The Community Foundation of Southern Arizona (CFSA) has awarded 16 Southern Arizona nonprofit organizations from our Comunidad Grants program, established in 2024. Comunidad Grants are targeted towards organizations working at the local level with their communities to address emerging issues. The program is dedicated to supporting grassroots nonprofits who are often most in need of unrestricted funding, with annual budgets under $100,000, giving them the most possible flexibility to grow at a critical point in their development.
“We were proud to witness the impact of this program in its first year and are thrilled that this funding can continue,” said Jeaiza Quiñones, Senior Director for Community Impact at CFSA. “Comunidad Grants prove that real change happens when local leaders have the freedom and resources to respond to their communities’ unique needs in real time.”
Rooted in mutual trust, this program aims to give nonprofits autonomy over how resources are best utilized to achieve their mission. CFSA values community. As a permanent community resource, we understand that transformative impact takes time and trust, and we will always promote inclusion and dignity for all.
The 2025 Comunidad Grant recipients are as follows:
Ajo Council for the Fine Arts (ACFA)
Amphi Liberation Mutual Aid
Building Out Safer Spaces (BOSS)
Care Bridge Foundation
Chiricahua Land Conservancy
Community Care Tucson
Community Homes of Patagonia, Inc.
The Greater Purpose Project Heroes Corp
Lifeline Oro Valley Animal Rescue
Patagonia Community Garden
Patagonia Creative Arts Association
Santa Cruz County Shining AZ
South Tucson Community Outreach
Southern AZ Birth Support Fund, dba Support Birth
University of Arizona for the benefit of the Department of Family and Community Medicine
Wildfire Protection, Inc
Learn More About Comunidad Grants
We are so grateful for this Comunidad Grant. Our computer terminals in our gift shop and gallery are on their last legs and need to be replaced. Also, space just opened upstairs from our gallery that can be utilized for classes with big beautiful windows to let natural light in. We will also be able to get a projector and screen for presentations and classes. This money allows us the opportunity to upgrade current equipment and expand our offerings to the community by starting classes again (were stopped after Covid). Our community is small, but we have a strong connection to the arts and we hope to be able to broaden our offerings.
— Jennifer Jankovich, Board of Directors President, Ajo Council for the Fine Arts
Receiving this grant means so much to us and the community we serve. It would help us keep doing what we love which is offering hands on workshops led by skilled professional WQTF folks for WQTF folks and making sure those workshops are accessible to everyone, no matter their financial situation. It would also allow us to grow our programming, support the behind-the-scenes work that makes it all happen, and pay our instructors for their time and expertise. Basically, it helps us keep building a space where our community can learn, create, and thrive together when we need it the most.
— Victor Valencia, Co-Executive Director & Co-Founder, Building Out Safer Spaces
Receiving this unrestricted Comunidad Grant from the Community Foundation for Southern Arizona provides much needed flexibility to allocate funds where they are most needed, and, in a way that is more inclusive of the community's diverse pet families and often unexpected challenges.
— Jeanette Regan-Anders, Director, Lifeline Oro Valley Animal Rescue
We're so delighted to receive support from CFSA to help us serve our community of Patagonia, AZ. The grant funds from the Community Foundation of Southern Arizona will give us the means to continue our community outreach, create bilingual signage, and sponsor an interactive community event to build a project in our community garden. This will support our goal to increase our visibility in town, attract more people to become gardeners and volunteers, and help spread the word that the Patagonia Community Garden is a place to celebrate community connections.
— Mary Sky Schoolcraft, President of the Board, Patagonia Community Garden
This grant is a huge step forward for the Southside Tucson and City of South Tucson communities we are proud to serve. This will help us continue our mission of providing free food assistance and vital community resources to individuals and families in these historically underserved communities. This will strengthen our food programs—whether it’s through emergency food boxes, hot meals and groceries for senior residents, or expanding our infrastructure. This funding gives us the ability to broaden our reach and increase our impact where it is most needed. We are truly thankful for the Comunidad Grant and excited for what we will accomplish with it!
— Desirée Guerrero, Executive Director, South Tucson Community Outreach
