A new study finds that charitable giving by Arizona's private foundations has more than tripled in nine years, with foundations in the state funneling about $100 million more to social services, health care, the arts, and many other important areas, the Arizona Republic reports.

According to the study, Profile of Charitable Foundations in Arizona (12 pages, PDF), total giving by private foundations grew to more than $141 million in 2002, up from about $40 million in 1993. And some of the state's largest foundations expect their giving to meet or exceed last year's giving. For example, the Virginia G. Piper Charitable Trust, Arizona's largest private foundation, with assets of more than $532 million, expects to award $26 million in grants in 2005, compared with nearly $22 million last year, while the Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust plans to distribute nearly $14 million, about $1 million more than last year. In a related development, the Helios Education Foundation, with more than $500 million in assets, will begin to fund education-related programs in Arizona and Florida, and eventually will become the largest education foundation in Arizona.

Despite the increase in giving, Arizona still has a long way to go, said Marissa Theisen, president and CEO of the Arizona Grantmakers Forum, which published the study in partnership with Arizona State University's Center for Nonprofit Leadership & Management. According to Theisen, Arizona's private foundation assets represent less than 1 percent of the nation's total private foundation assets, while giving by Arizona foundations accounts for less than 10 percent of total giving in the state.