By Angela D. Wagner
Spreading Threads Clothing Bank is one of 51 nonprofit organizations to have been awarded a 2023 CORE Grant by the Community Foundation for Southern Arizona (CFSA) to the tune of $30,000.
“This is a huge grant for Spreading Threads Clothing Bank and we can’t thank the Community Foundation for Southern Arizona enough for including us as one of this year’s grant recipients,” said Michele Wright, Co-Founder and Executive Director for Spreading Threads Clothing Bank. “This grant provides us with $30,000 in flexible working capital to allow us to expand our impact on foster children, adoptive children, and children living in kinship placement as well as the families supporting them. Right now, with the cost of living increases and inflation, many families need all of the assistance they can get and this grant from CFSA will help us to fill that need even better than before.”
The CFSA announced in May 2023 that it awarded a total of $1,225,000 in general operating grants to nonprofits that are working to positively impact and improve the quality of life for those living in Southern Arizona. This is the largest grant round in CFSA’s 43-year history.
Jenny Flynn, CFSA’s president and CEO, said, “This year’s CORE Grants highlight the generosity and trust between our donors and nonprofit partners and celebrate the community that makes this all possible. As we look towards next year with a new strategic plan, we are focused on our mission of building a thriving Southern Arizona through philanthropy.”
The CORE in CORE Grants stands for Community, Organizational Stability, Results, and Effective Programs. Grounded in mutual trust and respect, CORE grants provide flexible funding for organizations to use as they see fit to address emerging issues, boost salaries and benefits, invest in technology, or implement new communication and fundraising strategies.
The grantee pool for 2023 represents eight geographic areas and 17 focus areas including Arts and Culture, Education, Children and Youth, and Healthcare among others. A total of 41 percent of this year’s grantees are first-time CORE Grant recipients. The average grant award for this year was $24,019.61, according to CFSA. That’s an 18 percent increase over the average grant awarded in 2022.
“This year’s CORE Grants application process underwent significant improvements due to the transparency, advocacy, and adaptability of our previous applicants, review committee, and CORE Donor Collaborators,” said Jeaiza Quiñones Ivory, Director of Community Investments for CFSA. “As this program grows, our team will be focused on further centering those voices and approaching this process from a trust-based philanthropy lens. This helps to ensure that our nonprofit community maintains the autonomy to utilize funding as they see fit, that there is continued access to our team, and that our grant processes evolve collaboratively and equitably.”
Spreading Threads Clothing Bank is a 501 (c)3 nonprofit organization focused on providing clothing, shoes, toys, books, hygiene products, and other daily necessities for children living in foster, adoptive, or kinship placement including group homes in Tucson and Southern Arizona. In April 2022, Spreading Threads Clothing Bank was able to purchase its own building. Prior to that, Spreading Threads had been renting space for its operations. The new building, which is just over 5,000 square feet, had the space needed for Spreading Threads Clothing Bank storage and operations, but has had no working air conditioning since it was purchased.
Wright said she had been applying for grants to get a new air conditioning unit for the building to make it more comfortable for staff, volunteers, foster children, and families. That’s what makes this grant award of $30,000 so special for the organization.
“The funds from the $30,000 CFSA grant is being used for the air conditioning for our new building,” said Wright. “This grant really allowed us to make this huge purchase that will make Spreading Threads Clothing Bank a much more comfortable place to work, visit, and enjoy for everyone who comes here. Any funds left over will go toward the general operations of Spreading Threads Clothing Bank to help us continue on our mission.”
May 4 2023
The CORE Grant in the amount of $30,000 for Spreading Threads Clothing Bank was made possible in part by donors including The Courtney Foundation for Youth, the Fenster Family Foundation Fund, and Barbara Kelly.
The 2023 CORE Grants awarded by CFSA were made possible with the support of CORE Donor Collaborators, the CFSA Field of Interest Funds, and the Connie Hillman Family Foundation as well as the CORE Community Review Committee. The commitment and dedication of these organizations and individuals were essential in making the sixth year of CORE Grants successful, according to CFSA. Since 2017, the CFSA has awarded $4.7 million to 115 Southern Arizona nonprofit organizations.
Visit the Community Foundation for Southern Arizona online to learn more about the trusted philanthropic partner helping individuals, families, businesses, and nonprofits in Southern Arizona or call (520) 770-0800.
You can also learn more about Spreading Threads Clothing Bank and its mission of supporting foster children in Southern Arizona by calling (520) 971-3237.
