2020 Grant Awards

A New Leaf, Inc. – A New Leaf Economic Empowerment Programs
Funding will be used to equip computer labs with updated desktop computers at A New Leaf’s workforce development locations, MesaCAN and Workforce Central and provide laptops for the BankWork$ career training program participants.

Aliento – Aliento Fellowship
Funding will be utilized to further expand the recruitment and training of student fellows at partner institutions, e.g. ASU, MCCC, Benedictine University, Brophy College Preparatory, Mesa Public School District, and Phoenix-based high schools.  Fellows are provided with training and the tools they need to become better leaders within their schools and beyond.  Monthly cohort trainings, and weekly one-on-one coaching is provided to all student fellows.

Arizona Career Pathways – Expanding Career Pathways for Metro Phoenix
Funding will be used to enroll and support 50 participants in the Expanding Career Pathways for Metro Phoenix program, a high-skill, high wage job training program providing essential support training, case management and wrap-around services to ensure participant self-sufficiency.

Be A Leader Foundation – BAL Institute High School (Postsecondary Access and Enrollment Support)
Funding will help enhance the Be A Leader Institute High School Program and Club network allowing BAL to serve 1,700 high school students and provide them with the tools, resources and mentoring to pursue a higher education starting the Spring 2020 semester and continuing through the 2020-2021 school year.

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Arizona – Big Futures SUCCESS
Funding will support the Big Future SUCCESS (Students Understanding College and Careers through Education, Skills, and Support) Program. In addition to the ongoing one-on-one mentoring that is the hallmark of the organization, teens in this program participate in post-secondary and workforce development training as part of a cohort. Over 300 students from 40+ Maricopa County partnering high schools will participate in the high school mentoring program during 2020.

Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro-Phoenix – Academic Success Program
Funding will be used to provide tutoring services, conduct STEM educational activities, and purchase curriculum and other educational supplies. Clubs will provide comprehensive educational assistance to help improve the youths’ academic success.  The goal of the Academic Success Program is to improve the academic achievement and STEM skills of up to 31,500 youth ages 5-18; ensure they stay in school through graduation; and ensure they have access to, and are prepared for, post-secondary education.

Camp Colley – Camp Colley Environmental Sciences Program
Funding will cover costs associated with program design, development, marketing, supplies, delivery and evaluation of the Camp Colley Environmental Science Program. This 16-module year-round curriculum will be delivered to participants at Phoenix Parks and Recreation Centers throughout the city with content centered around environmental science and STEM focused sustainability with robust components of social-emotional learning.

Center for the Future of Arizona – Arizona Pathways to Prosperity-Career Connected Pathways
Arizona Pathways to Prosperity (APTP) creates seamless educational training and credentialing opportunities for students that are aligned to our state’s industry needs in high-demand, high-growth industry sectors. APTP is industry driven with an initial focus on advanced manufacturing, health/bioscience, energy, and information technologies.  Funding will support 1500+ students in Phoenix/Maricopa County through their engagement in comprehensive early college career pathways.  Students will earn college credits in high school, industry certifications, and participate in work-based learning.  CFA will also recruit 3-5 additional K-12 partner schools in Maricopa County to adopt and implement the APTP pathways program.

Central Arizona Shelter Services – A Small Hand Up:  Homeless Housing Financial Assistance Program
Funding will allow CASS to expand the Financial Assistance Program to an estimated 300 individuals/families in the west valley where CASS is broadening its services and opening the Norton and Ramsey Social Justice Empowerment Center.  The Financial Assistance Program helps people experiencing homelessness with a small hand up for one-time stipend for items such as rent, deposits, utility, eviction arrears or travel assistance (at an average of $500/individual).  This assistance has proven effective at quickly preventing or ending an individual’s return to homelessness.  In 2019 over 276 individuals experiencing homelessness participated in the program. 

Community Bridges, Inc. – Temporary Shelter Bridge to Permanent Housing
Funding will be utilized to support the operational expenses of the Temporary Shelter Bridge facility, to include food (3 hot meals per day), janitorial supplies, client supplies, hygiene supplies, insurance for the facility, and utilities.  The purpose of the project is to reduce the length of time it takes for the homeless, single participants to transition from homelessness to permanent housing once they have been referred to a permanent supportive subsidized housing program.  CBI’s Temporary Shelter Bridge to Permanent Housing will allow housing providers to move their referred participants off the streets while the participant goes through the housing orientation, search and lease up process which can take an average of 60 days.

First Place Arizona – A Place in the World: Fueling the Next Generation of Housing for Special Populations
Funding will assist First Place in developing a sister study to the internationally recognized 2009 “Opening Doors:  A Discussion of Residential Options for Adults Living with Autism and Related Disorders” to inspire, inform and support frameworks for inclusive, supportive and affordable housing models across the U.S. and around the world.  A Place in the World will provide foundational nomenclature for housing and service delivery models further defining market segments, establishing best practices and guiding principles, and driving crucial local/national/global partnerships to address the current housing crisis.

Hustle PHX – Hustle PHX Start-Up School Expansion
Funding will be used to serve 108 entrepreneurs through local partners by providing and delivering entrepreneurship training curriculum, training of trainers, recruitment of entrepreneurs and technical assistance to build organizational capacity and increase the number of entrepreneurs that Hustle PHX serves annually.  The goals of the project are to increase the number of sustainable businesses in the underserved metropolitan Phoenix communities of South Phoenix, Maryvale and Alhambra and to increase organizational capacity of Hustle PHX as well as that of local partners to deliver entrepreneurial training that will empower entrepreneurs in these communities.

Jobs for Arizona’s Graduates, Inc. – JAG College Access and Success Initiative
Funding will help Jobs for Arizona’s Graduates (JAG) through the Access and Success Initiative program ensure that more than 950 at-risk and low-income middle and high school students and recent graduates are prepared to pursue their selected career pathway.  JAG will provide individualized mentoring, coaching, college exploration, financial literacy and job readiness training through classroom-based programs. The goal of the project is to ensure that all JAG students have the knowledge and skills to pursue post-secondary education and training needed for their career goals.

Maryvale Revitalization Corporation – Maryvale, Open for Business
Funding for the Maryvale Open for Business (MOB) program will provide opportunity, education and mentoring to job and career seekers, entrepreneurs aspiring to grow or scale their business, visionaries striving to bring their ideas to fruition, and employers looking for capable workers.  Located in the heart of Maryvale, Maryvale Open for Business will serve as the collaborative hub for freelancers, entrepreneurs, start-ups and workforce training. MOB will identify a cohort of up to 12 entrepreneurs to participate in group and individual mentoring and wrap-around business development services to help start or grow their business with a goal of local job creation and improving community access to goods and services.

Si Se Puede Foundation – Si Se Puede Foundation STEM Robotics Program
Funding will be utilized to sustain and grow all six Si Se Puede Foundation (SSPF) robotics programs. SSPF delivers a comprehensive innovative, creative, and award-winning STEM robotics program to approximately 360 low- to moderate income youth/young adults attending Title 1 schools living in underserved communities in Phoenix, Chandler, Mesa and Maricopa County.  Programs include: First Lego League, SeaPerch Underwater Robotics Competition, First Robotics Competition, National Underwater Robotics Competition, and a Women’s Collegiate Robotics Program.  As part of the overall robotics curriculum, students are also involved in the study of Calculus, and participate in immersion Chemistry and Physics camps at Chandler Gilbert Community College.

Teach For America – Building a Coalition of Leaders Fighting for Educational Equity
Funding will support TFA’s efforts to build a coalition of leaders seeking to shape educational equity, by helping bring 10 new Teach For America teachers (corps members) to Phoenix. These teachers will impact 1,500 students over their first two years in the classroom and potentially thousands more over their careers. These corps members will join a force of over 1,000 leaders in our local network.  These teachers receive ongoing training and support from TFA while they teach in low-income communities across the Valley.

The Salvation Army – Phoenix Emergency Family Shelter Vocational Program
Funding will support The Salvation Army’s vocational program which equips clients with essential resources to secure employment during their shelter stay.  The program serves as a catalyst to increase client outcomes and overcome their challenges to securing employment through case management/advocacy, transportation, childcare, GEDs, workplace supplies, and pre-requisite fee assistance.  One-on-one vocational sessions are specifically tailored to meet clients’ individual needs such as resume-building, identifying vacancies, pinpointing hiring pre-requisites, applying for jobs and interview preparation. 

Treasure House – Workforce Development Program for Adults with Cognitive Disabilities
Funding will provide workforce development training for 29 young adults with disabilities, program supplies, and transportation to get to work/volunteering/training (a major barrier for the IDD population).  Residents are provided education and employment skills training, one-on-one support from Life Coaches to communicate needs and desires, as well as to progress towards goals. 

Valley of the Sun United Way – School Readiness Kits (SRKs)
Funding will cover the costs for 2,000 School Readiness Kits (SRK). Since 2006, Valley of the Sun United Way has provided training for families and caregivers on early learning through its SRK program.  The SRK program has engaged parents and guardians of pre-school age children by providing them resources to ensure their children enter kindergarten ready to learn.  SRKs offer more than 80 ideas to help families turn everyday activities into learning opportunities.  The kits include items for children, including age-appropriate books, crayons, plastic scissors, and a parent resource guide with information on healthy eating and reading tips.  SRKs are distributed within low-income communities throughout Maricopa County such as pre-schools, elementary schools, libraries, community centers and literacy fairs. 

Wesley Community Center – After School Program for Low-Income At-Risk Youth
Funding will be used to offset the cost of after-school programming to include one-on-one homework tutoring, weekly STEM activities, literacy programming, reading, computer literacy, sports/physical activities, nutrition education, arts/crafts, and field trips to local museums and libraries. In 2014 when Wesley Community and Health Centers acquired Golden Gate Community Center serving families in west Phoenix/Maryvale, the community identified low-cost high quality after-school programming as the greatest need for youth and families.  Wesley’s after-school program has been in existence for more than eleven years. Approximately 150-200 youth are served annually.