$123 Million in Surprise, Unsolicited Grants Go to 71 Ariz. Charities

Here are notable new grant awards compiled by the Chronicle:

Virginia G. Piper Charitable Trust

$123 million in unsolicited grants to 71 nonprofit groups in Arizona. The foundation in Phoenix reported $123 million in investment returns on its endowment since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, and its Board of Trustees voted to share the entirety of this wealth with a selection of its previous grantees in Arizona’s Maricopa County.

All but nine of the grants are unrestricted. Grants to the Catholic high schools are designated for scholarships, and Arizona State University will use its $7 million share to improve how water is managed in Arizona and Maricopa County, assist Afghan refugees, provide scholarships for “Dreamer” students who immigrated to the United States as young children, and support the KAET local public broadcast station, which is housed at the university.

General Motors

$50 million commitment to nonprofit organizations that expand access to education and employment opportunities and strengthen neighborhoods in Detroit.

To date, $4 million in grants have been awarded to four charities that work in adult literacy, community health, and economic development.

Novo Nordisk Foundation

$47.5 million commitment to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard University to create the Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Genomic Mechanisms of Disease, which will analyze genetic data for insights into how human genetic variants affect the progress and treatment of common diseases.

Initially, the research will focus on Type 2 diabetes, obesity, and mapping human gene regulation.

Charter Communications

$30 million over five years to Spectrum Community Assist, a new program that will pay for job-skills training, upgraded technology, high-speed internet service, and facility renovations and repairs at community centers in rural and urban areas.

Salesforce

$19 million pledge to help schools nationwide address the growing inequities in education caused by the pandemic.

Of the total, $17.25 million was split among the San Francisco Unified School District, Oakland Unified School District, Chicago Public Schools, Indianapolis Public Schools, and the New York City Department of Education. The remaining $1.75 million was awarded to education nonprofit groups in the United States and Europe.

Pew Center for Arts and Heritage

$10.2 million across 42 grants in pandemic relief for artists and cultural organizations in the Philadelphia region.

Arnhold Foundation

$9.1 million pledge to the New School for research on global issues. A grant of $6.1 million will support the university’s Zolberg Institute on Migration and Mobility, and an additional grant of $3 million will create the Henry H. Arnhold Forum on Global Challenges.

Southern Company Foundation

$7 million to Emory University. Of the total, $5 million will establish the Emory University School of Law Center for Civil Rights and Social Justice, and the remaining $2 million will support other student success and access programs through Emory College and the Winship Cancer Center.

Kahlert Foundation

$5 million to the Intermountain Primary Children’s Hospital for the cancer and infusion center at its new campus in Lehi, Utah, which is scheduled to open in 2024.

Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust

$3.3 million to the National Park Foundation to build a new visitor center within the Cedar Pass section of Badlands National Park in South Dakota.

Shapiro Foundation

$2 million matching grant to Airbnb.org’s Refugee Fund to provide temporary housing for Afghan refugees who have fled the Taliban.

Zoom Cares

$2 million to eight nonprofit groups worldwide that expand access to mental-health services for diverse communities, in particular LGBTQ+ youths and students of color.

Decolonizing Wealth Project

$1.7 million to 23 grantees in its first round of grantmaking through Liberated Capital, which makes grants and provides organization-strengthening resources to Black, Indigenous, and other communities of color to advance reparations in the United States.

John S. and James L. Knight Foundation

$1.5 million to the New Americans Campaign, a national network that helps immigrants pursue U.S. citizenship. This grant will support organizations in Akron, Ohio; Charlotte, N.C.; Detroit; Miami; Philadelphia; San Jose, Calif.; and St. Paul.

Silicon Valley Community Foundation

$1.4 million to 36 grantees in its first round of giving from its LatinXCEL Fund. The community fund will award $10 million over three years to strengthen Latinx community leaders and nonprofit groups in California’s Silicon Valley.

Facebook

$1 million to the International Fact Checking Network to support organizations working to combat the spread of misinformation about climate change.

New Grant Opportunity

The California Reinvestment Coalition and the San Francisco Foundation, in partnership with 14 banks, will make $4 million in grants through the Resilience Fund, a two-year program to provide operating grants and strengthen nonprofit groups in California that are led by people of color. Organizations that are aiming to become certified as community-development financial institutions may apply for two-year grants of $200,000 to $250,000. Grantees will also receive training and technical assistance and participate in peer learning activities. Between 10 and 12 grants will be awarded. Proposals are due October 1.

Send grant announcements to grants.editor@philanthropy.com.

Chronicle of Philanthropy subscribers also have full access to GrantStation’s searchable database of grant opportunities. For more information, visit our grants page.