies including atherosclerosis treatment, trastuzumab cardiomyopathy, and cancer survivor cardiomyopathy detection.
• Georgetown UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-term research partner studying heart failure with preserved ejection fraction and remodeling pathways in the ischemic heart. Dr. Nanette Bishopric leads ongoing multi-year research projects.
• Mount Sinai Medical CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal research partner in Miami conducting studies on whole body periodic acceleration in heart failure, diabetic cardiomyopathy, and cerebral embolic protection during cardiac surgery.
• Florida International UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor research partner hosting the Cardiovascular Summer Research Internship Program, Doctoral Student Grant Program, and Heart Day Symposium. Multiple faculty and PhD candidates receive foundation funding for cardiovascular research.
• University of MiamicoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch partner studying CRISPR technology for transplant rejection prevention, heart failure with preserved ejection fraction, and atrial fibrillation assessment.
• Mayo Clinic JacksonvillecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch partner conducting studies on FAITH! Emergency Preparedness Initiative, ECG-based AI predictions, exercise training for heart failure with pulmonary hypertension, and cardiotoxicity prevention.
• Florida Atlantic UniversitysecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch partner studying molecular mechanisms of anthracycline-induced cardiovascular toxicity.
• Florida State UniversitysecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner for the Cardiovascular Doctoral Student Grant Program, supporting PhD candidates studying arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy, troponin C in cardiomyopathy, and pediatric dilated cardiomyopathy.
• University of South FloridasecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch partner studying ischemic-trained extracellular vesicles for critical limb ischemia treatment.
• Joe DiMaggio Children's HospitalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAnnual Heart Month partner hosting activities for pediatric heart patients including Heart Walk, Teddy Bear Clinic, Heart Healthy Cooking Class, and Touch-A-Truck events.
• The VYB (The VYB Wellness)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerWellness experience company that partnered for an Apres Ski-themed fundraiser to raise awareness and funds for heart health.
• The Cold Collective FloridaminorGTM or Marketing PartnerWellness and fitness events company that partnered for Pickle & Plunge events during Heart Month to raise funds for heart disease research.
• Vertilux Ltd.secondaryGTM or Marketing PartnerManufacturing company that runs annual employee Step Challenge fundraiser for the foundation. Employees walked 9,647,180 steps (4,823 miles) and raised $5,727.56 for the foundation.
• Broward Tag & Title AgencycoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorProcesses Stop Heart Disease specialty license plate orders in Pembroke Pines, Florida.
• Baumgardner Auto Tag AgencycoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLicense plate distribution partner in Miami promoting the Stop Heart Disease specialty plate.
• Pinellas County Tax Collector OfficessecondaryChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorGovernment partner promoting heart health awareness and the Stop Heart Disease license plate during Heart Month and Wear Red Day events.
• Miami Heart Research InstitutecoreOthersSupporting organization that grants over $1 million annually to the same mission: Stop Heart Disease through Research, Education and Prevention.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Leducq Foundation: International nonprofit foundation that funds transnational cardiovascular and stroke research networks through multi-year grants. Directly comparable operating model: a privately funded grantmaking foundation targeting cardiovascular research with a defined annual grant budget.
• Cardiovascular Research Foundation: New York-based nonprofit that funds and conducts cardiovascular research and physician education, including landmark trials and the annual TCT conference. Most directly comparable peer in mission and operating model: a grantmaking/research-funding nonprofit focused exclusively on cardiovascular science.
• Parent Project Muscular Dystrophy: Disease-specific nonprofit that combines community fundraising, research grants, and a "specialty license plate" mechanism in selected states. Closely comparable operating model — small-staffed grantmaking nonprofit reliant on events and grassroots channels — though focused on Duchenne rather than cardiovascular disease.

Broad incumbents

• American Heart Association: The largest US nonprofit focused on cardiovascular disease research, education, and prevention. Highly comparable mission (stop heart disease through research/education/prevention), but operates nationally and at vastly greater scale with corporate campaigns like Go Red for Women — positioning it as the dominant incumbent in the same cause space Florida Heart Research Foundation operates.

Regional players

• Heart Research Institute: Australian nonprofit medical research institute focused on cardiovascular disease. Highly comparable mission and grantmaking model, but operates in a different geography (Sydney-based) and does not compete for Florida donors or partners.
• British Heart Foundation: UK-based nonprofit that funds cardiovascular research, education, and prevention, including via retail and specialty fundraising channels. Comparable mission, scale (largest UK heart charity), and use of multiple passive fundraising mechanisms — but operates only in the United Kingdom.

Others

• American College of Cardiology Foundation: Professional society and affiliated foundation serving US cardiologists, including the Florida Chapter which co-hosts the foundation's Early Career Researcher of the Year Award. Comparable cause space and overlapping research community, but operates as a membership/credentialing body rather than a pure grantmaker.

Market position

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/floridaheart
• Instagraminstagram.com/floridaheartresearch
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/floridaheart

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Florida Heart Research Foundation