Teen Philanthropists Open Grant for Marginalized Communities in Southern Arizona
After-school program for teens will award $5,000 to a local non-profit serving BIPOC women
TUCSON, Ariz., (October 12, 2021) Unidas, an award-winning after-school program has announced a request for proposals for a $5,000 grant to benefit nonprofits serving women and girls. This announcement comes during the week of International Day of the Girl, a day dedicated to raising awareness and posing solutions for issues facing young women and girls.
Unidas is a longstanding program of the Women’s Foundation for the State of Arizona, a 30-year old Tucson-based nonprofit which announced it was expanding and changing its name from the Women’s Foundation of Southern Arizona earlier this month.
The after-school program teaches high school-aged young women and gender-expansive teens about leadership, philanthropy, and social justice issues through experience with grantmaking in their own community. Participating teens grant $5,000 each semester to one non-profit organization that works to improve the quality of life for women and girls in Arizona.
This semester, the teen participants have decided to fund an organization that supports the health and wellbeing of black, indigenous, and gender-expansive women and people of color. Applications will be considered from organizations combatting systemic racism, supporting incarcerated and detained individuals and people impacted by medical biases due to racism.
“We are inspired by the leadership of Unidas teens who are creating positive change for marginalized people in their communities,” said WFSA CEO Dr. Amalia Luxardo.
The participants will conduct application reviews and site visits, and ultimately select one organization to receive a grant of $5,000. The most recent Unidas grant recipient was Southern Arizona Senior Pride, a community organization dedicated to serving the LGBTQ+ community.
Unidas Program Manager Brigette Villaseñor shared that Unidas will continue to have a chapter in Southern Arizona and next year, the program will be scaled to reach participants across Arizona.
“Our goal is to make the first statewide cohort virtual and accessible to participants across the state so they can support nonprofit organizations filling the need for women and girls.”
“Young women are the future of philanthropy, advocacy and leadership and it is so important to support them as they raise their voices and work to create a better future,” Dr. Luxardo added.
Organizations interested in applying are encouraged to visit womengiving.org/unidas. The deadline to apply is 12PM Noon (PST) on Monday, November 1, 2021.
WFSA is seeking community sponsorship of this semester’s grant award. Interested supporters are invited to contact Brigette Villaseñor at bvillasenor@womengiving.org.
