After-school program for teens will award $5,000 to a local non-profit serving marginalized communities
TUCSON, Ariz., (October 12, 2022) Unidas, an award-winning after-school program has announced a request for proposals for a $5,000 grant to benefit nonprofits serving Missing and Murdered Indigenous People.
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.
Unidas is a longstanding program of the Women’s Foundation for the State of Arizona. For more than thirty years, WFSA has been dedicated to the equity of women and girls in Arizona through research, advocacy, grantmaking, and innovative leadership programs, like Unidas.
This semester, the teen participants have collectively decided to fund an organization that supports the work of ending violence toward Indigenous people in Arizona. Native women face murder rates that are more than 10 times the national average. “These high rates are especially relevant in Arizona, which ranks third highest in the country for missing and murdered women and girls,”’ said Unidas mentor Isabella Mixton-Garcia.
Former participant and Unidas facilitator Alyssa Norris shares that this process grows the skills and confidence to be a leader in all areas of life. “In Unidas, the grant decision process empowers youth to dig deep into the issues facing their community and allows them to take steps to directly support communities,” she said.
The participants will conduct application reviews and virtual site visits throughout the month of November and ultimately select one organization to receive a grant of $5,000. The most recent Unidas grant recipient was One Hundred Angels Foundation.
“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,” said WFSA CEO Dr. Amalia Luxardo.
Organizations interested in applying are encouraged to apply here. The deadline to apply is 12PM (PST) on Thursday, November 3.
WFSA is seeking community sponsorship for this semester’s grant award. Interested supporters are invited to contact give@womengiving.org.
