Valley of the Sun United Way announced today more than $9.3 million in strategic investments of programs and services provided by 101 nonprofit organizations and schools throughout Maricopa County. In partnership with First Things First and other government support, Valley of the Sun United Way also provides nearly $80 million to support families with affordable quality child care and strengthening literacy capacity, serving over 10,000 children statewide.

READ ALSO: The Most Influential Women in Arizona Business for 2023

READ ALSO: The Most Influential Women in Commercial Real Estate for 2023

“We’re proud to support and partner with so many incredible nonprofits and schools that are doing amazing and impactful work throughout our community,” said Carla Vargas Jasa, president and CEO of Valley of the Sun United Way. “These partners are a fundamental and a critical component aligned to reach the bold goals of our community-driven, five-year plan for Mighty Change by 2026, which has prioritized improving outcomes in health, housing and homelessness, education and workforce development.”

The community investments include Valley of the Sun United Way’s recent competitive grant funding process in which $5.8 million has been awarded to support 90 programs and services led by 67 community organizations, and additional investments in the nonprofit’s Grassroots Funding initiative that supports nonprofits with annual budgets under $250,000, as well as multi-year and transformational grants that support long-term programs like Mighty Families and Pathways to Economic Opportunity. Grant amounts had a $10,000 minimum and were capped at $200,000 each.

“Forty-three organizations either received increased or new funding through our competitive grant process and more than 95,000 people throughout Maricopa County will benefit from these funded programs and services,” added Vargas Jasa. “Our largest investments went to support key strategies addressing the housing and homelessness crisis, in addition to strategic supports in the areas of health, education and workforce development initiatives.”

The organization’s competitive grant process was open to all nonprofit organizations and schools throughout Maricopa County that submitted funding proposals aligned to Valley of the Sun United Way’s impact agenda and strategies for Mighty Change, also known as MC2026. More than 230 funding applications were then reviewed by a Grant Review Panel comprised of 36 community members, subject-matter experts, Valley of the Sun United Way board members, staff and other community leaders who ensured greatest alignment, impact and viability for achieving Mighty Change. Recommendations of the Grant Review Panel were then considered and approved for funding by the Valley of the Sun United Way Board of Directors.

“We know the needs of our community are great and we’re fortunate to be able to provide these strategic investments that will help nonprofit organizations and schools deliver exceptional programs and services throughout the Valley,” said John Graham, president and CEO of Sunbelt Holdings and chair of the Valley of the Sun United Way Board of Directors. “Our journey to Mighty Change is an tremendous opportunity we all have to collectively work together to improve the lives of children, families and individuals in our community and Valley of the Sun United Way is able to be the convener that is bringing together the right partners at the right time to meet our bold goals.”

Recognizing that funding is just one component of addressing the needs of our community, Valley of the Sun United Way also manages a robust Gift-in-Kind Program that distributes more than $350,000 worth of supplies to dozens of nonprofits throughout Maricopa County. The organization has also built and convenes several MC2026 Coalitions and Action Teams focused on the five-year initiative’s key impact areas and other strategic initiatives. These coalitions work to align the collective, public-private efforts of companies, nonprofits, foundations, government entities and others. Community-based organizations that are interested in joining one of the MC2026 Coalitions and Actions Teams should contact Eileana Gudiño at egudino@vsuw.org.

To learn more about Valley of the Sun United Way, its impact and journey to Mighty Change 2026, or to get involved, visit www.vsuw.org.

FY2024 Competitive Grant Funding Recipients

·         A New Leaf

·         Arizona Career Pathways

·         Arizona Housing, Inc.

·         Arouet Foundation

·         Aster Aging, Inc.

·         AZCEND

·         Be A Leader Foundation

·         Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Arizona

·         Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Scottsdale

·         Boys & Girls Clubs of the Valley

·         Boys Hope Girls Hope of Arizona

·         Camp Catanese Foundation

·         Candelen

·         Catholic Charities

·         Central Arizona Shelter Services

·         Chicanos Por La Causa

·         Child Crisis Arizona

·         College Bound AZ

·         Creighton Community Foundation

·         Elaine

·         Elevate Phoenix

·         Free Arts

·         Fresh Start Women’s Foundation

·         Friendly House

·         Helping Families In Need

·         Helping Hands for Single Moms

·         Homeless Youth Connection

·         Homeward Bound

·         HonorHealth Desert Mission Food Bank

·         Human Services Campus

·         Hushabye Nursery

·         ICAN

·         Jewish Family & Children’s Service

·         Jobs for Arizona’s Graduates

·         Junior Achievement of Arizona

·         La Frontera EMPACT – Suicide Prevention Center

·         Live & Learn

·         Lutheran Social Services of the Southwest

·         Maggie’s Place

·         Make Way for Books

·         MentorKids USA

·         Mercy House

·         Native American Connections

·         Neighborhood Ministries

·         New Life Center

·         New Pathways for Youth

·         notMYkid

·         Per Scholas

·         Phoenix Children’s Foundation

·         Read Better Be Better

·         SciTech Institute

·         Sojourner Center

·         SOUNDS Academy

·         Southwest Autism Research & Resource Center

·         Southwest Human Development

·         Televerde Foundation

·         Tempe Community Action Agency

·         The Salvation Army

·         UMOM New Day Centers

·         Union Elementary School District

·         Unlimited Potential

·         UPWARD for Children and Families

·         Wesley Community & Health Centers

·         West Valley Health Equity

·         World Hunger Ecumenical Arizona Task Force

·         Year Up Arizona

·         Zion Institute

MC2026 Multi-Year Funding Partners

·         Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Scottsdale

·         Boys & Girls Clubs of the Valley

·         United Food Bank

·         Valley of the Sun YMCA

·         Waste Not

·         Wesley Community & Health Centers

MC2026 Targeted Investment Partners

·         Banner Health Foundation

·         Chicanos Por La Causa

·         Solari

MC2026 Grassroots Partners

·         Achieving My Purpose

·         Advocacy31nine

·         Arizona Association for the Education of Young Children

·         Arizona Faith Network

·         Autism Life and Living, Inc.

·         Backpacks 4 Kids AZ

·         Boys to Men of Greater Phoenix

·         College Bound AZ

·         Elaine

·         Family of God Ministry

·         Father Matters

·         Fuerte Art Collective

·         Gateway to Freedom

·         Haitian American Center for Social Economic Development

·         Harmony Project Phoenix

·         Instituto

·         Opportunity Through Entrepreneurship Foundation

·         Our Sister Our Brother

·         Phoenix Cancer Support Network

·         Phoenix Legal Action Network

·         Project Roots

·         Rising Youth Theatre

·         Sage Foundation for Health

·         SER-KALLAI

·         Si Se Puede Foundation

·         Skye’s the Limit Foundation

·         Southwest Lending Closet

·         Stepping Up for Seniors

·         The Arc of Tempe

·         Valley of the Sun Early Childhood Association

·         Village 360