APS Foundation and APS Corporate Giving
/OVERVIEW: The APS Foundation supports STEM education, especially for K-12 teacher development. Corporate giving encompasses many other nonprofit issue areas in Arizona.
IP TAKE: The APS Foundation is a modest corporate funder supporting STEM education in the state of Arizona. While its grant values are small and it does not give out many per year, it may still be a valuable resource for programs looking to improve educational outcomes in the state. It supports both schools and education-related non-profits. It also offers direct support for teachers, with small grants to support in-class activities that they would otherwise have to pay for out-of-pocket. For nonprofits not working in the field of STEM education, skip the APS Foundation and go right to APS corporate, which gives much more broadly. Both giving programs offer application guidelines on the APS website.
Overall, this is an accessible, though not altogether transparent, corporate funder with strong interest in Arizona. Like most corporate funders, it does not provide a comprehensive list or database of past grants on its website, which limits information on the types of programs it supports. Grantseekers can still get a general idea of its past grants through press releases and annual reports. It does accept applications online for all of its education programs, although these may be quite competitive despite the relatively low values, as the foundation only gives away a handful of grants in each category per year.
PROFILE: Established in 1981, the APS Foundation is the charitable arm of the largest electric company in Arizona, the Arizona Public Service Company (APS). The company provides both retail and wholesale electric services in the state and has interests in coal, gas, oil, solar and nuclear energy. The APS Foundation has invested millions of dollars to projects in Arizona, its mission being to support “programs that enhance academic achievement in the areas of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM).” It provides funding through Nonprofit Grants, Teacher Grants, and Scholarships.
The APS Foundation is a separate grantmaking entity from APS corporate giving, which funds Arizona groups in civic and economic development, human services, environment, arts and culture, non-STEM education, and programs in which APS employees volunteer and serve as board members. This is part of APS corporate giving, and requests can be for grants and in-kind services like printing, video production and trash boxes. Most of the same funding restrictions apply as with the APS Foundation. Other APS community involvement efforts include employee volunteer work with nonprofits in Arizona communities, business mentoring for small business owners in the community, and a solar partner program.
Grants for STEM Education
The bulk of APS’s foundation funding goes to teacher development in STEM subjects. Grants typically seek to increase teachers’ knowledge about STEM topics and to boost their effectiveness in transferring that knowledge to students. APS looks for opportunities to support Arizona’s youth and teachers, with a focus on K-12 STEM education and partnerships with colleges and universities. However, the APS Foundation does not give grants to individual K-12 schools, religious or political groups, private or family foundations, animal shelters, or start-up organizations that have not been in operation for at least three years.
APS’s STEM Teacher Grants program operates in cooperation with Phoenix Suns Charities to “help teachers across the state by funding innovative science, technology, engineering and math projects.” It provides grants of up to $2,500 to Arizona teachers to fund “innovative, hands-on” STEM-related classroom activities. These proposals should include “clearly defined and valid objectives and outcomes,” “well-defined activities specifically related to the project goals,” and “a realistic evaluation demonstrating quantifiable results.” Funds may not be used for textbooks, salaries, stipends, food, equipment, or individual competitive teams.
Finally, APS offers modest Scholarships funded by an endowment at Arizona State University. Each year, the foundation awards ten $2,000 scholarships to eligible ASU students at one of four campuses—Phoenix, Tempe, West, and Polytechnic. Applicants must be Arizona residents, maintain a 3.0 GPA, and enroll full time. This is a needs-based scholarship, so applicants will also be required to demonstrate financial need. Scholarships are renewable as long as the student maintains eligibility. There is also a major-based requirement, in that the scholarship is only for students studying STEM or STEM-adjacent fields.
IMPORTANT GRANT DETAILS:
APS grants may range from $5,000 to $100,000. The foundation does not maintain a list or database of past grants on its website, but grantseekers may review its annual reports or tax filings for more information on the kind of programs the foundation supports.
Grantmaking mainly centers around nonprofits and schools based and operating in the state of Arizona, but it also makes grants to organizations outside the state depending on the interests of the board.
The APS Foundation accepts grant applications from local nonprofits. It has historically awarded grants in the fall, with an open application period between July and September. In addition, a spring cycle typically opens for applications in mid-January. Meanwhile, grant seekers can also apply for APS corporate grants at any time of the year and expect a decision back within 40 days.
Applications for Teacher Grants typically open in September for projects to be funded between January and May.
Scholarship applicants must apply through ASU’s Department of Financial Aid and Scholarship Services.
The best way to inquire with foundation-related questions is to email apsfoundation@aps.com. For all non-STEM grant requests, the best contact for questions is corporategiving@aps.com.
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