· 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.
What it funded, over time
Every grant placed by its stated purpose and the recipient’s mission, by year, FY2017 to 2025.
Where the money goes
Grants by size, and the largest recipients.
How this is measured
By grant size · FY2025
- Under $10k17 grants · $123k
- $10k–50k30 grants · $591k
- $50k–250k6 grants · $687k
- $250k+4 grants · $11M
| Recipient | Amount |
|---|---|
| THUNDERBIRDS CHARITIES | $10,026,308 |
| THUNDERBIRDS FOUNDATION | $497,000 |
| CHANGE THE COURSE BEF | $323,334 |
| FIRST TEE OF PHOENIX (THE) | $304,500 |
| JUNIOR GOLF ASSOCIATION OF ARIZONA | $207,500 |
| ARIZONA COMMUNITY FOUNDATION | $160,000 |
| PGA TOUR FIRST TEE FOUNDATION INC | $100,000 |
| PHOENIX PANHELLENIC ASSOCIATION | $92,394 |
| AMERICAN JUNIOR GOLF FOUNDATION | $70,000 |
| WASTE NOT AZ | $56,666 |
| BOYS & GIRLS CLUBS OF THE VALLEY | $41,472 |
| SPECIAL OLYMPICS OF ARIZONA | $37,030 |
| WEST VALLEY MAVERICKS FOUNDATION | $33,000 |
| USO ARIZONA | $28,500 |
| MVP FOUNDATION THE | $28,000 |
Does the money reach high-need areas?
Each grant placed by the hardship in its grantee’s ZIP, against the area’s typical level.
Its human-services grants (FY17–25, $776k) land where the poverty rate runs at 12%, against an area that typically sits at 10%. 98% of those dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Most of its grants land in higher-need ZIPs.
How this is measured
Which US states its grants reach
How this is measured
Who it funds again
Organizations funded in more than one year, against those funded once.
Grantees it renews have grown median revenue +36% since the first grant, against +19% for those funded once.
67 repeat relationships: 41 still active in FY2025, 26 since wound down; 14 grantees were first funded in FY2025 (too recent to call).
How the two cohorts compare
Organizations
Total granted
Median revenue growth · since first grant
Still filing today
New vs renewed · share of each year
In FY2025, 98% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $220k went to new ones.
Where new relationships form · theme of each grantee’s first grant
How this is measured
Backed again, and grew
- TCTHUNDERBIRDS CHARITIES9× · 2017–2025 · $64M · revenue +52% · 88% of their budget
- TFTHUNDERBIRD FOUNDATION9× · 2017–2025 · $3.8M · revenue +66% · 100% of their budget
- AGARIZONA GOLF AND LIFE SKILLS INC DBA FIRST TEE - PHOENIX9× · 2017–2025 · $2.4M · revenue +34% · 34% of their budget
Funded once
- WEWM EMERGENCY EMPLOYEE SUPPORT FUNDone grant, 2018 · $100k · revenue -2%
- NFNABI FOUNDATIONone grant, 2019 · $55k · revenue +31%
- THTREASURE HOUSEone grant, 2017 · $50k · revenue -29%
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.
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.
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.
Bringing together diverse voices to advance health and healthcare in arizona.
To encourage, assist, promote private philanthropy to increase the awareness, appreciation, effectiveness of private philanthropy by providing information, networking opportunities, technical assistance, related services to private…
Azaap is committed to improving the health of arizona children and supporting the pediatric professionals who care for them.
Assist banner health complete its mission to make health care easier so life can be better by providing integrated & coordinated care & population health management.
Greater phoenix chamber of commerce (the chamber) catalyzes regional prosperity with forward-thinking public policy, intentional economic growth, and diverse, prepared talent.
Science foundation arizona's mission is to diversify arizona's economy by investing in scientific and engineering research linked to industry needs and investing in education to create a work force with 21st centrury skills.
Az wins is a coalition of organizations dedicated to achieving public policies that benefit working arizona families and advancing an inclusive, engaged, just and equitable state for all arizonans. in 2024 az wins substantially reduced its…
To assist member firms in achieving higher professional, ethical business and economic standards, enabling member firms to provide quality consulting and engineering services for their clients and the public.
To connect, support and inform efforts to improve the health of individuals and communities in arizona.
To improve the greater phoenix area and the state of arizona by bringing together talent, resources and leadership to create action on priority issues.
How this is measured
139 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. 139 of the 161 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.
Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee
Each grantee by its size and the funder’s share of it; top left is load-bearing
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.
- Who funds THUNDERBIRDS CHARITIES ↗
- Who funds THUNDERBIRD FOUNDATION ↗
- Who funds SUN ANGEL FOUNDATION ↗
- Who funds ARIZONA GOLF AND LIFE SKILLS INC DBA FIRST TEE - PHOENIX ↗
- Who funds ARIZONA COMMUNITY FOUNDATION ↗
- Who funds University of Arizona Foundation ↗
- Who funds JUNIOR GOLF ASSOCIATION OF ARIZONA INC ↗
- Who funds BONNEVILLE ENVIRONMENTAL FOUNDATION ↗
- Who funds PHOENIX PANHELLENIC ASSOCIATION ↗
- Who funds American Junior Golf Association Inc ↗
- Who funds SPECIAL OLYMPICS ARIZONA INC ↗
- Who funds Waste Not Inc ↗
- Who funds BOYS & GIRLS CLUBS OF METROPOLITAN PHOENIX INC ↗
- Who funds Banner Health Foundation ↗
- Who funds WEST VALLEY MAVERICKS FOUNDATION ↗
- Who funds ST MARY'S FOOD BANK ALLIANCE ↗
- Who funds ARIZONA RECYCLING COALITION DBA CIRCULAR ARIZONA ↗
- Who funds OPERATION SHOWER ↗
- Who funds SOCCER VILLAGE FOUNDATION ↗
- Who funds Valley of the Sun Young Men's Christian Association ↗
- Who funds Human Services Campus Inc ↗
- Who funds RECREATION AND ATHLETICS FOR INDIVIDUALS WITH DISABILITIES ↗
- Who funds PHOENIX SUNS CHARITIES INC ↗
- Who funds Solid Waste Association of North America ↗
- Who funds PGA TOUR WIVES ASSOCIATION INC ↗
- Who funds ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS FOUNDATIONINC ↗
- Who funds THE MICHAEL PHELPS FOUNDATION ↗
- Who funds MVP FOUNDATION ↗
- Who funds WM EMERGENCY EMPLOYEE SUPPORT FUND ↗
- Who funds PGA TOUR FIRST TEE FOUNDATION INC ↗
- Who funds UMOM NEW DAY CENTERS INC ↗
- Who funds Phoenix Children's Hospital Foundation ↗
- Who funds AZ IMPACT FOR GOOD ↗
- Who funds THE MINNEAPOLIS FOUNDATION ↗
- Who funds FIGHTER COUNTRY FOUNDATION INC ↗
- Who funds UNITED SERVICE ORGANIZATIONS INC ↗
- Who funds Phoenix Children's Hospital ↗
- Who funds EXECUTIVE COUNCIL CHARITIES ↗
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
How much its grantees rely on government
Each dot is one organization The Thunderbirds funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from The Thunderbirds. Bigger dots raise more.
- Bonneville Environmental Foundation: 100% of income from government
- Children's Hospital Corporation: 10% of income from government
- President and Fellows of Harvard College: 7% of income from government
- Jackson Health Foundation Inc: 1% of income from government
How this is measured
Play a game based on Thunderbirds’ filings →