Arizona

The Arizona Community Foundation has announced that it awarded more than $25.3 million in grants and scholarships during the first quarter of its fiscal year from funds at the foundation and its six statewide regional offices in Cochise, Flagstaff, the Gila Valley, Sedona, Yavapai County, and Yuma. Funding included $10.4 million in support of health innovations, $3.5 million for community improvement and development, $961,504 in support of environment and sustainability efforts, $1.1 million toward arts and culture, and a total of $7 million in scholarships and education-related grants.

California

Silicon Valley Community Foundation (SVCF) has announced the appointment of Jill Nisson as vice president of marketing. Nisson has nearly 20 years of experience in developing successful integrated marketing strategies, launching innovative products, and leading creative teams. Prior to joining SVCF, Nisson was a marketing consultant for Clif Bar & Company.

Georgia

The Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta has announced the launch of a student loan debt pilot program, a “reverse scholarship” that will pay off up to $30,000 in student debt for borrowers in the South Cobb (Fair Oaks), South Fulton (College Park and East Point), and Thomasville neighborhoods. Launched less than two months before federal student loan payments—which were paused during COVID—are set to resume, the initiative aims to mitigate the impact of student loan debt in marginalized communities, which contributes to the racial wealth gap and has long-term implications for financial, physical, and mental health. Payments will go directly to the student or parent loan providers, not borrowers.

Indiana

The Community Foundation of DeKalb County in Auburn has announced grants totaling $34,660 in support of nine organizations located or providing services in the county. Recipients include the St. Joe Pickle Festival, Erin’s House for Grieving Children, Alliance Industries, and McMillen Health.

Kentucky

The Community Foundation of Louisville has announced the recipients of its 23rd annual Vogt Invention and Innovation Awards. Six early-stage companies will participate in a 10-week accelerator program and receive $25,000 in non-dilutive grant funding, start-up coaching, mentorship from industry veterans, strategic introductions, and recognition. This year’s winners are Affinna, Feedcoyote, Gamerabble, Immersive Hearing Technologies, My Food My Choice, and the Kentucky Hug. The awards are funded by the foundation’s Vogt Invention and Innovation Fund, an endowment established in 1999 by businessman and philanthropist Henry Vogt Heuser, Sr. to strengthen the city’s economic health by supporting innovative startups and inspiring entrepreneurs.

Michigan

The Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan has announced grants totaling more than $48 million during the second quarter in support of nonprofit organizations and local governments. In addition to approving the grants to arts and culture, community development, education, environmental, health, and youth organizations, the foundation presented three leadership awards during its recent annual meeting. Grant recipients include the Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra, Detroit Future City, PACE Southeast Michigan, and the Henry Ford Learning Institute. The Richard Huegli Award for Program Excellence was presented to Zaman International. The Mariam C. Noland Award, which recognizes a nonprofit executive in southeast Michigan whose service exemplifies the importance of leadership in their organization and the nonprofit community, was presented to Sheryl Kubiak, who leads the Wayne State University School of Social Work and is the founding director of the Center for Behavioral Health and Justice. And Paul Hillegonds was presented with the Allan D. Gilmour Award for Community Leadership, which recognizes a member of the foundation’s board of trustees for exemplary volunteerism and philanthropy, both to the foundation and the broader community.

New Mexico

The Santa Fe Community Foundation has announced the winners of its 2023 Piñon Awards, which recognize local nonprofit organizations and philanthropists for their extraordinary contributions to northern New Mexico communities. This year’s awardees include the Institute of American Indian Arts (Tried and True Award), New Mexico Acequia Association (Resiliency Award), Searchlight New Mexico (Courageous Innovation Award), and Scott’s House (Quiet Inspiration Award). Each organization will receive a $5,000 unrestricted grant.

South Carolina

The Community Foundation of the Lowcountry has announced the inaugural grant from its Affordable Workforce Housing Fund, established earlier this year to assist local organizations that are addressing the affordable housing shortage. The Coastal Community Development Corporation was awarded $100,000 for its efforts to preserve and develop low-income housing by purchasing existing homes and renting them to residents with household incomes between 50 percent and 150 percent of area median income. Deed restrictions on the purchased homes protect the properties as affordable for 99 years.

Tennessee

The Nashville-based Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee (CFMT) has announced that its scholarship program is supporting 331 individual students pursuing postsecondary education at accredited schools across the United States. In 2023, CFMT awarded $736,780 from 102 scholarship funds to students attending 160 unique colleges and universities. This year, at CFMT’s first-ever reception event for students who received aid from one of its scholarship funds, the Community Resource Center raffled off laundry baskets full of cleaning supplies and personal hygiene items for students to take to college.