Foundations That Fund Community Improvement in Arizona
238 foundations reported 957 grants worth $23.7M to community improvement organizations in Arizona on their most recent tax filings. Here is who they are, and which ones did not check the box on that filing for giving only to preselected organizations. An unchecked box is not a statement that a foundation takes requests; its own page quotes what its return said about applying.
Grantmaking charities such as community foundations report on a different form and are counted separately, in their own section.
Foundations that fund community improvement in Arizona without the preselected-only box checked
Each one granted to this cause in this state, and none of them told the IRS it only funds organizations it picks itself. Ordered by how many grants they made, not by dollars. That shows how widely each one gives, not whether any one of them would take a new applicant. Typical grant is the median, so you can judge whether you are their size.
| Foundation | Based in | Typical grant | Grants made | Granted here |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Virginia G Piper Charitable Trust | Phoenix, AZ | $5K | 46 | $1.3M |
| American Express Foundation | New York, NY | $150 | 34 | $11K |
| The Legacy Foundation of Southeast | Sierra Vista, AZ | $4K | 20 | $820K |
| The Bank of America Charitable | Charlotte, NC | $20K | 19 | $327K |
| Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust | Indianapolis, IN | $50K | 8 | $405K |
| Tw Lewis Foundation | Scottsdale, AZ | $46K | 6 | $219K |
| The Diane and Bruce Halle Foundation | Scottsdale, AZ | $200K | 5 | $1.6M |
| Garcia Family Foundation | Tempe, AZ | $50K | 5 | $455K |
| Wells Fargo Foundation | Minneapolis, MN | $50K | 5 | $425K |
| The Virginia M Ullman Foundation | Phoenix, AZ | $50K | 5 | $240K |
The largest funders — for reference
These give the most money to this cause in this state, but most state on their returns that they give only to organizations they select, and their grants are usually far larger than a small organization would seek. Useful context, not a target list.
| Foundation | Typical grant | Granted here | Preselected-only box |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aditi Foundation | $975K | $1.9M | Checked: preselected only |
| The Diane and Bruce Halle Foundation | $200K | $1.6M | Not checked |
| Wells Fargo Foundation | $50K | $1.4M | Not checked |
| Virginia G Piper Charitable Trust | $5K | $1.3M | Not checked |
| Garcia Family Foundation | $50K | $1.3M | Not checked |
Grantmaking charities that gave to community improvement organizations in Arizona
Everything above comes from private foundations’ Form 990-PF. Community foundations, United Ways and other charities that make grants file Form 990 instead and list their grants on Schedule I, so they are counted here on their own and are not included in any figure above.
On returns for tax years 2020–2025, 322 grantmaking charities reported 1,190 grants totalling $118.3M to 212 community improvement organizations in Arizona.
Listed by number of grants reported, not by dollars: 15 of 322 are shown. Form 990 does not ask whether a charity accepts unsolicited requests, so nothing here says either way.
| Grantmaker | Based in | Grants reported | Organizations | Reported here |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Community Foundation for | Tucson, AZ | 38 | 16 | $1.6M |
| Valley of the Sun United Way | Phoenix, AZ | 25 | 8 | $7.3M |
| Community Food Bank Inc | Tucson, AZ | 19 | 7 | $707K |
| Thunderbirds Charities | Phoenix, AZ | 16 | 7 | $666K |
| Burton Family Foundation | Phoenix, AZ | 15 | 7 | $3.1M |
| Arizona Food Bank Network | Phoenix, AZ | 15 | 7 | $376K |
| United Food Bank | Mesa, AZ | 14 | 3 | $4.9M |
| Mercy Care | Phoenix, AZ | 12 | 5 | $2.7M |
| United Way of Tucson and Southern | Tucson, AZ | 11 | 6 | $210K |
| The Pakis Family Foundation | Phoenix, AZ | 10 | 4 | $512K |
Grantmakers at donor-advised-fund scale, for reference
Each of these reported grants to 2,000 or more different organizations across all its returns. Grantmakers at this scale are normally donor-advised fund sponsors or workplace-giving platforms: the money is directed by many individual account holders, not awarded by a committee, so writing to the organization is unlikely to reach whoever chose these grants.
| Grantmaker | Based in | Grants reported | Organizations | Reported here |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arizona Community Foundation | Phoenix, AZ | 106 | 48 | $6.5M |
| American Online Giving Foundation Inc | Newark, DE | 77 | 26 | $3.0M |
| Fidelity Investments Charitable Gift Fund | Boston, MA | 72 | 35 | $1.7M |
| Donor Advised Charitable Giving Inc | Lone Tree, CO | 31 | 15 | $838K |
| Charities Aid Foundation America | Alexandria, VA | 11 | 6 | $364K |
How cause was assigned here. Schedule I gives each recipient’s EIN. We looked that EIN up in the IRS Business Master File and used the NTEE major group the IRS assigns to the recipient, the same classification the private-foundation figures above use. Grants whose recipient EIN is missing or not in the master file are not counted. State is the recipient’s address as the grantmaker filed it. Where a return was amended, only the newest version is counted.
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Where the money actually goes in Arizona
Total granted to organizations in each city. Funding is usually far more concentrated than people expect, which matters when you are judging your own odds.
How to use this list
- Start with the foundations that did not check the box. The others told the IRS they give only to organizations they select themselves. An unchecked box is not an invitation, so read what each one's return says about applying on its own page.
- Check whether they fund organizations your size. The median grant here is $2K — a funder writing $2K checks is unlikely to write you a six-figure one.
- Look for a local connection. Foundations concentrate their giving geographically, and repeat the same grantees year after year.
- Read their recent grants before writing. Past giving tells you what they actually fund, which is often narrower than their stated mission.
Other funder guides
Other causes in Arizona: Animal Welfare (862) · Arts & Culture (715) · Civil Rights (493) · Crime & Legal (267) · Diseases & Disorders (329) · Education (1,263) · Environment (392) · Food & Nutrition (342) · Health Care (605) · Housing & Shelter (307) · Human Services (1,063) · International Affairs (293) · Medical Research (150) · Mental Health (225) · Public & Societal Benefit (233) · Recreation & Sports (266) · Religion (633) · Youth Development (311)
Each number is how many private foundations reported grants to that cause in Arizona.
Community Improvement in other states · Every guide, by state and cause