Payson Roundup

The Humane Society of Central Arizona (formerly Payson Humane Society) was awarded a $26,956 grant by the Arizona Community Foundation. The foundation gave $784,000 to 53 nonprofits in Arizona through its annual Open Competitive Grant Cycle.

In response to the strain felt by nonprofits due to the economic crisis, this year ACF focused its largest annual grant distribution specifically on fund-raising, mergers/acquisitions and collaborations between nonprofits.

Like other foundations and philanthropies, ACF has long encouraged nonprofits to work together to extend the power of limited resources. But this year marks the first time ACF has backed this encouragement with its largest and broadest annual distribution of grant funds.

“This year, we spent a significant amount of time meeting with representatives from nonprofits seeking input on what they needed most to sustain and thrive in this economy,” explains Jacky Alling, ACF’s vice president for programs.

“We heard that they needed to build their fund-raising capacity and needed funds to merge or collaborate around critical projects. We took that feedback and directed our largest annual grant distribution accordingly.”