What Arizona Community Foundation does

Arizona Community Foundation (ACF) is a Phoenix-based nonprofit community foundation founded in 1978 that manages more than $1.5 billion in charitable assets across 2,000+ individual funds. It serves individual donors, families, professional advisors, and nonprofit organizations across Arizona through donor-advised funds, endowed scholarship funds (160+), endowment building services, and impact investing loan programs. ACF distributes $137 million+ annually in grants, scholarships, and program-related investments statewide, and holds National Standards accreditation (since 2006) and a 4-star Charity Navigator rating.

ACF operates six regional offices — Phoenix, Flagstaff, Prescott, Sedona, Tucson, and Yuma — providing statewide coverage that supports donor cultivation, nonprofit capacity building, and policy convening. The foundation is anchored to nonprofit-operating technology (grant management, donation processing, scholarship administration) rather than to proprietary AI or data platforms. Recent product expansions include the 122° Conference on extreme heat and conservation, the Arizona Early Childhood Fiscal Map data initiative, and growing loan portfolios in healthy forests and rural food security. A landmark $136.7 million gift from the Burton family in 2021 materially expanded AUM and program capacity.

Revenue is generated primarily through investment management fees on endowed and donor-advised fund balances, supplemented by administrative fees on scholarship programs, campaign management fees, and interest income from program-related investments. ACF does not sell a commercial product; its economic model is a fee-for-asset-management structure common to U.S. community foundations, with spend-rate distributions flowing back into the Arizona nonprofit ecosystem.

Name

Arizona Community Foundation

Legal name

Arizona Community Foundation

Website

https://azfoundation.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1978

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Arizona Community Foundation is a Phoenix-based nonprofit founded in 1978 that manages $1.5B+ across 2,000+ charitable funds, distributing $137M+ annually to Arizona donors, nonprofits, and students through grants, scholarships, and impact investing loans.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Foundation / Philanthropic Fund Management

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

Scholarship & Fellowship Foundations and Trusts (EDADAHAC), Private Foundations (BPAGAKAA), Philanthropy & Foundations Advisory (Donor-Advised Funds, Endowments) (FSAAABAH)

Keywords

• Community foundation services
• Donor-advised funds
• Scholarship administration
• Philanthropic fund management
• Community impact loans

Headquarters

HQ city

Phoenix

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices7 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Charitable Fund Management: ACF manages charitable funds for individuals, families, businesses, and organizations. Revenue is generated through administrative fees on fund balances and investment management fees. The foundation's $1.5 billion+ in assets under management (as of March 31, 2025) generates ongoing revenue through pooled investment returns.
2. Grantmaking Services: ACF distributes grants to nonprofits, schools, tribal entities, government agencies, and religious organizations through competitive cycles, discretionary funds, and donor-advised grant recommendations. They distributed $137 million+ in grants, scholarships, and loans annually.
3. Donor Services and Gift Acceptance: The foundation accepts various gift types including cash, stocks, bonds, mutual funds, real estate, business interests, life insurance, retirement assets, charitable trusts, annuities, and cryptocurrency. These donations establish or grow charitable funds.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Arizona Community Foundation is a community foundation that manages over $1.5 billion in charitable assets across 2,000+ funds for individual donors, families, businesses, and nonprofit organizations. It administers donor-advised funds, distributes grants, scholarships, and impact loans, and offers planned-giving, endowment-building education, and regional community funds across Arizona.

Product overview

Arizona Community Foundation operates a platform-plus-multiple-modules architecture for charitable giving and community philanthropy. The core platform encompasses donor-advised funds, a scholarship program (160+ scholarships through a single application), an online grant management portal, regional funds across six Arizona offices, competitive and discretionary grant programs, and the Thriving Arizona Fund for greatest-needs giving. Supporting modules include impact investing loan programs (Affordable Housing Predevelopment, Metro Phoenix Affordable Housing Collaborative, Community Impact, and Rural Development funds), the Arizona Endowment Building Institute for nonprofit capacity building, legacy and planned giving services, non-cash asset gifting (real estate, business interests, stocks, cryptocurrency), nonprofit fund establishment, and tax credit coalitions. The 122° Conference and Arizona Early Childhood Fiscal Map represent recent program additions. ACF connects thousands of donors to invest across education, environment, housing, health, arts, and community improvement throughout the state.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• ACF Scholarship Program Single online application offering access to 160+ scholarships for Arizona students at accredited schools; automatic matching of applicants to eligible scholarships based on demographics and criteria.
• Donor-Advised Funds Professionally managed charitable funds that allow donors to receive immediate tax benefits, contribute diverse asset types, and recommend grants to nonprofits across Arizona.
• Grant Management Portal Self-serve online portal through which Arizona nonprofits apply for competitive ACF grants, submit eligibility quizzes, and track applications across six regional grant cycles and discretionary funds.
• Impact Investing Loan Programs Four specialized funds providing below-market and zero-interest loans to Arizona nonprofits, schools, and municipalities for affordable housing predevelopment, community projects, rural infrastructure, and Metro Phoenix affordable housing production.
• Arizona Endowment Building Institute Year-long capacity-building curriculum (started in 2005) that provides Arizona nonprofits with endowment-building tools, including mentor teams, board training, policy development, and planned giving implementation.
• Regional Funds (Cochise, Flagstaff, Gila Valley, Sedona, Yavapai, Yuma) Locally managed regional funds supported by dedicated regional offices across Arizona, channeling contributions into area-specific grant cycles and community priorities.
• Competitive and Discretionary Grant Programs Year-round competitive grant cycles plus discretionary awards from Field of Interest Funds and Funds for the Common Good, evaluated by board members, regional advisors, and subject-matter experts.
• Non-Cash Asset Giving (Real Estate, Business Interests, Stocks, Cryptocurrency) Donor services that accept and process complex non-cash assets (stocks, real estate, business interests, cryptocurrency, life insurance, retirement assets, charitable trusts/annuities) for tax-efficient contribution to ACF funds.
• Legacy Giving / Planned Giving Customized planned-giving structures developed with donors and their advisors, aligning gift types and fund structures with donor charitable goals and heirs.
• Nonprofit Fund Establishment Enables Arizona nonprofit organizations to establish organizational Reserve (Non-Endowed) or Board Designated (Quasi-Endowed) funds, providing reliable support through professionally managed pooled investments.
• Thriving Arizona Fund Flagship discretionary fund at ACF that directs donations to greatest-needs priorities in education, environment, and housing across Arizona, accepting one-time or recurring gifts.
• Arizona Charitable Tax Credit Coalition Donor-directed fund that channels contributions to qualifying Arizona nonprofits in a way that delivers the state's dollar-for-dollar charitable tax credit to donors.

Quantifiable outcome

• $76 million+ raised for Arizona nonprofits through Season for Sharing since 1993
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• Read On ArizonacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 23 June 2026ACF partnered with Read On Arizona and statewide partners to release the Arizona Early Childhood Fiscal Map, a data-driven tool covering funding streams from 2019 through 2025 to help policymakers optimize resources for early care, education, and literacy programs.
• City of PhoenixcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 24 April 2026Co-host of the 122° Conference, a two-day national convening on extreme heat solutions in Phoenix. ACF and the City of Phoenix are partnering to connect national and local leaders on coordinated action for extreme heat mitigation, food systems, and conservation.
• Arizona State UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 24 April 2026Co-host of the 122° Conference on extreme heat solutions, bringing academic expertise and research capabilities to the convening focused on heat resilience, food systems, and conservation.
• Desert Botanical GardencoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 24 April 2026Co-host of the 122° Conference on extreme heat solutions, contributing expertise in environmental conservation, extreme heat mitigation, and community engagement in the Phoenix metropolitan area.
• The Arizona RepubliccoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSince 1993, The Arizona Republic has partnered with ACF to operate the Season for Sharing campaign. The publication covers all administrative and promotional costs, directing 100% of donations to Arizona nonprofits. Raised $76 million+ cumulatively.
• Arizona Department of HousingcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerParticipating organization in the Metro Phoenix Affordable Housing Collaborative Fund, contributing to affordable housing production and preservation across Metro Phoenix.
• Chicanos Por La Causa (CPLC)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerParticipating organization in the Metro Phoenix Affordable Housing Collaborative Fund, contributing to community development and affordable housing initiatives.
• City of PhoenixmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerParticipating organization in the Metro Phoenix Affordable Housing Collaborative Fund, supporting affordable housing production and preservation in Phoenix.
• Maricopa County Human Services DepartmentcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerParticipating organization in the Metro Phoenix Affordable Housing Collaborative Fund, contributing to affordable housing and human services coordination.
• Native American ConnectionsmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerParticipating organization in the Metro Phoenix Affordable Housing Collaborative Fund, focusing on affordable housing and supportive services for Native American communities.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Maine Community Foundation: Statewide community foundation with regional affiliate offices, donor-advised funds, and competitive grant cycles. Highly comparable structure to ACF's regional office footprint.
• Oregon Community Foundation: Statewide community foundation managing charitable funds, scholarships, and regional grant cycles across multiple geographies. Directly comparable to ACF's statewide, multi-region operating model.
• Silicon Valley Community Foundation: One of the largest U.S. community foundations, similarly managing donor-advised funds, scholarship programs, regional grantmaking, and impact investing at multi-billion-dollar AUM scale. Directly comparable to ACF in operating model, product mix, and target donor segments.
• Greater Kansas City Community Foundation: Community foundation offering donor-advised funds, scholarship administration, nonprofit loan/grant programs, and regional affiliate structure. Highly comparable in operating model to ACF.
• The San Diego Foundation: Regional community foundation managing permanent funds, donor-advised funds, scholarships, and regional grantmaking across a single state/region. Highly comparable to ACF in geographic concentration, scholarship scale, and program mix.
• The Chicago Community Trust: Centennial-era community foundation serving a single metro/region with donor-advised funds, competitive grant cycles, scholarship programs, and impact investing. Closely comparable to ACF in mission, fund types offered, and donor services portfolio.
• Tulsa Community Foundation: Mid-sized community foundation administering donor-advised funds, scholarships, and competitive regional grants. Comparable to ACF in scale, single-state geography, and breadth of services.

Broad incumbents

• Schwab Charitable: Major national donor-advised fund sponsor offering investment-oriented giving accounts. Competes directly with ACF for complex-asset and HNW DAF establishment, particularly in out-of-state donors with Arizona ties.
• Fidelity Charitable: Largest U.S. donor-advised fund sponsor, providing low-cost DAFs nationally. Competes with ACF for the same donor-advised fund dollars but at far greater scale, broader investment menu, and lower fees.
• National Philanthropic Trust: Independent national sponsor of donor-advised funds, providing DAF administration and charitable giving services. Comparable to ACF in DAF product offering but operates nationally rather than regionally.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/AZFoundation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/azfoundation
• Instagraminstagram.com/theazfoundation/?hl=en
• Xx.com/AZFoundation

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles15 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

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M&A

Investments1 record

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

Frequently asked questions about Arizona Community Foundation