Phoenix AZ (February 14, 2020) – The Arizona Community Foundation and its donors are pleased to announce grant and scholarship distributions for the third quarter of its fiscal year. Between October 1 and December 31, 2019, a total of $18,243,547 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 $18.2 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 $8.7 million was awarded to 938 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: $10,000 from the West Yavapai Physicians Foundation to support a SANE nurse for the Yavapai Advocacy Center and $1,000,000 from the David E. Reese Family Fund to Valleywise Health Foundation in support of the new burn unit at their medical center in Phoenix.
DONOR HIGHLIGHT:
The David E. Reese Family Fund provided $1,000,000 to Valleywise Health Foundation through a multi-year grant. This grant supports the construction of a future burn unit at the Valleywise Health Medical Center. The Arizona Burn Center at Valleywise Health Medical Center provides specialized care to burn patients from across the Southwest region. Mr. and Mrs. Reese made this grant in honor of Mr. Reese’s mother, who worked at a children’s burn unit at a hospital in Columbus, Ohio.
Community Improvement & Development: A total of $1.3 million was awarded to 232 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: $20,000 from the Vogel Family Charitable Fund to support the City of Buckeye’s community events and $50,000 from the John & Delys Ellis Fund to support Black Family & Child Services’ Right Track After School Program.
Environment & Sustainability: A total of $898,981 was awarded to 189 organizations and programs in the areas of environmental education, renewable resources, conservation, and animal welfare. Among the distributions for the quarter were: $22,500 from the Burton Family Foundation to Audubon Arizona’s Urban Hummingbird program and $25,000 from the Nicola and Mark Johnston Fund to support astronomical research at the Lowell Observatory.
Sedona Arts Center
Arts & Culture: A total of $1.2 million was awarded to 152 artistic and cultural organizations across Arizona. Among the grants were: $125,000 from the Pamela D. and John Blackford Fund to the Litchfield Park Historical Society for the P.W. Litchfield Heritage Center Project; $55,900 from the Wellik Foundation to the Wickenberg Cultural Organization to support the Garcia Red Schoolhouse renovation project; and $15,000 total from both The Gerald Rosenbluth Family Fund and the Newton and Betty Rosenzweig Fund for the Arts to support the 31 Women Artists exhibition at the Sedona Arts Center.
DONOR HIGHLIGHT:
The Gerald Rosenbluth Family Fund and the Newton and Betty Roseznweig Fund for the Arts provided a combined $15,000 to the Sedona Arts Center for the arts exhibition “31 Women Artists.” Inspired by the special exhibition launched by Peggy Guggenheim in 1943 in New York City, the exhibition at in Sedona included works by six of the women artists featured in the original NYC exhibition. The exhibition also showcased works by 25 women from four different countries and nine U.S. states. The exhibition was themed on the empowerment of women and the diverse heritage of Surrealism. The exhibition coincided with the Sedona Women’s March and Rally in January and drew hundreds of visitors to the Sedona Arts Center.
Quality Education: During this quarter, a total of $4.2 million was awarded in scholarships and education-related grants. Among the grants were: $125,000 from The Diane & Gary Tooker Family Charitable Fund to support Teach for America in the Phoenix region and $90,000 from the Snell & Wilmer Charitable Foundation to Guadalupe Center Educational Programs, Inc. in support of early childhood development programs that will serve nearly 150 children throughout the year.
College scholarships accounted for $217,318 of the quarter’s total and were awarded for the benefit of 87 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, 28 nonprofit organizations with agency endowments managed by the Arizona Community Foundation received their annual distributions during the third quarter of ACF’s fiscal year, accounting for the remaining $1.9 million distributed during the quarter.
The $18.2 million awarded across all categories represents 1,917 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 25 community foundations in the nation with more than $960 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 $783 million in grants, scholarships, and loans to nonprofit organizations, schools, and government agencies. More information is available at azfoundation.org.