Arizona · Public charity
The Thunderbirds
The purpose of THE THUNDERBIRDS shall be to publicize the city of phoenix, arizona, and the phoenix metropolitan area, by sponsoring athletic events and by providing financial assistance to amateur athletes and youth-oriented charities.
- $13M
- Granted FY2025(still arriving)
- 57
- Itemized grants FY2025
- 44
- Organizations funded FY2024
- 14%
- First-time grantees FY2024
- Itemized, FY2025
- $13M
- The rest is grants the schedule does not break out
- Median grant, FY2025
- $15,000
- Largest grant, FY2025
- $10,026,308
- Organizations funded a year
- 22 to 53
- FY2018 to FY2024
- States reached, FY2025
- 7
- Total assets, FY2025
- $78M
How open it is to new grantees
In FY2024, 14% of the organizations The Thunderbirds funded were first-time grantees, receiving 1% of its grant dollars.
New vs renewed · share of each year
In FY2024, 99% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $73k went to new ones.
Where new relationships form · theme of each grantee’s first grant
How this is measured
The numbers by year
| Fiscal year | Organizations funded | To those organizations | First-time grantees |
|---|---|---|---|
| FY2025still arriving | 55 | $12M | 25% |
| FY2024 | 44 | $12M | 14% |
| FY2023 | 50 | $8.8M | 32% |
| FY2022 | 38 | $8.5M | 24% |
| FY2021 | 22 | $2.6M | 23% |
| FY2020 | 53 | $11M | 49% |
| FY2019 | 48 | $11M | 48% |
| FY2018 | 35 | $9.8M | 37% |
What it funded, over time
Every grant placed by its stated purpose and the recipient’s mission, by year, FY2017 to 2025.
Where its grants go
Grant dollars by states, across the years we hold.
Which US states its grants reach
Top grantees
Largest recipients by total granted, FY2017 to FY2025, and the share of each one’s budget the grants supplied at peak.
| Grantee | Total granted | Years | Share of their budget |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderbirds Charities | $64,316,241 | 9 | 88% |
| Thunderbird Foundation | $3,847,750 | 9 | 100% |
| Sun Angel Foundation | $2,698,000 | 7 | 6% |
| Arizona Golf and Life Skills Inc Dba First Tee - Phoenix | $2,429,500 | 9 | 34% |
| University of Arizona Foundation | $1,082,300 | 6 | 0% |
| Junior Golf Association of Arizona Inc | $941,848 | 5 | 13% |
| Bonneville Environmental Foundation | $786,252 | 8 | 1% |
| Phoenix Panhellenic Association | $565,281 | 9 | 90% |
| American Junior Golf Association Inc | $539,943 | 6 | 1% |
| Special Olympics Arizona Inc | $410,246 | 9 | 3% |
Show all 152 grantees
Where it is load-bearing
The Thunderbirds supplied at least a quarter of the budget for 11 of its grantees at some point. The chart plots its 117 largest grantees; load-bearing ones sit top left.
Tap a dot to name the grantee.
How this is measured
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.
Open a dossier: Arizona Community Foundation · Thunderbirds Charities · Pga Tour Inc · Virginia G Piper Charitable Trust · The Foundation for Community and Health Advancement · BHHS Legacy Foundation · Fiesta Events Inc · Phoenix Suns Charities Inc · The Diane and Bruce Halle Foundation · Arizona Diamondbacks Foundationinc · American Express Foundation · Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust
How this is measured
About The Thunderbirds
- How much does The Thunderbirds give?
- The Thunderbirds reported 57 itemized grants totaling $12,551,854, out of $12,894,047 in total grant expense reported on the return in its FY2025 IRS filing. It funded between 22 and 53 organizations a year over FY2018 to FY2024.
- What does The Thunderbirds fund?
- By grant dollars over FY2017 to FY2025, its largest causes are Philanthropy (67%), Recreation & Sports (21%), Youth Development (5%).
- Who are The Thunderbirds's largest grantees?
- By total granted over FY2017 to FY2025: Thunderbirds Charities ($64M), Thunderbird Foundation ($3.8M), Sun Angel Foundation ($2.7M).
- Does The Thunderbirds fund new organizations?
- In FY2024, 14% of the organizations it funded were first-time grantees.
- Which funders back the same organizations as The Thunderbirds?
- Its strongest co-funders, measured against what their size predicts, include Arizona Community Foundation, Thunderbirds Charities, Pga Tour Inc.
- Where is The Thunderbirds based?
- The Thunderbirds is based in AZ.
Play a game based on Thunderbirds’ filings →