Community Foundation for Southern Arizona

What Community Foundation for Southern Arizona does

The Community Foundation for Southern Arizona (CFSA) is a National Standards-certified 501(c)(3) public charity (EIN 94-2681765) founded in 1980 and headquartered at 5049 E. Broadway Blvd., Suite 201, Tucson, AZ. It operates as a community foundation connecting individual donors, families, businesses, professional advisors, and nonprofit organizations across Southern Arizona — serving Pima, Santa Cruz, Cochise, Graham, Greenlee, Yuma, and portions of Pinal County. Its core offerings include donor-advised funds, a portfolio of targeted grant programs (CORE Grants, African American Legacy Fund, LGBTQ+ Alliance Fund, Nonprofit Solar Project, The Policy Project, Pro-Neighborhoods Endowment Fund), affiliated regional entities (Santa Cruz Community Foundation, Stone Canyon Community Foundation), the Center for Healthy Nonprofits capacity-building program, scholarship funds, and the Local News Initiative of Southern Arizona anchored under the national Press Forward coalition. The foundation also operates a physical Community Foundation Campus providing free meeting space to nonprofits.

CFSA's business model is donation-driven: revenue derives from individual and institutional charitable contributions, grants from national funders (e.g., Democracy Fund, Press Forward coalition, The Melody S. Robidoux Fund), corporate partnerships (e.g., South32 via the Hermosa Community Fund), and investment returns on an endowment managed by Verus under an annually approved Investment Policy Statement. The foundation does not publicly disclose revenue or pricing, but deploys substantial outflows through unrestricted and restricted grant programs (e.g., $1.6M in 2026 CORE Grants to 64 nonprofits, ~$1M in 2025 Nonprofit Solar Project Grants, $500K+ through the Local News Initiative since 2024). Distribution occurs via the Fund Advisor Portal, a Professional Advisor Network, community events, media partnerships (KGUN 9's The Giving Project), and the third-party Common Grant Application platform. Technology infrastructure is non-differentiated, relying on standard portal tools (Fund Advisor Portal on fcsuite, Board Portal on govenda.com) with website maintenance outsourced to Creative Slice. The foundation is governed by a Board of Trustees and led by President & CEO Jenny Flynn.

Name

Community Foundation for Southern Arizona

Legal name

Community Foundation for Southern Arizona

Website

https://cfsaz.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1980

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Community Foundation for Southern Arizona is a National Standards-certified 501(c)(3) community foundation founded in 1980 that connects donors, nonprofits, professional advisors, and community partners across Southern Arizona through donor-advised funds, targeted grant programs, and capacity-building initiatives.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Foundation Services

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Community Foundations (BPAGAKAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Private Foundations (BPAGAKAA), Social Justice & Human Rights Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAN)

Keywords

• Community foundation services
• Donor advised funds
• Grantmaking programs
• Philanthropic advisory services
• Nonprofit capacity building

Headquarters

HQ city

Tucson

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Charitable Giving & Donations: CFSA generates revenue primarily through charitable donations from individuals, families, and businesses. As a 501(c)(3) community foundation, it receives contributions that are then deployed through various grant programs, donor-advised funds, and community initiatives. Revenue supports the foundation's operating costs while maximizing community impact.
2. Foundation Grants & Philanthropic Partnerships: CFSA receives grant funding from national foundations and philanthropic coalitions (e.g., Democracy Fund's $100,000 grant to launch the Local News Initiative). These funds are pooled and deployed through competitive grant rounds to support specific community initiatives.
3. Investment Management Services: CFSA manages an investment pool with assets overseen by an Investment Committee and Investment Consultant Verus. Donor funds are invested following a long-term diversified investment strategy guided by an annually approved Investment Policy Statement. The foundation earns management/operational support from invested assets.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

The Community Foundation for Southern Arizona (CFSA) is a 501(c)(3) community foundation that connects donors, nonprofits, and community partners across Southern Arizona. It offers donor-advised funds, a portfolio of competitive and operating grant programs (CORE Grants, LGBTQ+ Alliance Fund, African American Legacy Fund, Local News Initiative, Nonprofit Solar Project, The Policy Project), scholarship programs, and nonprofit capacity-building services through the Center for Healthy Nonprofits. The foundation also manages affiliated regional and identity-based community funds and provides a physical community campus for nonprofit use.

Product overview

The Community Foundation for Southern Arizona (CFSA) operates as a philanthropic services organization connecting donors, nonprofits, and community partners since 1980. CFSA does not offer a single unified software product but rather a portfolio of grant programs, impact funds, and community initiatives. The core offerings include Donor Advised Funds for strategic philanthropy, and major grant programs including CORE Grants (general operating support), the African American Legacy Fund, LGBTQ+ Alliance Fund, and Local News Initiative of Southern Arizona. Additional initiatives include the Nonprofit Solar Project, Santa Cruz Community Foundation (affiliate), Center for Healthy Nonprofits (capacity building), scholarship programs, award programs (BLOOM Awards, Igor Gorin Memorial Award), Press Forward Southern Arizona, Community Foundation Campus (meeting space), BoardConnect (volunteer matching), Solutions-Focused Community Book Club, and The Giving Project (media collaboration). All programs are coordinated through CFSA's Tucson headquarters with EIN 94-2681765.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Donor Advised Funds

Quantifiable outcome

• $500,000+ awarded to local news outlets since 2024 through the Local News Initiative
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered major, core and supporting.

• MuckRock (Sunlight Research Desk)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 May 2026Press Forward Southern Arizona, an initiative of CFSA, partnered with MuckRock's Sunlight Research Desk to fund MuckRock's Election Accountability Cohort, providing investigative resources and research support to newsrooms covering pivotal races, including Arizona's 6th Congressional District.
• LOOKOUT (Arizona LGBTQ+ investigative newsroom)majorOthers · 1 May 2026LOOKOUT, Arizona's leading LGBTQ+ investigative newsroom, is part of the MuckRock Election Accountability Cohort funded through Press Forward Southern Arizona. The newsroom receives investigative research support, premium MuckRock account access, and skills-building workshops.
• Arizona LuminariamajorOthers · 1 May 2026Tucson-based investigative nonprofit and grant recipient of CFSA's Local News Initiative of Southern Arizona. Part of MuckRock's Election Accountability Cohort. Previously worked with the Sunlight Research Desk to uncover candidate eligibility issues during Congressional District 7 special election.
• Arizona AgendamajorOthers · 1 May 2026Arizona-based news outlet covering Arizona politics and government; part of MuckRock's Election Accountability Cohort funded through Press Forward Southern Arizona, an initiative of CFSA.
• Arizona Community Foundation (ACF)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 2025CFSA and ACF held a collaborative meeting bringing together staff and leadership from both organizations to explore pressing community needs, identify partnership opportunities, and build relationships grounded in trust and shared purpose. Both are National Standards-certified community foundations committed to strengthening philanthropy across Arizona through shared learning.
• Nancy Sharkey (Local News Initiative Advisory Board Chair)majorOthers · 1 November 2023Nancy Sharkey chairs the Local News Initiative advisory committee. She spent more than a decade as a professor at the University of Arizona's School of Journalism, served as senior editor at The New York Times, and leads efforts to strengthen local journalism coverage in Southern Arizona.
• Jennifer Preston (Accelerate Philanthropy for Journalism)supportingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 November 2023Jennifer Preston, former Vice President/Journalism at the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, provides guidance and technical assistance to local civic leaders and funders addressing the local news crisis through her project Accelerate Philanthropy for Journalism. Conducted research including dozens of local interviews for the Local News Initiative.
• Kadi Tierney (Local News Initiative)supportingOthers · 1 November 2023Kadi Tierney, a local civic leader with extensive experience in philanthropy, was hired to support the advisory committee's efforts to raise local philanthropic support from individual donors and local grantmakers for the Local News Initiative.
• Dino J. DeConcinisupportingOthers · 1 November 2023Former Tucson City Attorney who initiated the effort leading to the creation of the Local News Initiative by alerting friends and fellow civic leaders about the local news crisis. Assembled the advisory committee that developed the plan and philanthropic response.
• Press ForwardcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 September 2023Press Forward is a coalition of 22 local and national philanthropic groups launched in September 2023 to strengthen local journalism across the country. The funder coalition announced $500 million raised toward a $1 billion plan to strengthen local journalism over five years. CFSA participates through Press Forward Southern Arizona, anchoring the Local News Initiative of Southern Arizona.
• National Lesbian and Gay Community Funding PartnershipcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1999The LGBTQ+ Alliance Fund was created in 1999 by CFSA in partnership with the National Lesbian and Gay Community Funding Partnership to address the chronic pattern of underfunding of LGBTQ+ programs through philanthropy and endowment building. Since inception, the fund has awarded 166 grants to 60+ organizations totaling $746,597.
• Verus (Investment Consultant)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVerus is an independent investment consulting firm that partners with CFSA's Board of Trustees. Since 1986, Verus has managed over $100 billion in assets for clients including educational and charitable organizations, corporations, public plans, hospitals, and insurance providers. Verus provides investment consulting services, recommends and monitors fund managers, ensures compliance, and presents quarterly reports on asset allocations and performance against IPS benchmarks.
• KGUN 9 (The Giving Project)majorGTM or Marketing PartnerKGUN 9's collaborative project with CFSA, Pat Parris, and The Giving Project turns nonprofit spotlight to local organizations. Each month, KGUN 9 features a different Southern Arizona nonprofit, highlighting their work and impact in the community.
• Social Venture Partners TucsonsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerSocial Venture Partners Tucson partners with CFSA on Fast Pitch programs, a nonprofit pitch competition that connects local nonprofits with potential funders and supporters in the community.

Scale indicators32 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Arizona Community Foundation: Arizona's largest community foundation, also National Standards-certified, serving the same state with overlapping donor and nonprofit markets. CFSA and ACF held a collaborative leadership meeting in 2025 to coordinate philanthropic strategy — the most directly comparable peer.
• Northern Arizona Community Foundation: Community foundation serving the northern half of Arizona with analogous grantmaking, donor-advised fund, and regional impact-fund programs. Directly comparable in mission, scale, and operating model — covers complementary geography within the same state.
• Albuquerque Community Foundation: Community foundation serving Greater Albuquerque with donor-advised funds, competitive grant rounds, and dedicated impact funds for community sub-segments. Closely comparable in model and scale, with shared Southwestern US regional context.

Regional players

• Community Foundation of Southern New Mexico: Community foundation serving Southern New Mexico with comparable regional grantmaking, donor services, and community initiatives. Same model and scale class as CFSA but operating across the state border — comparable on structure but geographically distinct.

Broad incumbents

• The San Diego Foundation: Large, well-established community foundation in Southern California operating donor-advised funds, scholarship programs, and impact initiatives. Larger and older than CFSA but directly comparable in core grantmaking model and Southwest regional context.
• Greater Houston Community Foundation: Large community foundation operating donor-advised funds, competitive grant rounds, and dedicated impact funds — comparable operating model and broad geographic scope, but at materially larger scale than CFSA.
• Denver Foundation: Established community foundation with donor-advised funds, competitive grants, and multiple impact initiatives serving the Denver metro region. Comparable mission and operating model, larger scale, and similar community-foundation positioning in a regional market.
• Tulsa Community Foundation: Major community foundation running donor-advised funds, special-initiative funds, and broad grantmaking programs. Comparable operating model and impact-fund architecture but operating at meaningfully larger asset scale than CFSA.
• Silicon Valley Community Foundation: One of the largest community foundations in the US with a global donor-advised fund business and major impact initiatives. Comparable in operating model but operates at vastly larger scale and represents the upper bound of community foundation asset accumulation.

Others

• Council on Foundations: National membership association for philanthropic institutions including community foundations. CFSA's National Standards accreditation is issued under this body — comparator on governance and best-practice standards rather than direct grantmaking competition.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/SoAZCommunityFd
• Facebookfacebook.com/CFSAZ
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/community-foundation-for-southern-arizona
• Instagraminstagram.com/cfsouthernaz

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments20 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Community Foundation for Southern Arizona