The FY2020 Innovative Grant cycle has come to a close. A very competitive grant cycle, the first stage of the cycle, the letter of intent (LOI) stage, resulted in 34 organizations requesting over $2.7 million in funding. Of these 34, two organizations withdrew. Twenty organizations were invited to submit a full application.
With a grant budget of $600,000, and funding requests of $1.6 million, the Philanthropy Committee of the Board of Directors spent weeks reading, reviewing, evaluating, and then discussing the applications prior to making difficult final decisions. The Board recognizes that organizations, from the LOI stage forward, put their hearts and an inordinate amount of time in preparing the LOI and in preparing a full application. Decisions to approve or deny organizations are difficult as most projects have great purpose, but with consideration to the budget, mission priorities, and philanthropic focus, final decisions are resolutely and thoughtfully agreed upon.
The recipients of this year’s innovative grant awards demonstrate a wide range of projects and impact across all ages and stages of life and cover areas across Cochise and Santa Cruz Counties. This year’s awardees are:
Alzheimer’s Association Desert Southwest Chapter – Southern AZ Region
Awarded $22,374 for County-wide services. Their project is an Alzheimer’s Association Volunteer-Powered Program Delivery Initiative.
Boys & Girls Club of Sierra Vista
Awarded $75,000 for the West End of Sierra Vista. Their project is a satellite Boys & Girls Club at Carmichael Elementary School.
The Salvation Army
Awarded $75,000 for the Palominas/Hereford and Huachuca City areas. The project is a Mobile Food Outreach program providing hot prepared meals for seniors, veterans, and students.
State of Arizona Early Childhood Development and Health Board (First Things First)
Awarded $36,720 for multiple Cochise County locations. The project is for Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation.
Premier Alliances, Inc.
Awarded $50,000 for the Bisbee/Naco area. The project is a Founders Garden, a therapeutic garden providing services for both mental health therapy and physical therapy for persons of any ability.
Arizona Rangers
Awarded $19,950 for County-wide and the greater Sierra Vista area. The project is the acquisition of critical communications equipment to improve communications with law enforcement agencies.
Friends of Cave Creek Canyon
Awarded $20,000 for Portal/eastern Cochise County area. The project is the South Fork Educational and Recreational Facilities Improvement.
Civil Vision International
Awarded $50,000 for County-wide veteran services. The project funds the Warrior Healing Center in Sierra Vista.
Town of Huachuca City
Awarded $50,000 for the Town of Huachuca City. The project is a Bus Connector service that connects Tombstone and Huachuca City to Sierra Vista.
Huachuca City Community Garden, Inc.
Awarded $50,000 for the Huachuca City area. The project, Growing Wellness in a Community Garden Park, is a public production and teaching garden-park, conveniently located near the senior center and elementary school.
Family Health Care Amigos
Awarded $25,000 for Eastern Santa Cruz. The project helps to rehabilitate a historic building which will be the home of a new Lending Shed for DME equipment and a new thrift shop.
Hattie B. BWIP
Awarded $15,000 for the greater Sierra Vista area. The project is the Acacia B. Girls Confidence Camp for 2020.
Congratulations to the awardees of the FY2020 Innovative Grant.
We look forward to how your projects will benefit our communities!
