Donor Stories

At the Community Foundation for Southern Arizona (CFSA), we are honored to help carry forward the legacies of donors who care deeply about this region. Leone Mohney is one of those remarkable individuals whose generosity will continue to shape Southern Arizona for generations to come.

We are grateful for the opportunity to steward the Leone Mohney Endowed Fund, created through her estate gift, and to ensure her vision continues to support the community she loved.

Leone was a proud graduate of Tucson High School and spent most of her life in Tucson, living in the adobe home her parents built. After earning her degree from the University of California, Berkeley School of Public Health, she returned to her hometown to begin a distinguished career as a microbiology researcher at the University of Arizona.

Her work reflected both excellence and purpose. As a trailblazing scientist, Leone contributed meaningfully to her field while also mentoring emerging scientists. Her influence extended well beyond her research, shaping the lives and careers of those who learned from her.

Alongside her scientific accomplishments, Leone held a deep appreciation for the arts.

She believed strongly in the role the arts play in shaping young lives, fostering creativity, confidence, and connection. That belief guided her legacy gift, which was directed to support arts organizations serving children across Southern Arizona.

Through her endowed fund at CFSA, Leone’s generosity will continue in perpetuity, providing sustained support to arts organizations that enrich our community and expand young people's access to creative opportunities.

Leone’s story is a powerful reminder that legacy giving is personal. It reflects what matters most to each donor and extends those values into the future in a lasting way.

At CFSA, we are privileged to work alongside donors who choose to invest in Southern Arizona not only for today, but for the generations yet to come. Each legacy gift strengthens the fabric of our community and helps ensure it continues to thrive.

We are deeply grateful to Leone, and to all who have chosen to leave a legacy of generosity. Your vision and commitment make a lasting difference in the place we all call home.

At the Community Foundation for Southern Arizona (CFSA), we are honored to steward the charitable legacy of Julian M. Babad. Through a collection of funds established by his estate and continued advising from his family, Julian’s generosity continues to support education, basic needs, health, and opportunity for people both locally and around the world.

His story is one of resilience, gratitude, and a lifelong commitment to giving back.

Julian M. Babad was born in Poland in 1934 to Jewish parents. As a child, he experienced profound loss and displacement. His family immigrated to the United States seeking safety and a better future. After the death of his mother and his father’s service during the war, Julian spent much of his childhood without parental support.

Despite these early challenges, Julian excelled academically and earned a college scholarship, eventually becoming an engineer. Throughout his life, he carried a deep sense of gratitude for the opportunities he was given, and that gratitude became the foundation of his lifelong philanthropy.

In 1997, he established a scholarship fund through what is now CFSA, determined to create opportunities for students who, like him, could benefit from educational access and support.

Over time, Julian expanded his giving in meaningful and lasting ways, creating multiple funds that reflect both his values and his vision for community impact.

Julian M. Babad Legacy Endowment Fund (Designated Fund)

Established through his estate, this endowed fund supports a wide range of nonprofit organizations working across critical areas of need. His legacy has supported organizations including those focused on Alzheimer’s care and research, disaster response, food security, education, job training, literacy, and global development.

Among the organizations supported are the American Red Cross, Doctors Without Borders, the Community Food Bank of Southern Arizona, Literacy Connects, the Primavera Foundation, TechnoServe, Planned Parenthood, and many others working to strengthen communities and expand opportunity.

Julian M. Babad Music Fund (Field of Interest Fund)

Julian also established a fund dedicated specifically to music education. This fund supports music programs in the Sunnyside and Flowing Wells school districts, helping students access creative learning experiences that build confidence, discipline, and joy through the arts.

The Julian M. Babad Charitable Fund (Donor Advised Fund)

The donor-advised fund, now guided by his nephew, continues Julian’s tradition of thoughtful and responsive giving. Grants from this fund have supported organizations serving youth, childcare, job training, and immigration services, reflecting a broad commitment to meeting community needs with compassion and care.

A Legacy of Gratitude in Action

Julian’s life is a powerful example of how lived experience can shape lasting generosity. From hardship to opportunity, his journey reflects a deep understanding of what it means to be supported by community, and the importance of giving that support back to others.

At CFSA, we are privileged to carry forward his vision through these funds and to ensure his legacy continues to make a difference for generations to come.

We are grateful to Julian, and to all donors who choose to invest in the well-being of others through legacy giving. Your generosity creates lasting change and strengthens the fabric of Southern Arizona and beyond.

The LGBTQ+ Alliance Fund, a fund of the Community Foundation for Southern Arizona, is ecstatic to announce that its longtime supporters, Kristen Birner and Colette Barajas, have established a permanent endowment to support the Fund’s grantmaking in perpetuity. They are the first lesbian couple to create a permanent endowment for the Alliance Fund, and their gift comes at a critical moment as the Fund transforms its funding model to better meet the needs of grantees in Southern Arizona.

The Kristen Birner & Colette Barajas Endowment is the sixth endowment created for the Alliance Fund since 1999. The existing named endowment funds include the Douglas Noffsinger & Roger Funk Endowment, the Noel Matkin–Jim Sincox Endowment, the Kent Burbank & Vicente Talanquer Endowment, the Walt Whitman Endowment, the Sylvia Stan Mulka Endowment, and the general Alliance Fund Endowment.

“We believe there is enormous power in giving back, and when like-minded givers unite, great progress can be made towards the betterment of life for all those in our queer community. These same principles guide the LGBTQ+ Alliance Fund, which we have seen grow in strength and purpose,” said Birner and Barajas. “We dream of a world that is inclusive, fair, and fully realized for all LGBTQ+ people, and we want our work to live on into perpetuity through our endowment. With our progress as LGBTQ+ Americans presently at risk more than ever before, we feel the time is now to add our legacy to the current and future success of the organization.”

“On behalf of the CFSA Board of Trustees, we commend Kristen and Colette for entrusting us with their hearts and treasures to keep LGBTQ+ programs in Southern Arizona funded— now and into the future,” said CFSA President & CEO Jenny Flynn.

“Kristen and Colette’s generosity is deeply rooted in so many organizations and causes throughout Southern Arizona, but especially in their decades-long commitment to creating an accepting and loving community for our queer loved ones,” said Kent Burbank, Chair of the LGBTQ+ Alliance Fund Advisory Board. “We are immensely grateful for Kristen and Colette’s willingness to take their unwavering philanthropic legacy to the next level by establishing a permanent endowment to support our grantees for generations to come.”

“Kristen and Colette are known for their unique ability to bring people together,” said Andrés Cano, Director of the LGBTQ+ Alliance Fund. “This endowment is an extension of their loving hearts and continued commitment to building community. We are beyond grateful for their establishing gift that will help transform our Fund.”

The LGBTQ+ Alliance Fund is pleased to announce the creation of the Sylvia Stan Mulka Endowment Fund, the single largest gift in the organization’s 22-year history. The $150,000 permanent endowment created by Alliance Fund Emeritus Board Member Sylvia Mulka has also helped the Alliance Fund reach a historic milestone: the Fund’s collective endowed funds now surpass $500,000.

“We are absolutely grateful to Sylvia Mulka for her generous commitment to the long-term success of the Alliance Fund,” said Board Chair Kent Burbank. “The growth of our endowment is critical and the Mulka Fund will allow us to directly invest in our grantees in perpetuity.”

The Fund agreement was signed in a private ceremony with Jenny Flynn, President & CEO of the Community Foundation for Southern Arizona. 

“On behalf of the CFSA Board of Trustees, we thank Sylvia for her forward-thinking investment in the Alliance Fund,” said Flynn. “Because of her leadership, the Fund is now better positioned to meet the growing needs of its grantees committed to LGBTQ+ equity and inclusion in Southern Arizona.”

Ensuring the Alliance Fund has long-term, dedicated monies for staffing was a top priority for Mulka, a longtime supporter. “I’m honored to be able to give back to a trusted organization with a 22-year track record of providing invaluable financial support for so many LGBTQ+ programs and organizations,” said Sylvia Mulka. “The Alliance Fund is headed in the right direction, and that’s why I wanted to set the foundation for continued growth.”

The Mulka Endowment is the fifth endowment created for the Alliance Fund since 1999. The endowed funds now collectively totaling $500,000+ include: the Douglas Noffsinger & Roger Funk Endowment, the Noel Matkin–Jim Sincox Endowment, the Kent Burbank and Vicente Talanquer Endowment, the Walt Whitman Endowment, and the general Alliance Fund endowment.

The LGBTQ+ Alliance Fund was created in 1999 by the Community Foundation for Southern Arizona with support from donors, community members, and the National Lesbian and Gay Community Funding Partnership. To date, the Fund has awarded 208 grants, totaling $1,025,897, to more than 65 local organizations.