As we enter the second year of our strategic plan, BLOOM, we’d like to reflect on the progress made over the last twelve months.
When we launched BLOOM in July 2023, our focus included three strategic priorities:
- A Vital Nonprofit Sector: To invest in Southern Arizona’s nonprofit sector to empower nonprofits to effectively tackle community challenges.
- Impactful Community Philanthropy: To position CFSA as a preferred, welcoming, and inclusive partner and resource for community-minded donors.
- Bold Aspirations for Southern Arizona: To serve as a leader and resource for the community to achieve bold aspirations.
These priorities offer important guidance for our board and staff as we evaluate new opportunities and decide where to focus our resources and time. The benefits of that guidance are clear as we look back on the activities and accomplishments of our first year of BLOOM.
CFSA Trustee and Vice-Chair Richard Koo shared his excitement, “Do you feel it?? Do you see it?? The seedlings of our strategic plan are taking hold, and shoots are appearing above the ground. If we keep on working together for a better Southern Arizona for all, more smiles will bloom in our community. Our deepest thanks to CFSA’s fearless, talented, hard-working CEO and staff and to all of CFSA’s constituents for a fabulously active year. We look forward for the progress to continue.”
A Vital Nonprofit Sector
Through unrestricted grantmaking, targeted education, peer roundtables, and opportunities to convene at the Community Foundation Campus, CFSA is empowering Southern Arizona’s nonprofits to tackle today’s complex community challenges.
In our first year of BLOOM, we introduced a two new grant programs to address specific funding needs identified in our strategic planning process – Comunidad Grants and The Policy Project.
The Comunidad Grants Program provides unrestricted funding to Southern Arizona nonprofits with annual operating budgets under $100,000. The program supports grassroots nonprofits who are often most in need of unrestricted funding. Through the first year of Comunidad Grants, $132,000 in general operating support was awarded to 24 Southern Arizona nonprofits.
Carlos Aragon from Reach For The Stars shared his gratitude, “Receiving a Comunidad Grant not only propels us towards significant growth and the achievement of our mission’s objectives but also elevates our efforts, enhancing our impact within the community. This grant greatly enhances our leadership capacity, strengthens our organizational structure, and enriches our services. This ripple effect will benefit every aspect of our programs, touching the lives of all our current and future clients, as well as their families. Thank you for allowing us to aim higher and reach for the stars.”
The Policy Project is a unique funding opportunity, established with the generous support of The Melody S. Robidoux Fund, that provides nonprofit organizations with an opportunity to impact their community by increasing their public policy and public advocacy efforts. The first cycle of grants was awarded in June 2024, and recipients will receive up to three years of funding and support.
Recognizing that our nonprofit partners need support beyond funding, our team launched several innovative new programs and opportunities in the first year of BLOOM.
To provide hands-on support to nonprofits throughout Southern Arizona, CFSA’s Center for Healthy Nonprofits offered well-attended, in-person workshops on board governance and grant writing in Yuma, Sahuarita/Green Valley, and Sierra Vista.
The Santa Cruz Community Foundation, a geographic affiliate of CFSA, also increased the availability of local, expert support for nonprofits. Our team was selected out of hundreds of applicants as one of 65 host organizations in the country for a new Economic Recovery Corps fellowship program. Throughout the year, our ERC Fellow Evan Kory has helped nonprofits in Santa Cruz County access federal funding through intensive technical assistance and mentorship.
Kory shared, “I am grateful for the opportunity to offer support and guidance to our community’s nonprofits through the ERC fellowship program. I hope to engage with a wide variety of nonprofits ranging from the arts sector to affordable housing, many of which are now eligible for larger federal funding opportunities. Working together, we can increase the potential for employment and economic growth in Southern Arizona.”
Impactful Community Philanthropy
From philanthropy to finance, operations to community impact, our staff members actively explored new ways to position CFSA as the preferred philanthropic partner and resource for community-minded individuals, families, and businesses in Southern Arizona.
Our philanthropy team grew to include new positions that offer direct engagement and learning opportunities for donors. In addition to supporting new grant opportunities, the team worked diligently to expand resources available through our CORE Grants Program.
In year one of BLOOM, CORE awarded a historic $1.3 million in general operating support to 61 nonprofits. This achievement was made possible through our continued partnership with the Connie Hillman Family Foundation and the Fidelity Charitable Catalyst Fund, as well as the incredible 24% increase in support to our CORE grantees through our CORE Donor Collaborator Program, which allows donors to partner with CFSA and other donors in the community to learn about and support high-performing local nonprofits through a well-organized process managed by CFSA.
In addition, a complete database overhaul and update will be completed this fall. This update will offer increased accessibility and streamlined processes for our fundholders, donors, and grant recipients.
Bold Aspirations for Southern Arizona
Lastly, we are excited to share noteworthy progress in several of our bold aspirations in year one of BLOOM.
One of those aspirations is to help build a solar-powered nonprofit sector that contributes to a new green economy and the environmental resiliency needed as we adapt to climate change in Southern Arizona. Last year, CFSA’s Environmental Sustainability Impact Fund and Nonprofit Solar Project directly connected nonprofit organizations with solar technology that saves them dollars and reduces their environmental impact. In year one, we celebrated the completion of solar installations at four local nonprofits.
Another bold aspiration is the preservation and rebuilding of local news and information in Southern Arizona. Last Fall, CFSA began working with a group of concerned and dedicated volunteers to raise and distribute funding from generous community members to prevent Southern Arizona from becoming a news desert.
Together, this group and CFSA formed the Local News Initiative of Southern Arizona to raise public awareness about the impact of declining local news and increase funding available to local news organizations and providers. In year one of BLOOM, the Initiative awarded $225,000 to six organizations supporting local news and information throughout Southern Arizona.
In addition, CFSA established Press Forward Southern Arizona as one the newest Press Forward Locals. Press Forward Locals are a network of chapters across the country designated by a national Press Forward effort that offer funders the opportunity to create place-based initiatives, driven by the specific information needs of their communities. CFSA is excited to lead Press Forward Southern Arizona and build upon our efforts to support local news and information in the region.
It has been a truly remarkable first year of BLOOM, and year two looks to be just as fruitful, with new programs launching and new staff leadership bringing their passion and perspective to our work at CFSA. Stay tuned!!
When we work together, the impossible becomes possible. In Southern Arizona, we BLOOM together.