In the fall of 2005, we began discussing innovative practices amongst funders that not only maximized their community impact, but also set a strong precedent to peers and applicants alike. Brought to our attention was the Summer Youth Program Fund of Indianapolis, a sister city of the Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust. To our knowledge, this was the only Funders Collaborative of its kind in the nation, dedicating itself to Summer Youth Programs.
Interest grew amongst the Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust, Arizona Community Foundation and the Maricopa Council on Youth Sports and Physical Activity. We discussed gaps in programs for youth during the summer months, and the best method to identify and assist the many under-served youth that go without any, or very little, formal activity during this time generally due to a lack of funding for providers of summer programs.
By February 2006, we met with the Marion County Summer Youth Program Fund collaborative to learn more about this successful program and observe the process. Taking lessons learned from Indiana, we held a roundtable discussion for Arizona philanthropic leaders engaging them in this endeavor.
The Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust was the first to step forward as a funder in this collaborative. This commitment brought the Summer Youth Program Fund of Maricopa County to life. Fellow organizations soon joined our committee to aid in the development of this program.
These organizations include: APS, BankOne, BHHS Legacy Foundation, City of Phoenix, Phoenix Suns Charities, Thunderbirds Charities, The Virginia G. Piper Charitable Trust, and Valley of the Sun United Way.
With community needs in mind, a goal of the Summer Youth Program Fund was to streamline the grantmaking process and lessen the workload of reviewing and processing grant requests.
We have heard from nonprofit organizations that this single-application process opened the door to a diverse group of funders united in their desire to maximize outreach to young people of all ages and abilities.
Participating funders also acknowledged the benefits of this collaboration as a great way to enhance existing programs, increase healthy activities for youth and leverage available dollars and resources.
A remarkable feature of this collaborative is that 100 percent of pooled funds are dispersed in the community thanks to the generous support of The Lodestar Foundation for covering the administrative expenses.
Today, the Summer Youth Program Fund of Maricopa County is a pooled fund representing support from the following:
Arizona Community Foundation, BHHS Legacy Foundation, Bidstrup Foundation, Helios Education Foundation, J.W. Kieckhefer Foundation, Margaret T. Morris Foundation, Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust, Peoria Diamond Club, Phoenix Suns Charities, Season for Sharing: The Arizona Republic & 12 News, The Steele Foundation, Thunderbirds Charities, and Virginia G. Piper Charitable Trust.
In addition to these 13 funders comprising the collaborative pool, associated administrative fees are funded through the partnership with The Lodestar Foundation, with additional in-kind administrative support and volunteer personnel provided by the Maricopa Council on Youth Sports and Physical Activity and the Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust.