About CFSA

At the Community Foundation for Southern Arizona, we believe that diversity, equity, and inclusion are central to our purpose, are a fundamental tenet of our work, and are critical to improving the lives of future generations in Southern Arizona. We seek to challenge and change the practices, norms, and structures that create or perpetuate past, present, and future inequities.

We believe that philanthropy is a vehicle to create equity.

Our interactions with all individuals and communities are characterized by humility, respect, and transparency. We know that communities are experts regarding their own needs and solutions and that it is our role to be active listeners. We invest in developing leadership capacity within all of Southern Arizona’s diverse communities, and we trust that those communities are capable of creating systemic change.

We believe that diversity and inclusion drive innovation.

We courageously confront racism and discrimination and establish practices that embed our values at the core of who we are. We actively recruit the participation and inclusion of Southern Arizona’s diverse cultural and social groups in all of our activities, at all levels of policy development, and throughout all decision-making processes.

We believe in doing better.

We engage in continuous and intentional self-evaluation throughout all levels of the organization, and we openly solicit feedback from Southern Arizona’s diverse populace. We acknowledge that growth requires change, and we are committed to transformation.

Grantmaking + Diversity

Awards made by CFSA’s various grant panels support organizations that do not discriminate in their employment practices, volunteer opportunities, or delivery of programs and services based on race, religion, gender, or gender identity (including gender nonconformity and status as a transgender individual), gender expression, sexual orientation, age, ancestry, citizenship, ethnicity, familial status, socioeconomic status (economic circumstances), color, creed, sex (including pregnancy), phases of parenthood, national origin, marital status, veteran status (past, current, or prospective service in the armed forces), genetic information, physical characteristics or appearance, mental or physical disability, or any other status prohibited by applicable law.

The Community Foundation for Southern Arizona seeks to build a thriving Southern Arizona through philanthropy. To achieve our mission, we partner with individuals, families, businesses, and nonprofits to respond to the needs of our community through grantmaking and the establishment of charitable funds.

We honor the fundamental value and dignity of all individuals and thus will support nonprofit and faith-based organizations other than those whose primary purpose is to promote animosity, hostility, and malice against persons belonging to a race, religion, disability, sexual orientation, or ethnicity/national origin which differs from that of the members of the organization.

The diversity of our region strengthens us, and we invite you to join CFSA in creating an equitable and vibrant community for us all.

Investment Philosophy

The Community Foundation for Southern Arizona’s Board of Trustees follows the economically proven philosophy that the markets cannot be timed, nor that in the long term, individual managers will beat overall market performance. CFSA invests for the long term through a diversified portfolio consisting of different global asset classes. CFSA governs the investment of assets through an Investment Policy Statement (IPS) that is annually approved through its Board of Trustees. Performance is monitored throughout the year by an Investment Committee.

The Investment Committee employs an Investment Consultant who recommends Investment Managers (Fund Managers) and ensures they comply with all applicable laws. The Investment Consultant also provides an ongoing analysis of Investment Managers including recommendations for termination and or replacement. They create and present quarterly reports that monitor asset allocations, and the performance of investment managers, and compare fund performance to established Investment Policy Statement benchmarks.

Investment Oversight

The Board of Trustees of the Community Foundation for Southern Arizona is responsible for the oversight of the investments of the Foundation in accordance with its Bylaws and Articles of Incorporation. The Board of Trustees annually approves CFSA’s Investment Policy Statement from a recommendation of CFSA’s Investment Committee. The Board of Trustees also selects Investment Committee members and monitors the performance of CFSA’s investment pools.

Investment Consultant

Verus is an independent, institutional investment consulting firm. Since 1986, they have been working closely with their clients and other professionals to add value to their investment portfolios by providing research-driven investment solutions that address their specific needs. Verus currently consults on over $100 Billion in assets for a wide range of clients including educational and charitable organizations, corporate, multi-employer, and public defined benefit plans, hospitals, and insurance providers.