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Desert Financial Foundation at a glanceAlso receives grants: funding profile →

· Public charity

Desert Financial Foundation

To promote the financial health of our community through education, scholarships, grants to non-profit programs, and fundraising efforts.

$1.2M
Granted FY2024still arriving
11
Grants FY2024still arriving
1
States reached
$791k
Largest
01What it fundsRead
02The needRead
03Its granteesRead
04Its fieldRead
05Through PlinthRead
01What it funds
01100% classified

What it funded, over time

Every grant placed by its stated purpose and the recipient’s mission, by year, FY2018 to 2024.

Health$3.7MEducation$1.2MEmployment$45kCrime & Legal$25kHuman Services$15kInternational$15kCommunity Improvement$15k
02FY2024 · 11 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

How this is measured
The 11 grants below total $1,157,928, the rows itemized in this filing. The $1,232,637 headline is the total grant expense on the return; the other $74,709 is giving the schedule does not break out (grants under the $5,000 itemization floor, grants to individuals, grants on other schedules). Every figure below describes the itemized rows only.

By grant size · FY2024

  • Under $10k1 grant · $6k
  • $10k–50k8 grants · $202k
  • $50k–250k1 grant · $159k
  • $250k+1 grant · $791k
$27,505
Median grant
1
States reached
$1.1M
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
PHOENIX CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL FOUNDATION$791,423
ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY$159,000
UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA$47,000
GRAND CANYON UNIVERSITY$33,000
MARICOPA COMMUNITY COLLEGES$28,000
NORTHERN ARIZONA UNIVERSITY$27,505
YAVAPAI COLLEGE FOUNDATION INC$20,750
COCONINO COMMUNITY COLLEGE FOUNDATION$15,750
EAST VALLEY INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY EDUCATION FOUNDATION INC$15,000
WEST-MEC DISTRICT NO 402$15,000
EMBRY-RIDDLE AERONAUTICAL UNIVERSITY$5,500
02The need
03

Does the money reach high-need areas?

Each grant placed by the hardship in its grantee’s ZIP, against the area’s typical level.

show:

Dollar for dollar, its grants (FY18–24) land where the poverty rate runs at 11%, against an area that typically sits at 10%. 100% of its dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Most of its grants land in higher-need ZIPs.

area typical 10%WEST MEC: $15k → 11%YAVAPAI COLLEGE FOUNDATION INC: $21k → 14%UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA: $47k → 15%NORTHERN ARIZONA UNIVERSITY: $21k → 16%PHOENIX CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL FOUNDATION: $791k → 11%YAVAPAI COLLEGE FOUNDATION INC: $15k → 14%UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA: $33k → 15%WEST-MEC DISTRICT NO 402: $15k → 11%YAVAPAI COLLEGE FOUNDATION INC: $15k → 14%UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA: $31k → 15%PHOENIX CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL FOUNDATION: $723k → 11%YAVAPAI COLLEGE FOUNDATION INC: $10k → 14%UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA: $13k → 15%WEST-MEC DISTRICT NO 402: $15k → 11%EMBRY-RIDDLE AERONAUTICAL UNIVERSITY: $8k → 14%PHOENIX CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL FOUNDATION: $707k → 11%Native American Connections: $15k → 11%Phoenix Childrens Hospital Foundation: $701k → 11%WEST-MEC DISTRICT NO 402: $15k → 11%PHOENIX CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL FOUNDATION: $40k → 11%NATIVE AMERICAN CONNECTIONS: $15k → 11%Phoenix Children's Hospital: $10k → 11%WEST-MEC DISTRICT NO 402: $15k → 11%EAST VALLEY INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY EDUCATION FOUNDATION INC: $15k → 11%EAST VALLEY INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY EDUCATION FOUNDATION INC: $15k → 11%MARICOPA COMMUNITY COLLEGES: $28k → 11%EAST VALLEY INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY EDUCATION FOUNDATION INC: $15k → 11%MARICOPA COMMUNITY COLLEGES: $23k → 11%EAST VALLEY INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY EDUCATION FOUNDATION INC: $15k → 11%MESA COMMUNITY COLLEGE: $6k → 11%New Pathways for Youth Inc: $10k → 11%St Joseph the Worker: $15k → 11%International Rescue Committee: $15k → 11%ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY: $159k → 11%ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY: $92k → 11%ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY: $84k → 11%ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY: $59k → 11%Local First Foundation: $15k → 11%Duet Partners in Aging & Health: $15k → 11%UNIVERSITY OF PHOENIX: $6k → 11%GRAND CANYON UNIVERSITY: $43k → 11%GRAND CANYON UNIVERSITY: $33k → 11%GRAND CANYON UNIVERSITY: $25k → 11%GRAND CANYON UNIVERSITY: $20k → 11%Laptops 4 Learning: $48k → 11%Free Arts for Abused Children: $15k → 11%LAPTOPS 4 LEARNING: $27k → 11%SMITH CHASON COLLEGEWEST COAST ULTRA SOUND INSTITUTE: $8k → 11%0%20%40%50%more need →
grant to an above-average-need area below average· circle size = grant amount
How this is measured
Matched: human-services grants are those whose grantee’s IRS cause code is Human Services. Placed by people below the poverty line in the grantee’s ZIP, averaged from the tracts in that ZIP.
How this is measured
US grants placed by each grantee’s ZIP, which can differ from where services are delivered. Need from public data (U.S. Census/ACS, CDC PLACES, Eviction Lab, USDA), shown as context about the area, never attributed to the funder’s giving.
03Its grantees
repeat funding

Who it funds again

Organizations funded in more than one year, against those funded once.

83%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$4.2M · 15 repeat orgs$834k to everyone else

Grantees it renews have grown median revenue +52% since the first grant, against +6% for those funded once.

15 repeat relationships: 11 still active in FY2024, 4 since wound down.

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

15
8

Total granted

$4.2M
$834k

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+52%
+6%

Still filing today

87%
63%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2024, 100% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $0 went to new ones.

50%100%’18’20’21’22’23’24
RenewedFirst-time

Where new relationships form · theme of each grantee’s first grant

’18’20’21’22’23’24
EducationHealthCrime & LegalPhilanthropyCommunity ImprovementInternationalOther
How this is measured
First-time means a grantee’s first year in the filing window; renewed means funded in an earlier year too. The renewed share climbs naturally as a portfolio matures, so the signal is a year that bucks it (a wave of new grantees). The earliest year is left-censored: relationships that predate the data read as new. Theme is the grantee’s IRS cause.

Backed again, and grew

  • PC
    Phoenix Children's Hospital Foundation
    6× · 2018–2024 · $3.0M · revenue +52%
  • NA
    NORTHERN ARIZONA UNIVERSITY FOUNDATION
    4× · 2021–2024 · $123k · revenue +269%
  • GC
    Grand Canyon University
    4× · 2021–2024 · $120k · revenue +27%

Funded once

  • CO
    CITY OF PHOENIX
    one grant, 2021 · $750k
  • LF
    LOCAL FIRST ARIZONA FOUNDATIONgraduated
    one grant, 2018 · $15k · revenue +874%
  • IR
    International Rescue Committee INCgraduated
    one grant, 2018 · $15k · revenue +80%
How this is measured

Repeat means funded in two or more distinct years. Growth and survival are read from each grantee’s own subsequent IRS filings.

04Its field

Closest unfunded matches

The nonprofits that most resemble its grantees but are not funded by it, scored along the direction from the rest of the field toward the portfolio. A resemblance in what they say they do, not a recommendation.

1
Arizona Community Foundation

To lead, serve and collaborate to mobilize enduring philanthropy for a better arizona.

Philanthropy
2
Augustana College

Rooted in the liberal arts & sciences & lutheran expression of the christian faith, & is committed to offering a challenging education that develops qualities of mind, spirit, & body necessary for a rewarding life of leadership & service…

Education
3
Education Forward Arizona

To advocate for high-quality education and training that aligns with career and workforce opportunities to advance the quality of life for all arizonans.

—
4
Center for the Future of Arizona

Bringing arizonans together to create a stronger and brighter future for our state.

Community Improvement
5
Arcadia University

Arcadia university's pioneering, global, integrated, liberal arts, and professional learning experience cultivates leaders who are intellectually fearless and uniquely prepared for life and work. our highly regarded, values-based learning…

Education
6
Arizona Christian University

Arizona christian university provides a biblically-integrated, liberal arts education equipping graduates to serve the lord jesus christ in all aspects of life, as leaders of influence and excellence.

Education
7
Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities

Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities accredits institutions of higher education by applying evidence-informed standards and processes to support continuous improvements and promote equitable student achievement and success.

Education
8
Boston Architectural College

The bac is committed to provide excellence in design education grounded in practice and accessible to diverse communities.

—
9
Denver Hybrid College

To support college students in innovative, affordable paths to in-demand careers and financial freedom.

Education
10
Los Angeles Pacific University

Los angeles pacific university exists to deliver high quality, accessible christ-centered education to learners everywhere.

Education
11
Lodestar Charitable Foundation

To perform the functions of, or to carry out the purposes of the arizona community foundation, an az nonprofit corporation, so long as the arizona community foundation, inc. remains a qualified organization.

—
12
National University

To deliver accessible world-class student experiences by providing quality programs and services that ensure student success through meaningful learning. to be an inclusive and innovative university serving life-long learners who…

Education
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is Native American Connections Inc; the most unlike its peers is International Rescue Committee Inc. Resemblance is measured on each organization’s own IRS 990 mission text; it reflects how work is described, not its quality or impact.
04the grantee network

18 grantees tracked through their own filings, 2017–2025.

Each grant beside the grantee’s revenue from every source, year by year.

How this is measured

Counted here: distinct organizations funded across 2017 to 2025, not grant rows in a single year, so this will not match the grant count on the cover. 18 of the 23 grantees resolved in that span have returns of their own we could reconcile.

Each grantee is resolved to its own IRS returns. Association, dated; never a causal claim.

0
Load-bearing (≥25% of a budget)
6
Early backer (in before they grew)
18/18
Grantees still filing
15/18
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

Phoenix Children's Hospital Foundation: $2,971,483 · HealthPhoenix Children's Hospital Foundation+1 more: $30,000 · HealthCITY OF PHOENIX: $750,000 · OtherCITY OF PHOENIXARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY: $393,500 · OtherARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITYUNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA: $123,750 · OtherUNIVERSITY OF ARIZONASt Joseph the Worker: $45,000 · Other+3 more: $29,000 · OtherNORTHERN ARIZONA UNIVERSITY FOUNDATION: $122,505 · EducationNORTHERN AR…Grand Canyon University: $120,000 · EducationGrand Canyo…LAPTOPS 4 LEARNING: $75,102 · EducationLAPTOPS 4 L…YAVAPAI COLLEGE FOUNDATION INC: $60,750 · EducationYAVAPAI COL…EAST VALLEY INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY EDUCATION FOUNDATION INC: $60,000 · EducationEAST VALLEY…COCONINO COMMUNITY COLLEGE FOUNDATION: $49,000 · EducationCOCONINO CO…WEST-MEC ALLIANCE: $30,000 · EducationWEST-MEC AL…+1 more: $13,000 · EducationMARICOPA COUNTY COMMUNITY COLLEGE DISTRICT FOUNDATION: $57,000 · PhilanthropyDESERT FINANCIAL FOUNDATION: $45,000 · PhilanthropyFREE ARTS FOR ABUSED CHILDREN OF ARIZONA: $15,000 · Crime & LegalNew Pathways For Youth: $10,000 · Crime & LegalLOCAL FIRST ARIZONA FOUNDATION: $15,000 · Community ImprovementInternational Rescue Committee INC: $15,000 · International
Health$3,001,483Other$1,341,250Education$530,357Philanthropy$102,000Crime & Legal$25,000Community Improvement$15,000International$15,000

Each grantee by its size and the funder’s share of it; top left is load-bearing

25%50%75%100%$1.0M$10M$100Mgrantee revenue →↑ funder's share of their budgetPhoenix Children's Hospital Foundation: $2,971,483 over 6y, 1.7% of budgetNORTHERN ARIZONA UNIVERSITY FOUNDATION: $122,505 over 4y, 0.2% of budgetGrand Canyon University: $120,000 over 4y, 0.0% of budgetLAPTOPS 4 LEARNING: $75,102 over 2y, 12% of budgetYAVAPAI COLLEGE FOUNDATION INC: $60,750 over 4y, 0.5% of budgetEAST VALLEY INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY EDUCATION FOUNDATION INC: $60,000 over 4y, 10% of budgetMARICOPA COUNTY COMMUNITY COLLEGE DISTRICT FOUNDATION: $57,000 over 3y, 0.3% of budgetCOCONINO COMMUNITY COLLEGE FOUNDATION: $49,000 over 3y, 2.3% of budgetSt Joseph the Worker: $45,000 over 3y, 1.2% of budgetDESERT FINANCIAL FOUNDATION: $45,000 over 3y, 1.4% of budgetWEST-MEC ALLIANCE: $30,000 over 2y, 14% of budgetNATIVE AMERICAN CONNECTIONS INC: $30,000 over 2y, 0.1% of budgetLOCAL FIRST ARIZONA FOUNDATION: $15,000 over 1y, 1.4% of budgetInternational Rescue Committee INC: $15,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetDUET PARTNERS IN HEALTH & AGING INC: $15,000 over 1y, 0.7% of budgetFREE ARTS FOR ABUSED CHILDREN OF ARIZONA: $15,000 over 1y, 0.8% of budgetEMBRY-RIDDLE AERONAUTICAL UNIVERSITY INC: $13,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budget
Grantee by grantee: a decade per organization, before and after funding

A decade per grantee: revenue shaded, grants as bars, all rows on one timeline.

Co-funders

Grantmakers whose grantees overlap with this funder’s far more than size alone predicts. Closer means stronger alignment; arcs show where they also fund each other. Here they form a tightly interlocked group: most of these funders back each other's grantees too.

Arizona Community Fou…Desert Financial Cred…Valley of the Sun Uni…Nina Mason Pulliam Ch…Virginia G Piper Char…American Express Foun…The Diane and Bruce H…Phoenix Suns Charitie…Burton Family Foundat…Thunderbirds CharitiesThe Bob & Renee Parso…The Kemper & Ethel Ma…
Arizona Community FoundationAZ22.5× affinity9 shared granteesties to 11 of 11Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: Arizona Community Foundation · Desert Financial Credit Union · Valley of the Sun United Way · Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust · Virginia G Piper Charitable Trust · American Express Foundation · The Diane and Bruce Halle Foundation · Phoenix Suns Charities Inc · Burton Family Foundation · Thunderbirds Charities · The Bob & Renee Parsons Foundation · The Kemper & Ethel Marley Fdn

How this is measured
Affinity is a Gamma-Poisson posterior co-funding rate, re-centered on the typical rate, so thin evidence shrinks toward no signal. Overlap is association, not proof of shared intent.

How much its grantees rely on government

Each dot is one organization Desert Financial Foundation funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from Desert Financial Foundation. Bigger dots raise more.

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 00%1%4%8%15%funder's share of their income ↑0%13%25%38%50%share of the org’s income from government →median 3%
  • Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University Inc: 3% of income from government
no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
0get no government money at all
6report government grants on their 990 we could not trace to a source (not plotted)
0rely on government for over half their income
⤢ axis zoomed · 0–50%
typical government reliance, FY20–25
How this is measured
Government income is each org’s traced federal awards (USASpending grants and contracts) plus state payments (open checkbooks) as a share of its total revenue (IRS Form 990); the self-reported government-grant line (990 line 1e) is carried for cross-check: a grantee that reports government grants we could not trace to a source is left off the chart rather than shown as receiving none. An association, not a claim that a grant caused the public funding. Coverage is precision-first, a floor rather than a census; state records exist for 9 states, so a grantee outside them shows no state figure (dimmed) rather than a false zero. Federal award amounts are obligations, which can span years, so a single-year share is indicative. 990 filings lag 12 to 24 months.
05Through Plinth

Warm introductions · Powered by PlinthPlus

How do I get to Desert Financial Foundation?

Find your warmest path to Desert Financial Foundation through trustees and officers whose names appear on both boards. Search for your organization and Plinth traces the shortest route it can evidence.

Each link is a name appearing on two organizations’ public IRS 990 filings, matched on that name and, where the filings support it, on location. A same-state match has geographic support, which is a second matching feature rather than confirmation that the two are one person; a cross-state one is the likeliest to be two people who share a name. Every hop shows its tier, low-confidence and distant paths are held back rather than guessed, and it is worth confirming the person before you use the introduction.

On method. Every financial figure here is read from IRS e-file XML, the funder’s own 990/990-PF, and from the multi-year returns of the 23 grantees we resolved, each linked to its source. Grantee outcomes are each organization’s own program-service reporting (Form 990, Part III), read as association with funding, never as caused by it. Low-confidence name matches are suppressed rather than guessed. How we build these →

How this is measured
Each figure carries one of six labels. Filed is what the funder reported on its return. Official is another government record about an organization, such as a federal award or a charity register, joined by name where no shared identifier exists. Resolved is an identity we worked out where the filing named a recipient without an EIN, kept only above a measured confidence threshold. Computed is arithmetic over those, like themes, portfolio clusters and co-funder strength. Context is a statistic about a place rather than about an organization, which is what the need overlay is: it describes the area a grantee’s address sits in, not where its work lands. Inferred is drawn by a model from text, like the partnerships read out of public news and organization websites. Each is labeled where it appears.

Generated from the IRS Form 990 e-file return for fiscal year 2024, released 2024. Filings run roughly 12 to 24 months behind; figures are dated accordingly.

Source object · view filing

Play a game based on Desert Financial’s filings →

More from the funding graph

The unnamed billions
grants reported with no recipient in the public record
The regranting layer
51% of grant dollars land in the regranting layer
The DAF merry-go-round
$9.7B circulates between donor-advised funds
The endowment market
who holds foundation money, and what just moved
The camps
funders cluster by geography, not ideology
By state
where grant money is based, and what stays home