Hellene Henrikson Fund of the Lutheran Church of the Foothills

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The Hellene Henrikson Legacy Fund of the Lutheran Church of the Foothills awards grants to nonprofit organizations with programs that address areas of focus selected by the Lutheran Church of the Foothills each year.

The Hellene Henrikson Fund is a donor advised fund founded and administered by Lutheran Church of the Foothills in Tucson through a gift from Hellene Henrikson at her death in 2018.

Hellene Henrikson was a longtime member at Lutheran Church of the Foothills. Throughout her life, Hellene generously supported her church as well as many other non-profit organizations in the Tucson area, helping them to live out Matthew 25:31-40. She wished that her generosity would continue after her death and now it does so through the work of this Fund.

Hellene Henrikson Fund grant applications have opened as of Sept. 2, 2025!

Application Information

Focus Area

For the Fall 2025 grant solicitation being funded by the Hellene Henrikson Legacy Fund of Lutheran Church of the Foothills, the area of focus is “Our Native American Neighbors.” The Fund seeks to support those organizations who are helping our Native American neighbors navigate a variety of cultural and societal situations. Grant applicants may also seek to address consequences of the physical, mental, societal and economic impacts that might affect our Native American neighbors.

Applicant Criteria

The Hellene Henrikson Legacy Fund of Lutheran Church of the Foothills is inviting nonprofit organizations to apply for up to $15,000 total for the Fall 2025 grant solicitation. The request should be for the amount required for the proposed program, and requests for more than this amount may be considered. A total of $60,000 will be granted, with the objective of funding up to 4 applications.

Eligibility Requirements
  • The applicant must be a 501(c)(3) in good standing, based in and doing charitable work in Southern Arizona, specifically Pima County, Santa Cruz County, and Cochise County.
  • 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 program must directly benefit communities in one of the above defined local areas.
  • Grants are generally not made to individuals, for-profit organizations, government entities, capital fund drives, agency endowments, individual schools, or for sectarian purposes.
  • Organizations will not be eligible to reapply until the next grant solicitation.
Grantmaking Priority
  • Have involved staff, volunteers, and current/potential participants in the planning and implementation of the proposed program.
  • Can clearly articulate the outcomes the program/participants will achieve and be able to collect the data to demonstrate measurable progress toward the accomplishment of those outcomes.
  • Can provide a clear description of plans to sustain the organization and/or program beyond the grant period.
  • Organizations serving families with children or seniors, while not excluding organizations that do not serve families with children or seniors.
Application Confirmation

Upon submission, you will receive an email confirmation from our team confirming that your application has been successfully submitted. If you are unsure, please email community@cfsaz.org.

Important Dates
  • The grant period is one year, from November 1, 2025 – October 31, 2026
  • Application opens on September 2, 2025
  • Deadline for submitting applications is October 3, 2025, by 5:00 PM MST
To Apply

The Community Foundation for Southern Arizona has moved to a new and improved grant portal! To apply, all applicants must create a new account on the portal.

Apply

Watch this tutorial for assistance applying.

Grantees

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