CFSA is excited to announce that we are accepting nominations now through January 5, 2021 for the Buddy Amos Founders Award 2021.
George H. “Buddy” Amos, Jr. (1934-1990), a native of Tucson and the owner of Tucson Realty and Trust Co., believed in giving back to the community that he loved so much and imparted that spirit upon his family and those around him. A natural fundraiser, it was hard for him to turn down requests to spearhead donation drives. He could often be found with other community leaders, “dialing for dollars” in a phone bank at Jim Click’s Automotive Group.
Phil Amos remembered that as time went on, his father was growing increasingly concerned about sustaining the good work the local nonprofits were doing to benefit the community. “He was afraid that people were getting tired of the calls,” recalled Phil, who was in college at the time. The answer to the merry-go-round of raising-and-spending-and-raising-and-spending came when Buddy learned about the community foundation model: charitable contributions are pooled to strategically address local needs that one individual cannot solve on his/her own.
In 1980, Buddy, along with James “Jim” Burns, Edward R. Moore, Jim Click, Jr., and F. Grainger Weil, created a community endowment organization that they called the Greater Tucson Area Foundation and laid out a framework for investment. Today, with more than $150 million in assets and grants totaling over $10 million a year, the organization they started more than 40 years ago has grown beyond their wildest dreams and is facilitating giving and creating impact every single day.
To honor his vision and ability to inspire, the Buddy Amos Founders Award was created in 2015.
Learn more about the award and past recipients here.
Nominate A Nonprofit Founder
Nominations must be completed on Common Grant Application. Deadline to apply is January 5, 2021 at 5 p.m.
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Need help with the application? Click Here for a video tutorial or call Enedina Miller at 520-209-1525.
General Criteria
- Nominees are recognized as the Founder(s) of a nonprofit organization
- The nominees’ organization must be based in and serving Southern Arizona
- Nominees can be an individual, couple (related or unrelated) or family
- Nominees have demonstrated inspirational leadership in the areas of community service, philanthropy, mentoring, collaboration and/or systems change that reaches beyond the organization
- The recipient must be able to participate in public relations before, during, and after the event and willing to speak to the attendees at the Community Foundation for Southern Arizona’s March event.
Process
- Nominations may be made by anyone familiar with the Founder/Nominee
- Before submission, nominee(s) must agree to be nominated; verification is included on the application Up to three letters of support no more than 1 page in length may be uploaded along with the application. A minimum of one letter is required. No more than 1 letter from the organization they founded
- Only fully completed nominations with no more than three letters submitted by the deadline will be considered
- A review committee selected by the Community Foundation for Southern Arizona’s Board of Trustees shall be appointed to determine the recipient from among the nominees
- All nominees will be notified prior to the event
Please contact Enedina Miller, Program Manager, at 520-209-1525 or emiller@cfsaz.org with any questions regarding this award or the nomination process.