History & Timeline

Greater Tucson Area Foundation was established by James "Jim" Burns, Granger Weil, Edward Moore, George “Buddy” Amos, Jr., and Jim Click Jr.

James Burns, founder of Greater Area Tucson Foundation, serves as Board Chair.

George “Buddy” Amos, Jr. serves as Board Chair.

Donna Grant is hired as the Foundation’s first full-time Executive Director.

Received National Endowment for the Arts Challenge Grant to establish Endowment for the Arts Fund.

Sidney B. Brinkerhoff serves as Board Chair.

The Arizona Arts Award and the Igor Gorin Memorial Award are established.

Gordon W. Waterfall serves as board chair.

Melody S. Robidoux established a supporting organization, the Melody S. Robidoux Foundation, which placed the Foundation among the top 50 community foundations nationwide.

Kerstin and Spencer Block established the Buffalo Exchange Arts Award. 

Dr. Anna Jolivet serves as Board Chair.

The name changed to Community Foundation for Southern Arizona to reflect regional grantmaking.

Michael Hard serves as Board Chair.

Southern Arizona Women’s Fund was renamed the Women’s Foundation of Southern Arizona.

CFSA was awarded a $100,000 challenge grant to establish the LGBTQ+ Alliance Fund.  

In partnership with local leaders, CFSA established the regional affiliate Santa Cruz Community Foundation.

Mary Ann Dobras serves as Board Chair.

Steve Alley joined CFSA as President and CEO.

The Center for Planned Giving was established as an impartial resource for professional advisors, donors, and nonprofits exploring philanthropy.

Phil Amos serves as Board Chair.

Robert Friesen serves as Board Chair.

Carmen Marriott serves as Board Chair.

The Stone Canyon Community Foundation donor-advised fund was established.

Paul Lindsey serves as Board Chair.

Clint Mabie joins CFSA as President and CEO.

Literacy for Life Coalition merged with four local literacy programs to create Literacy Connects.

Nancy Davis serves as Board Chair.

CFSA convenes the animal welfare community and establishes the Pima Alliance for Animal Welfare (PAAW) to improve animal welfare through collective action.  At that time, almost 13,000 animals a year were being euthanized annually in our municipal shelter, and our community needed to act.

 R. Michael Sullivan serves as Board Chair.

The African American Legacy Fund is established with leadership from former board member and civic leader Dr. Anna Jolivet. The fund works to increase philanthropy to and from the African American community in Tucson.

Launched the Making Action Possible (MAP) Dashboard in partnership with the University of Arizona and Southern Arizona Leadership Council. The MAP Dashboard was created to measurably improve Southern Arizona through data-driven collective civic action and education.

Launched the Community Interactive, a series of engaging and informative live events addressing issues Southern Arizonans face – such as poverty, the border, education, and the arts. Produced in partnership with Arizona Public Media, each event featured an accomplished moderator and a panel of experts, offering community members an opportunity to participate in a solution-driven conversation about these pressing issues.

Fred Chaffee serves as Board Chair.

Jan Lesher serves as Board Chair.

Launched CORE Grants Program to increase the availability of general operating support for high-impact nonprofits in southern Arizona. CORE Grants provide nonprofits with the flexible working capital necessary to maximize their impact and improve the quality of life in Southern Arizona.

Began construction at 5049 E. Broadway to build the Community Foundation Campus as a central hub for nonprofits to convene, collaborate, and grow.

CFSA refreshed our logo with a more modern look.

Community Foundation Campus opened to the public.

Claudia Jasso serves as Board Chair.

Launched CORE Donor Collaborator Program and awarded $500,000 in general operating funds to the community through the second round of CORE Grants – a 67% increase over the first round of CORE Grants. Contributing to over$200 million in funds granted to the community.

Launched the Catchafire Program to support nonprofit capacity building throughout Southern Arizona.  CFSA granted year-long Catchafire memberships to 100 local nonprofit organizations in 2019, resulting in over $1.8 million in completed projects, representing over 9,000 volunteer hours and 440 individual projects.

Established the Center for Healthy Nonprofits to strengthen the southern Arizona nonprofit community by offering free and reduced-cost capacity-building workshops and training for nonprofits. Built upon CFSA’s in-depth knowledge of the nonprofit community, the Center helps nonprofit professionals and volunteers improve their ability to manage, govern, and grow local charitable organizations.

Celebrated 40 years of serving the Southern Arizona community with an event at the University of Arizona featuring guest speaker Maria Hinojosa.

Established two COVID-19 Response Funds and facilitated over $3.5 million in COVID relief funding to Southern Arizona nonprofits.

Jenny Flynn joins CFSA as President and CEO.

CFSA partners with The University of Arizona’s Eller Executive Education to provide nonprofit leadership and management training to local nonprofit professionals. The partnership was established as part of CFSA’s COVID-19 Response Strategy to help local nonprofits recover from the pandemic's impact. The training, consulting opportunities, and Nonprofit Leadership & Management Certificate Program are provided free of charge to local nonprofits

Styne Hill serves as Board Chair.

Established the Nonprofit Solar Project to offer local nonprofits the opportunity to meet a significant portion of their energy needs through solar power. By switching to solar, the selected nonprofits will reduce their carbon footprint and energy costs, freeing up resources for programming or other infrastructure needs.

CFSA opened a Little Free Library called Dog Eared Books.

The Community Foundation, in partnership with Tucson Tome Gnome and Tucson Agenda, starts a Solutions-Focused Community Book Club to bring together interested community members from all walks of life to bond over a shared desire to make our community better for all – and be inspired by a shared reading experience!

Together We Bloom. CFSA launched a new strategic plan – BLOOM – to sharpen our focus and refine our mission: To build a thriving Southern Arizona through philanthropy. Three new awards were created to recognize our blossoming community: the Bold Aspirations Award, Impactful Philanthropy Award, and Vital Nonprofit Award.

The Community Foundation for Southern Arizona is proud to expand its efforts to provide unrestricted operating grants to local nonprofits with the launch of the Comunidad (Community) Grants Program. This grants program was created to provide unrestricted funding to Southern Arizona nonprofits with annual operating budgets under $100,000.

Established the Local News Initiative of Southern Arizona to help strengthen local journalism in our community and fill critical gaps in local news and information.

Taunya Villicana serves as Board Chair.

Santa Cruz County Community Foundation (SCCF), a geographic affiliate of the Community Foundation for Southern Arizona (CFSA), was selected as a host organization for a new Economic Recovery Corps program (ERC) launching this month at 65 host locations across 44 states and territories.

Press Forward Southern Arizona was established as one of the newest additions to Press Forward Locals, a network of chapters working to expand resources for local news nationwide.

The Asian Pacific Islander Desi American (APIDA) Fund was founded as an initiative of the Community Foundation for Southern Arizona.

CFSA launches The Steady Saguaro, a new email update designed to provide valuable community updates, action items, and inspiration from our President and CEO, Jenny Flynn.

Bloom with us! CFSA launches its 2027-2029 strategic framework, strengthening its role as a civic backbone by connecting people, resources, and ideas to build a thriving Southern Arizona ahead of its 50th anniversary.

CFSA refreshed our logo to reflect our vibrant Southern Arizona community.