Arizona

Stone Canyon Community Foundation (SCCF),a donor-advised fund held at the Community Foundation for Southern Arizona, has announced that a total of $250,000 was awarded to 20 local nonprofit organizations in its 2021-22 Annual Grant Round. Grantees are working to help young people take advantage of educational and other opportunities for their own self-improvement and development. Recipients include Avila Children’s Services, Make Way for Books, Project Access, and Youth on Their Own.

The Arizona Community Foundation has announced the promotion of Glenn Wike to chief of staff, a new position at the foundation, in addition to his current position of senior vice president of community investment. Prior to joining ACF, Wike worked at the Phoenix Zoo, and he currently serves on the boards of Arizona Grantmakers Forum, the Alliance of Arizona Nonprofits, and Friends of Public Radio Arizona.

California

The San Francisco-based Latino Community Foundation (LCF) has announced the appointment of Max Vargas as its vice president of economic justice. Most recently, Vargas served as deputy director of First 5 California, overseeing legislative, policy, and media initiatives to increase childcare access and secure paid family leave, and he previously worked for the California legislature, the state’s workforce and transportation agencies, and the National Council of La Raza (now UnidosUS).

The San Diego Foundation has announced that seven local nonprofits will receive grants totaling $180,000 in support of job development and other programs to expose opportunity youth—or young people ages 16 to 24 who are neither in school nor working—to careers in green industries. Recipients include Urban Corps of San Diego County, the Ocean Discovery Institute, Project New Village, and Tree San Diego.

Illinois

The Chicago Community Trust has announced it is convening a network of community leaders to implement scalable solutions to advance equitable homeownership and real estate development in Black and Latinx communities. The three-year, multi-sector partnership is part of the Connecting Capital and Community (3C) initiative led by the Center for Community Investment with a $1.95 million commitment from JPMorgan Chase. Initially, the trust will collaborate with a network of partners with concentrated activities in East Garfield Park and Humboldt Park. As the trust expands access to affordable homeownership, it intends to grow the network of stakeholders and scale the model across other communities. The network of partners includes the Garfield Park Community Council, the Puerto Rican Agenda of Chicago, Neighborhood Housing Services of Chicago, KMW Communities, and the City of Chicago.

Minnesota

The Minneapolis Foundation has announced $185,303 in micro-grants from its Fund for Safe Communities to 39 local organizations that are working to address community trauma and promote wellness as Minneapolis residents continue to bear the weight of the pandemic, the lasting effects of social unrest, and the ongoing movement for racial justice. Recipients include Aeon, the Link, the Stages Theatre Company, and the Threads Dance Project.

New Jersey

The Community Foundation of South Jersey (CFSJ) in Haddonfield has announced a partnership with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) to seed community endowments across the six communities in its Transform South Jersey (TSJ) initiative. The investment is intended to foster a long-term focus on asset and leadership development in the South Jersey region, by offering $50,000 in matching funds to each TSJ community. The community-endowed funds, paired with the completion of a Heart & Soul plan—another component of Transform South Jersey—are aimed at enhancing the quality of life in each partner community by focusing on the opportunities and needs articulated by engaged neighbors of diverse ages, socioeconomic backgrounds, occupations, races, and cultural traditions. With support from CFSJ, Downe Township, Hammonton, Salem, Willingboro, Winslow Township, and Woodbury will receive up to $50,000 each provided they meet the challenge of matching the investment dollar-for-dollar. Each of the endowed community funds will have three years to raise the matching contributions.

Ohio

The Greater Toledo Community Foundation has announced the appointments of Abigail Aldrich as executive vice president of operations and special projects, and Elizabeth Salerno as grantmaking associate, a new position. Aldrich previously served as executive director of the United Way of Sandusky County. Salerno most recently served as executive director of Housing Help for Lenawee. She also has experience in development and nonprofit marketing.

The Dayton Foundation has announced that the annual Breast Cancer 5k Care Walk will be held for the final time on May 14. Since 2001, the event has raised a total of nearly $300,000, with 100 percent of the proceeds going to organizations that support underserved and uninsured residents of Miami Valley. The foundation’s CARE Walk Fund disburses the funding.

Rhode Island

The Rhode Island Foundation has announced that the Norman Bird Sanctuary, the Woonsocket Afterschool Coalition, and the Rhode Island Israel Collaborative have been named the winners of its annual Best Practices Awards. Sponsored by Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island, the award recognizes outstanding practices by Rhode Island nonprofit organizations in the area of collaboration, with an emphasis on diversity, equity, and inclusion, and each winner will receive $5,000.

Washington, D.C.

The Greater Washington Community Foundation has announced grants totaling more than $1 million through its Sharing Community Funds. Recipients include Dreaming Out Loud, Empower DC, Ayuda, and First Shift.