Phoenix Suns Charities
/OVERVIEW: The Phoenix Suns Charities is a NBA team funder that supports children and families throughout Arizona. Areas of interest are healthcare, education and career development, and basketball and recreation.
IP TAKE: Compared to other sports team funders, this well-established foundation shares informative application guidelines with grant seekers and makes it easy to get in touch. Phoenix Suns Charities broadly funds common issue areas like education, public health, and economic opportunity, but unsurprisingly prefers to conduct its grantmaking through the lens of basketball. Even the general grant program prioritizes funding projects that are “basketball-inspired,” whether that means giving underserved students access to athletic facilities or even simply using basketball-related examples in a school or tutoring context. This is a great funder to know for organizations working with kids in Arizona.
Like many corporate funders, PSC is not the most transparent, with no comprehensive list or database of past grants available on its website. However, it does publicize its work to a certain extent, and descriptions of previously-funded projects and organizations can be found in various places on its website. It is somewhat accessible, as it accepts applications for one of its broader grant programs, but the majority of its giving is conducted by invitation only or through established, long-term partners. While funding for new applicants may be limited, it is still worth trying to get in contact with a program officer to discuss potential opportunities, especially if you can think of a way to incorporate basketball into your work.
PROFILE: Established in 1988, Phoenix Suns Charities (PSC) is the philanthropic arm of the Phoenix Suns NBA team. It benefits organizations that assist children and families in Arizona. The original Phoenix Suns Chairman and CEO Jerry Colangelo had a vision for PSC and initially assembled community leaders to oversee operations. Managing partner Robert Sarver has extended the reach of PSC since then to bring in more community stakeholders.
Today, PSC distributes over a million dollars each year to local charities and has given out over many millions to Arizona organizations since its inception. The foundation raises funds through events like the Suns Golf Classic, the Jump Ball, Suns Charities 88, and the Slam Dunk Street Party. Grant money also comes from employee giving, game night auctions, special license plates, and other donors. Grantmaking areas of interest are health, education and career development, and basketball and recreation.
Grants for Education and Youth
Phoenix Suns Charities’ Education and Career Development grantmaking supports nonprofits working to improve educational outcomes and youth development in its giving area. It funds programs involving approaches like tutoring, test prep, out-of-school sports and activities, and parent engagement targeted at underserved and underperforming students. Grantees include Black Mothers Forum, which works to “educate, organize & take action to promote healthy mindsets and relationships to end the school-to-prison pipeline,” and SunsCentral, which promotes “improved achievement with low and high performing students through the creation of a strategic tutoring program.”
PSC also makes grants for Basketball and Recreation to programs that promote access to athletic programs, especially for disadvantaged youth. Solano’s No Limit Hoops works to “create an environment for disadvantaged youth to play basketball and learn leadership qualities,” while Ability360, a fitness center that provides adaptive sports and recreation facilities for disabled adults and youth, receives continued funding for its youth wheelchair basketball team.
Grants for Community Development and Economic Opportunity
Phoenix Suns Charities’ General Grants broadly support “basketball-inspired” programs that use “a platform of basketball to provide resources and support to strengthen and bring together the diverse communities we serve.” It has given money to food banks, homeless shelters, and organizations providing basic needs and human services across Arizona. The foundation also offers Booker’s Starting Five, an initiative funded by a donation from Suns player Devin Booker that awards grants of $100,000 to up to five nonprofits serving Arizona residents. These substantial grants tend to go to major national organizations with local branches, such as Girl Scouts, Big Brothers Big Sisters, YMCA, and Boys & Girls Clubs. Other grantees in this area include Casa De Los Ninos, United National Tribal Youth, Chicanos Por La Causa, Desert Mission, Neighborhood Ministries, and Local First Arizona.
Grants for Public Health and Diseases
Through its Healthcare grantmaking, Phoenix Suns Charities supports Arizona hospitals, clinics, research institutes, and other nonprofits dedicated to researching, treating, and supporting patients of various diseases and cancers. Some of these are large, national organizations rather than local nonprofits. Additionally, PSC partners with the Banner Health Foundation to arrange for Phoenix Suns players to visit patients, especially youth patients, in the hospital. Other health grantees include Children’s Clinics for Rehabilitative Services, Barrow Neurological Foundation, American Cancer Society, Arizona Autism United, American Diabetes Association, American Heart Association, Food Allergy Research & Education, and the Translational Genomics Research Institute.
IMPORTANT GRANT DETAILS:
Grants generally range from $10,000 to $25,000, although some initiatives award a select few grants up to $100,000. While the foundation does not maintain a list of past grantees on its website, it includes descriptions of some past funded programs, and grantseekers may review the foundation’s tax records for more information on the types of organizations it supports.
Phoenix Suns Charities’ grantmaking centers around Arizona, although it sometimes makes grants to large, national organizations.
The majority of PSC’s grant programs are by invitation only or based on long-term collaborative partnerships.
PSC accepts applications for its General Grants program three times a year, with deadlines generally falling in August, November, and February. Applicants must submit a 90-second video describing the organization’s impact, which will be judged based on reach, access, need, and demographics. Priority is given to programs that relate to basketball in some way.
PSC does not use grants to provide funding for summer camps, fundraising events, sponsorships, or organizations that do not have a policy of non-discrimination.
Direct general questions to the charities’ staff at grants@azfoundation.org or 602-381-1400.
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