This Grant is Now Closed
Since 1980, the Community Foundation for Southern Arizona (CFSA) has distributed more than $175 million to regional nonprofits and educational institutions. Grants have been directed toward programs spanning animal welfare, arts and culture, community development, education, environment, health and human services, general operating support and other areas of community need.
Staying relevant and current in the nonprofit world requires a desire to learn, improve and evaluate. Creating a culture of learning within an organization takes time and very often financial resources. Consider the following statistics:
- Top performing organizations are five times more likely to have a learning culture than lower performing ones. ATD Research Building a Culture of Learning
- Learning culture accounts for 46% of overall improved business outcomes including innovation, time to market, and market share. Bersin by Deloitte High Impact Learning Culture
- Every 10% invested in learning effectiveness increases employee engagement by 4%. McLean & Company, Formalize a Learning & Development Strategy
- “Ability to learn and progress” is one of the biggest differentiators for millennials when choosing a place to work. 42% say they will likely leave their organization because they are not learning fast enough. Deloitte Human Capital Trends Reports 2017
CFSA will be opening the Community Foundation Campus (CF Campus) in October 2018 which will bring many opportunities for nonprofits in term of capacity building and learning. Building momentum around creating a culture of learning in local nonprofits is a desire of CFSA leading up to the CF Campus opening.
Important Dates
April 2, 2018-Application Opens
April 30, 2018-Application Due
June 4, 2018-Grantees Notified
July 1, 2018-June 30, 2019-Funding Period
Organizations may apply for a grant up to $3,000 to support their organization with the following: staff training, conference registration, travel costs associated with conference attendance, coursework related to a position, membership into a professional network, strategic planning, consultants, retreats, board training, and certification related to a position. Preference will be given to organizations looking to strengthen diversity, equity and inclusion within their organization.
Deadline to apply is April 30, 2018 at 5pm MST. Grant period is July 1, 2018-June 30, 2019.
Basic Eligibility Requirements
- One application will be accepted per organization
- The applicant must be a 501(c)3 in good standing. The organization must have local leadership in the form of a board of directors or advisory committee, local financial support, and local program management and accountability. In the case of nationally sponsored organizations, no portion of the grant can be used to support the national, State or regional entity.
- The proposed organization must be conducting charitable work in Southern Arizona directly benefiting the people of Southern Arizona, defined as that portion of the State located south of the Gila River. We welcome applicants from the Foundation’s entire service area including Tucson, Yuma, Safford, Douglas, Sierra Vista, Bisbee, Nogales and other Southern Arizona communities.
- Grants are not made to individuals, for-profit organizations, government entities, capital fund drives, construction, or renovation (minor capital improvements required to implement programs are allowable), agency endowments, debt reduction, individual schools, religious organizations for sectarian purposes, pure sports teams.
- Organization’s managing staff must be located in the community they serve.
- Funding must support employees and not volunteer staff.
- Have a total operating budget not to exceed $2,000,000.
- Have been operating for at least two years.
- The grant period is for one year in duration. An agency can not apply for funding until all reports required for previous awards have been received.
- Have a clear commitment diversity, equity, and inclusion and encourage board and staff to reflect the communities they serve.
- One of our guiding principles is to honor the rich diversity of our community and to promote equal opportunities for all people. Awards made by the Foundation’s various grant panels support organizations that do not discriminate in their employment practices, volunteer opportunities or delivery of programs and services on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, ancestry, gender, age, sexual orientation, citizenship, disability, ethnicity, marital status, familial status, gender identity, economic circumstances and/or veteran status. Organizations will be required to submit their diversity policy.
How to apply
If are a first-time user of Common Grant, please click here to register and complete the application.
Additionally, we have developed a video tutorial on how to apply if you are a first-time applicant that will assist you in the process.
If you already have an account, please click here to access your account.
Questions? Please contact Kelly Huber, Director of Strategic Grants and Initiatives at khuber@cfsaz.org or 520-209-2958.