Sedona AZ (August 12, 2019) – The Arizona Community Foundation and its donors are pleased to announce grant and scholarship distributions for the first quarter of its fiscal year. Between April 1 and June 30, 2019, a total of $14,442,732 was awarded from funds of the Arizona Community Foundation and its six statewide Affiliates in Cochise, Flagstaff, the Gila Valley, Sedona, Yavapai County, and Yuma.
The nearly $14.5 million in both discretionary and advised grants and scholarships were awarded in five strategic priority areas: Health Innovations, Community Improvement & Development, Environment & Sustainability, Arts & Culture, and Quality Education.
Health Innovations: A total of $6.1 million was awarded to 740 organizations and programs in the areas of health, health care, medical research, and a variety of human services. Among the distributions for the quarter were: $125,000 from the Wellik Foundation for renovations of the emergency department at the Wickenburg Community Hospital Foundation; $55,000 from the Burton Family Foundation to purchase a wheelchair accessible van for Circle the City; and $46,400 from the Michael L. Howell Memorial Endowment to support free flu vaccinations to all members of the Ganado, Kinlichee, Klagetoh, Wide Ruins, Lower Greasewood Springs, Cornfields, Nazlini, and Steamboat chapters of the Navajo Nation.
Community Improvement & Development: A total of $1.4 million was awarded to 186 programs in this category, which includes housing, community and neighborhood development, financial literacy training, legal assistance, and crime prevention programs. Among the grants awarded this quarter were: $50,000 from the Phoenix IDA Community Development Fund to support Racial Equity Training for City of Phoenix leadership and staff at LISC; $20,000 from the Arizona Mapping Project fund to support the U.S. Mexico Border Philanthropy Partnership’s efforts to help understand AZ/Sonora philanthropy across borders; and $13,500 from the First Baptist Church of Phoenix Foundation for Church for the City in San Luis, Arizona.
DONOR HIGHLIGHT:
The First Baptist Church of Phoenix Foundation provided $13,500 to Church for the City to support a new church plant in San Luis, Arizona, south of Yuma. Once opened, this will be the only English-speaking Christian church in San Luis. Today, English-speaking Christians in the San Luis area must go to Yuma to attend church. Church for the City has planted several churches in Southern Arizona as well as internationally and has built quality pastoral teams through leadership training at the primary campus in Yuma. The new plant in San Luis is currently in the initial stages of planting the church, however the selection and training of the church’s pastoral team is well underway. Members of the team have been in training since August 2018 and have been conducting community outreach events to provide awareness of the new church as well as a preview of church services that will be offered once the church is in operation.
Environment & Sustainability: A total of $1.2 million was awarded to 144 organizations and programs in the areas of environmental education, renewable resources, conservation, and animal welfare. Among the distributions for the quarter were: $50,000 from the Fred and Jami Pryor Foundation to support the construction project at Lost Our Home Pet Foundation and $10,000 from the Ingebritson Family Foundation to support companion dog training for the disabled at Canine Companions for Independence.
Arts & Culture: A total of $1.5 million was awarded to 166 artistic and cultural organizations across Arizona. Among the grants were: $125,000 from the Pamela D. and John Blackford Fund to support the Litchfield Park Historical Society’s P.W. Litchfield Heritage Center Project Fund and $7,500 from the Jackson Family Charitable Fund for the Fox Tucson Theatre Foundation to renovate the theatre’s historical Wurlitzer pipe organ.
Quality Education: During this quarter, a total of $3.7 million was awarded in scholarships and education-related grants. Among the grants were: $150,000 from the Ellis Center for Educational Excellence for program support and scholarship matching funds at Earn to Learn and $35,000 from the McMiles Donor Advised Fund to support Arizona Career Pathways at the Valley Interfaith Project Education Fund.
DONOR HIGHLIGHT:
Initiated in 2013, Earn to Learn is a collaborative effort to support college completion for first generation and low- to moderate-income youth in Arizona. Earn to Learn is a unique, matched-savings scholarship program administered in partnership with Arizona State University, Northern Arizona University, and the University of Arizona. Launched with seed funding from the federal government, Earn to Learn today serves over 2,000 degree-seekers and is poised to ensure that even more students achieve degrees within the next five years. The $150,000 grant from the Ellis Center for Educational Excellence is the first of three annual grants that will be used for capacity building to expand the public-private partner program to the state community colleges.
College scholarships accounted for $124,738 of the quarter’s total and were awarded for the benefit of 71 students pursuing higher education. College scholarships are awarded to Arizona students to attend a wide range of colleges, universities, and technical schools in Arizona and across the United States.
In addition to these grants, 42 nonprofit organizations with agency endowments managed by the Arizona Community Foundation received their annual distributions during the first quarter of ACF’s fiscal year, accounting for the remaining $542,330 distributed during the quarter.
The $14.4 million awarded across all categories represents 1,566 grants and scholarships. Some grants are awarded at the discretion of the Arizona Community Foundation with input from board committees and diverse community panels, while others are awarded through donor advice. All grants are approved or ratified by ACF’s Philanthropic Services Committee whose members include ACF board representatives and other community leaders.
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 20 community foundations in the nation with more than $938 million in trust and endowment assets, and is certified under the National Standards for U.S. Community Foundations. Since inception, ACF and its affiliates have awarded more than $719 million in grants, scholarships, and loans to nonprofit organizations, schools, and government agencies. More information is available at www.azfoundation.org.