Arizona News – The Arizona Community Foundation, The Arizona Republic, and Morrison Institute for Public Policy are pleased to announce the official launch of the Common Good Challenge, the fifth philanthropic prize competition offered under the New Arizona Prize banner.
With three awards of $100,000 to the top collaborative teams, the Common Good Challenge will offer an opportunity for groups composed of individuals and organizations that have diverse viewpoints to identify a persistent problem that their community is facing and work together to develop a solution. The Common Good Challenge embraces the idea that society is stronger when people with diverse perspectives, backgrounds, and experiences work in coalition to explore meaningful responses to complex issues.
“We are continually inspired by the innovative approaches and ideas that come to light through the New Arizona Prize challenges,” said Steve Seleznow, President & CEO of the Arizona Community Foundation. “What makes the Common Good Challenge unique is that we are asking community members to identify the problem and work together to find a solution. We believe this approach will make our communities stronger by encouraging collaborations that bridge divides and bring people together, opposing the unending pressures that seek to drive us further apart.”
Teams can register and begin preparing their applications starting September 28, at commongoodchallenge.org. Each team must be collaborative and reflect the communities they serve. Interested applicants must register by December 13, 2022 and complete their applications by January 18, 2023. All information and updates regarding the Common Good Challenge will be posted on the website throughout the competition. Teams can meet the judges, read the scoring rubric, access resources, get news and updates, reference the competition timeline, and, once registered, use back-end tools and features.
“The people of Arizona are resourceful by necessity. That’s what excites me about this year’s New Arizona Prize,” said Greg Burton, Executive Editor of The Arizona Republic. “We have no shortage of challenges—water, housing, civility. Rewarding teams that, through diversity and ingenuity, can contribute to the common good is true to the spirit of Arizona. It’s why this prize is special.”
“The beauty of this partnership is that it harnesses the power of philanthropy, research, and journalism to provide community-based solutions with access to funding, knowledge, and a broad audience,” said Andrea Whitsett, Director of the Morrison Institute for Public Policy at Arizona State University. “The structure of this year’s prize aptly promotes diversity as a valuable asset for innovating and advancing the common good.”
The New Arizona Prize is aimed at creating an Arizona for tomorrow: A state where innovation thrives, ingenuity is supported, and the best thinking is harnessed to create long-term, positive solutions to persistent needs. While continuing to award grants, scholarships, and community loans that topped $145 million in its last fiscal year, the Arizona Community Foundation has committed to hosting philanthropic prize competitions designed to attract new thinking and innovation. Through these open, fair and transparent competitions, ACF, in partnership with The Arizona Republic, and the Morrison Institute for Public Policy, deploys a portion of its philanthropic resources to generate innovative solutions to our state’s challenges.
Established in 1978, the Arizona Community Foundation is a statewide family of charitable funds supported by thousands of Arizonans. With five regional offices serving communities across Arizona, ACF is among the top 25 community foundations in the nation with more than $1.1 billion in trust and endowment assets, is certified under the National Standards for U.S. Community Foundation and has received the highest 4-star rating from Charity Navigator for 12 years. Since inception, ACF and its affiliates have awarded more than $1.1 billion in grants, scholarships and loans to nonprofit organizations, schools, and government agencies. More information is available at azfoundation.org.