[Community Foundation for Southern Arizona](https://cfsaz.org)

November 2026 | December 2026 | January 2027

$10,000–$30,000 per grant, one-year duration; typically 40–50 awards per cycle.

Unrestricted, flexible funding for Southern Arizona nonprofits to strengthen organizational capacity, sustainability, and impact.

For nonprofits with annual budgets between $100,000 and $2,000,000 serving Southern Arizona.

--- ## Description CORE Grants provide unrestricted, flexible funding to nonprofit organizations based in Southern Arizona. The program is designed to support operational and strategic growth, enabling grantees to address emerging needs, invest in staff, technology, and infrastructure, and strengthen their overall organizational health. Grounded in trust-based philanthropy, CORE Grants allow organizations to use funds as they see fit to maximize impact and improve quality of life in the region. The grant is highly competitive and prioritizes organizations that demonstrate strong community ties, sustainability, measurable results, and effective programs. --- ## Due Dates - **November 2026:** Full application deadline (anticipated) - **December 2026:** Full application deadline (anticipated) - **January 2027:** Full application deadline (anticipated) *All dates are projected based on the annual cycle; check the program page for updates.* --- ## Funding Amount - Grant requests may range from **$10,000 to $30,000** - Funding is for a **one-year period** - Organizations may receive up to **three consecutive CORE Grants**; after three consecutive awards, a one-year waiting period is required before reapplying - Total annual funding pool varies (recent cycles: 40–50 grants per year; over $7.3 million awarded since 2017) --- ## Eligibility To be eligible, applicants must: - Be a **501(c)3 nonprofit in good standing** (or apply with a qualified fiscal sponsor) - Have operated for at least **2 years** (some sources mention 3 years—contact CFSA if close to the threshold) - Have an **annual operating budget between $100,000 and $2,000,000** - Be **headquartered in or provide services in Southern Arizona** (Cochise, Graham, Greenlee, Pima, Santa Cruz, Yuma, and parts of Pinal County south of the Gila River) - Be current on all reporting to CFSA - Demonstrate strong financial oversight and governance - Have local leadership and accountability (board/advisory committee, local financial support, and program management) - Show a commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion (must provide a diversity/non-discrimination policy) - Not be an individual, for-profit, government entity, capital campaign, agency endowment, debt reduction, individual school, religious entity for sectarian purposes, or sports team (minor capital improvements allowed if tied to programming) Special notes: - Fiscal sponsors must also be 501(c)3s in Southern Arizona - University programs may apply through their foundation as fiscal agent - Religious organizations must ensure funded programs are open to all and non-sectarian --- ## Application Process 1. **Prepare Required Documents:** - Most recent IRS Form 990 - Annual operating budget and year-to-date financials (profit & loss, balance sheet, budget-to-actuals) - Board of Directors list (with names, positions, emails, cities, years served) - Key staff list (with names, titles, emails, cities, years employed) - Diversity/non-discrimination policy - If fiscally sponsored: sponsor’s 990 and sponsorship agreement 2. **Register and Apply Online:** - Create an account on the [CFSA grant portal](https://www.grantinterface.com/Home/Logon?urlkey=cfsaz) - Complete the application by the anticipated deadline (applications typically open in October and close in November/December) - Submit all required documents as separate PDFs 3. **Review Process:** - Applications are screened for eligibility - Multi-phase committee review with scoring based on CORE values (Community, Organizational Sustainability, Results, Effective Programs) - Finalist interviews (virtual), followed by notification of awards 4. **Award and Reporting:** - One-year grant period - Grantees may be asked to participate in convenings and provide final reports --- ## Additional Information - Organizations may reapply annually unless they have received three consecutive CORE Grants (then a one-year break is required) - Grants are highly competitive; constructive reviewer feedback is available upon request after the cycle - The application and information session materials are available in Spanish upon request - A virtual information session is typically held each fall prior to the application opening --- ## External Links - [CFSA CORE Grants Program Page](https://cfsaz.org/grants/core-grants/) - [CFSA Grant Portal (Apply/Register)](https://www.grantinterface.com/Home/Logon?urlkey=cfsaz) - [CORE Grants Application Guide (PDF)](https://cfsaz.org/files/2020/06/CORE-101-Application-Guide-2024.pdf) - [Unrestricted Grants Information Session FY2026](https://cfsaz.org/event/core-comunidad-virtual-information-session-2/) - [CFSA Contact Page](https://cfsaz.org/contact-us/) --- ## Contact Information | Name/Role | Email | Phone | |--------------------------------------------|----------------------------------------|-----------------| | Community Impact Team | [community@cfsaz.org](mailto:community@cfsaz.org) | (520) 770-0800 | | Kelly Huber, Senior Director, Community Investments | [khuber@cfsaz.org](mailto:khuber@cfsaz.org) | (520) 209-2858 | | Jeaiza Quinones Ivory, Program Manager | [jqivory@cfsaz.org](mailto:jqivory@cfsaz.org) | (520) 447-8927 | ---

CORE Grants

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