The Rotary Club of Tucson: The Rotary Club of Tucson Foundation awarded more than $456,000 to Pima JTED for the district’s Innovative Learning Center at the Bridges. The funds, more than $382,000 of which was raised in 2021, are made up from proceeds from raffle ticket sales for the 2020 and 2021 Tucson Classics Car Shows, car show revenues and revenues from the 2021 centennial celebrations.
Sundt Foundation: The Sundt Foundation awarded $28,000 to nonprofits in the Tucson area during its current giving round. Nonprofits that received grants include the Arizona Children’s Association, Arizona Friends of Foster Children Foundation, the Beyond Foundation, the Community Gardens of Tucson, Interfaith Community Services, Make Way for Books and Primavera Foundation. The Sundt Foundation awards quarterly grants to local Tucson-area charities that support disadvantaged children and families. Nonprofits are selected through an application process and reviewed by a committee of local Sundt employee-owners.
UniSource: UniSource Energy Services contributed more than $425,000 in 2021 to 112 nonprofit organizations focused on providing community assistance, education and environmental stewardship. UniSource funded a range of organizations, projects and events last year, from creek cleanups and trail maintenance to food and clothing drives for local banks and shelters. Youth support included assistance for after-school programs, books for toddlers and school projects in science, technology, engineering and math. The company also donated more than $17,000 to efforts that advance diversity, equity and inclusion. UniSource’s philanthropic contributions come from corporate resources and are not recovered through customers’ rates. Some of the recipients from Southern Arizona, in Nogales, specifically, include $10,000 for the Community Food Bank of Southern Arizona; $8,000 for Wisdom Sports and Scholars; $6,174 for Santa Cruz Training Programs; and $6,000 for the Nogales Education Foundation.
UniSource customers also supported nonprofit organizations through the new UniSource Gives program, which started in 2021. Every time customers signed up for Budget Billing, e-Bill or Auto Pay, a donation was made to a designated charity each quarter. The recipients were: Arizona Food Bank Network – $12,414; Arizona Children’s Association – $10,000; Junior Achievement – $10,000; and Nature Conservancy – $10,000.
In addition, UniSource continued its support of bill assistance for low-income customers with a $50,000 contribution to the Wildfire organization.