Funding search · EIN 860104419 · Phoenix, AZ

Valley of the Sun United Way

Name: Valley of the Sun United Way grants, 2021–2024
Creator: PaperOrbit
License: https://www.irs.gov/charities-non-profits/exempt-organization-public-disclosure-and-availability-requirements

A grantmaking public charity (files IRS Form 990, Schedule I). Charities like this often run real grant programs with application cycles.

458
grants reported: $333.4M
total given: 2021–2024
filing years: $67,576
median grant

Based on grants this organization reported to the IRS for tax years 2021–2024. This is what they filed, not a complete record of their giving, and recent years may be incomplete because filings lag.

Funder website ↗Full IRS filings ↗How this is built Report an error

Funding pattern

What this funder pays for, at what size, and how to position adjacent work. Read from their filings, with every number checked against the record.

Where the money goes

Early childhood care scholarships paid to providers via First Things First
Donor-directed designations passed through to Maricopa County agencies
Homelessness, shelter and housing stability programs across the Valley
Early literacy and school readiness for children birth through third grade
Workforce training and career pathways for youth and adults
Food banks, family crisis services and basic needs

Typical grant

Median grant is $67,576, with the middle half between $27,581 and $128,675, so most operating partners land in the $25K to $130K band. The outsized checks are not competitive awards: $45 million for First Things First Quality First scholarships and $5 million in direct designations are funds VSUW administers and passes through. Below that, only a handful of anchor partners such as A New Leaf, Read On Arizona, Chicanos Por La Causa and Boys & Girls Clubs of the Valley clear $350,000, and the same partner names recur across years.

Their words

Phrases from their own grant descriptions, worth speaking back to them.

“Program Support”
“Various Partners”
“Direct Designations to Various Agencies”
“Other Community Initiatives - Various Partners”
“School Readiness Kits - Various Partners”
“Quality First Scholarships to Providers”

Positioning adjacent work

Anchor to a named community initiative, not a standalone project; they fund cohorts of partners under one banner.
Ask in the $50K to $130K range for program delivery; six figures goes to established Valley service providers.
Connect literacy work to Read On Arizona, Make Way for Books and Read Better Be Better as peers.
Show Maricopa County service counts and school district or city partnerships; they fund Avondale, Union Elementary and Tempe directly.
For workforce, mirror the Year Up, Per Scholas, Jobs for Arizona's Graduates model: training tied to placement.

Worth knowing: This is a United Way, so money is campaign dollars and donor designations rather than endowment payout, and 442 of 458 grants stay in Arizona with the bulk in metro Phoenix; the four out-of-state recipients are national operators delivering locally. One line item, the First Things First Quality First scholarships, dwarfs everything else and reflects a state contract VSUW administers, so treat the real discretionary pool as the sub-$800K grants and expect relationships with existing partners and corporate campaign networks to drive access.

Top recipients

Repeat recipients are the strongest signal of whether a funder has an open door or quietly re-funds the same organizations.

Ftf Quality First Scholarships To Providers3 grants · $181.7M
First Things First Quality First Scholarships To Providers1 grant · $45.1M
Direct Designations To Various Agencies4 grants · $19.9M
Candelen4 grants · $14.1M
Southwest Human Development4 grants · $12.5M
Child & Family Resources2 grants · $5.4M
Easter Seals Blake Foundation2 grants · $4.6M
A New Leaf4 grants · $3.3M
Other Community Initiatives - Various Partners2 grants · $3.2M
Chicanos Por La Causa4 grants · $2.4M

Giving over time

$67.3M

2021

$98.2M

2022

$105.4M

2023

$62.5M

2024

Grant history

The 100 largest of 458 grants.

$87.2M
Ftf Quality First Scholarships To Providers · Phoenix, AZ · 2023
$60.9M
Ftf Quality First Scholarships To Providers · Phoenix, AZ · 2022
Program Support
$45.1M
First Things First Quality First Scholarships To Providers · Phoenix, AZ · 2024
Program support
$33.6M
Ftf Quality First Scholarships To Providers · Phoenix, AZ · 2021
Program Support
$8.0M
Candelen · Phoenix, AZ · 2022
Program Support
$6.7M
Southwest Human Development · Phoenix, AZ · 2022
Program Support
$6.1M
Candelen · Phoenix, AZ · 2021
Program Support
$5.7M
Direct Designations To Various Agencies · Phoenix, AZ · 2021
Program Support
$5.4M
Southwest Human Development · Phoenix, AZ · 2021
Program Support
$5.2M
Direct Designations To Various Agencies · Phoenix, AZ · 2023
$5.0M
Direct Designations To Various Agencies · Phoenix, AZ · 2024
Program support
$4.0M
Direct Designations To Various Agencies · Phoenix, AZ · 2022
Program Support
$3.1M
Child & Family Resources · Tucson, AZ · 2022
Program Support
$3.0M
Other Community Initiatives - Various Partners · Phoenix, AZ · 2024
Program Support
$2.5M
Easter Seals Blake Foundation · Phoenix, AZ · 2022
Program Support
$2.3M
Child & Family Resources · Tucson, AZ · 2021
Program Support
$2.1M
Easter Seals Blake Foundation · Phoenix, AZ · 2021
Program Support
$1.2M
Arizona Community Foundation · Phoenix, AZ · 2022
Program Support
$1.0M
City of Tempe · Tempe, AZ · 2023
Program Support
$1.0M
Make Way for Books · Tucson, AZ · 2023
Program Support
$929,358
A New Leaf · Mesa, AZ · 2023
Program Support
$891,878
Senior Connect Meals-Various Partners · Phoenix, AZ · 2021
Program Support
$877,295
A New Leaf · Mesa, AZ · 2022
Program Support
$845,870
Maricopa Cnty Burial Support-Various Ptnrs · Phoenix, AZ · 2021
Program Support
$779,000
Chicanos Por La Causa · Phoenix, AZ · 2021
Program Support
$762,435
A New Leaf · Mesa, AZ · 2024
Program Support
$740,433
A New Leaf · Mesa, AZ · 2021
Program Support
$734,400
Arizona Community Foundation Dba Read On Arizona · Phoenix, AZ · 2024
Program Support
$642,895
Chicanos Por La Causa · Phoenix, AZ · 2024
Program Support
$627,899
Make Way for Books · Tucson, AZ · 2022
Program Support
$559,844
Chicanos Por La Causa · Phoenix, AZ · 2023
Program Support
$446,234
Boys & Girls Clubs of the Valley · Phoenix, AZ · 2021
Program Support
$438,093
Boys & Girls Clubs of the Valley · Phoenix, AZ · 2022
Program Support
$434,812
Boys & Girls Clubs of the Valley · Phoenix, AZ · 2023
Program Support
$410,871
Chicanos Por La Causa · Phoenix, AZ · 2022
Program Support
$373,878
Make Way for Books · Tucson, AZ · 2024
Program Support
$373,284
Boys & Girls Clubs of the Valley · Phoenix, AZ · 2024
Program Support
$369,712
City of Tempe · Tempe, AZ · 2022
Program Support
$356,206
United Way of Tucson and Southern Arizona · Tucson, AZ · 2022
Program Support
$339,795
United Way of Tucson and Southern Arizona · Tucson, AZ · 2023
Program Support
$335,939
Friendly House · Phoenix, AZ · 2021
Program Support
$334,185
Arizona Community Foundation · Phoenix, AZ · 2023
Program Support
$333,020
Homeward Bound · Phoenix, AZ · 2022
Program Support
$331,358
Community Bridges · Mesa, AZ · 2024
Program Support
$310,102
Society of St Vincent De Paul · Phoenix, AZ · 2023
Program Support
$308,565
Child Crisis Arizona · Mesa, AZ · 2021
Program Support
$308,403
Umom New Day Centers · Phoenix, AZ · 2022
Program Support
$300,000
Umom New Day Centers · Phoenix, AZ · 2021
Program Support
$285,664
Phoenix Childrens Hospital Foundation · Phoenix, AZ · 2023
Program Support
$282,000
Human Services Campus Llc · Phoenix, AZ · 2021
Program Support
$269,095
Phoenix Childrens Hospital Foundation · Phoenix, AZ · 2022
Program Support
$256,616
Neighborhood Ministries · Phoenix, AZ · 2021
Program Support
$252,528
Arizona Housing · Phoenix, AZ · 2021
Program Support
$251,653
City of Phoenix · Phoenix, AZ · 2023
Program Support
$242,074
Neighborhood Ministries · Phoenix, AZ · 2022
Program Support
$240,902
Human Services Campus Llc · Phoenix, AZ · 2022
Program Support
$234,501
Azcend · Chandler, AZ · 2021
Program Support
$230,222
Human Services Campus Llc · Phoenix, AZ · 2023
Program Support
$228,144
St Mary'S Food Bank · Phoenix, AZ · 2024
Program Support
$227,448
Lutheran Social Services of the Southwest · Phoenix, AZ · 2022
Program Support
$224,973
School Readiness Kits - Various Partners · Phoenix, AZ · 2024
Program Support
$222,321
Tempe Community Action Agency · Tempe, AZ · 2022
Program Support
$221,248
Umom New Day Centers · Phoenix, AZ · 2023
Program Support
$219,005
Alhambra School District #68 · Phoenix, AZ · 2022
Program Support
$218,637
Other Community Initiatives - Various Partners · Phoenix, AZ · 2023
Program Support
$218,083
Comprehensive Literacy-Various Partners · Phoenix, AZ · 2023
Program Support
$203,035
Southwest Human Development · Phoenix, AZ · 2023
Program Support
$196,096
Neighborhood Ministries · Phoenix, AZ · 2023
Program Support
$195,853
Homeless Youth Connection · Avondale, AZ · 2022
Program Support
$190,558
Homeward Bound · Phoenix, AZ · 2023
Program Support
$183,104
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Arizona · Phoenix, AZ · 2022
Program Support
$182,924
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Arizona · Phoenix, AZ · 2023
Program Support
$182,881
Child Crisis Arizona · Mesa, AZ · 2022
Program Support
$182,185
Jobs for Arizona'S Graduates · Phoenix, AZ · 2023
Program Support
$181,861
Jobs for Arizona'S Graduates · Phoenix, AZ · 2022
Program Support
$175,657
Umom New Day Centers · Phoenix, AZ · 2024
Program Support
$175,544
Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Scottsdale · Scottsdale, AZ · 2022
Program Support
$173,698
Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Scottsdale · Scottsdale, AZ · 2023
Program Support
$167,500
Native American Connections · Phoenix, AZ · 2021
Program Support
$165,209
Friendly House · Phoenix, AZ · 2022
Program Support
$162,261
Salvation Army · Phoenix, AZ · 2022
Program Support
$160,670
St Joseph the Worker · Phoenix, AZ · 2021
Program Support
$159,490
Tempe Community Action Agency · Tempe, AZ · 2021
Program Support
$154,840
Child Crisis Arizona · Mesa, AZ · 2023
Program Support
$154,077
Southwest Human Development · Phoenix, AZ · 2024
Program Support
$153,951
Arizona Housing · Phoenix, AZ · 2022
Program Support
$153,217
Arizona Housing · Phoenix, AZ · 2023
Program Support
$152,408
New Life Center · Goodyear, AZ · 2022
Program Support
$151,908
United Food Bank · Mesa, AZ · 2023
Program Support
$150,000
Solari · Tempe, AZ · 2024
Program Support
$150,000
Save the Family Foundation of Arizona · Mesa, AZ · 2021
Program Support
$150,000
Solari · Tempe, AZ · 2021
Program Support
$147,652
Child Crisis Arizona · Mesa, AZ · 2024
Program Support
$147,116
Big Bros Big Sisters of Central Az · Phoenix, AZ · 2024
Program Support
$147,044
United Food Bank · Mesa, AZ · 2022
Program Support
$147,000
Year Up · Boston, MA · 2022
Program Support
$146,913
Central Arizona Shelter Services · Phoenix, AZ · 2022
Program Support
$144,832
Tempe Community Action Agency · Tempe, AZ · 2023
Program Support
$143,212
Neighborhood Ministries · Phoenix, AZ · 2024
Program Support
$143,093
United Food Bank · Mesa, AZ · 2024
Program Support

View all 458 grants →

Who else funds this kind of work

Same state

Dignity Community Care231 grants · $478.3M
Arizona State University Foundation for110 grants · $642.4M
Dignity Health978 grants · $1.25B

Similar grant size

The Ford Foundation10,731 grants · $2.35B
Silicon Valley Community Foundation10,471 grants · $10.10B
Ohio Child Care Resource and Referral16,278 grants · $1.08B

Grants already paid are the record; PaperOrbit reads your paper and finds the funders whose record matches it — then explains why.

Search funders like this one

Source: IRS Form 990, Schedule I, as filed by this organization. These are grants already paid. Grants paid directly to individuals are reported to the IRS only as totals, so they do not appear as named lines here.