A native of Tucson, Arizona, by the name of Ashby I. Lohse worked in the fields of estate planning and probate law, where he encountered many clients who wanted to create their own private foundations. Although he has passed away, Lohse’s family continues to run 11 of these private foundations, which have a strong focus on the city of Tucson and southern Arizona.
Here are a few things to know about the Tucson Foundations and how they approach grantmaking in the region.
Types of grants awarded
The Tucson Foundations encompass 11 private foundations. The board of directors of the Tucson Foundations awards numerous types of grants on an annual basis, including challenge and matching grants, program grants, support for capital campaigns, operating expenses, emergency funds and endowments for community organizations.
Applying for funding
The Tucson Foundations do not accept uninvited grant applications. However, they make the process of receiving an invitation easy and accept program requests from organizations that are not already receiving capacity, capital or endowment grants.
The foundations accept and process applications throughout the year and typically respond by writing to applicants within three months. To reduce grantwriting burdens, the foundation even accepts applications that are written to other organizations.
But before that process even begins, the foundation trustees are willing to meet with potential applicants to discuss plans and brainstorm about activities in need in funding. The trustees conduct meetings in person and via Zoom.
Past grantees
In recent years, the Tucson Foundations have awarded around $1.5 million in annual grants. Program grants are typically between $5,000 to $50,000. Topics of interest include education, literacy, youth, health, human services, seniors, hunger, and arts and culture.
Some sample past grantees are the Diaper Bank of Southern Arizona, Arizona Theatre Company, Tucson Medical Center Foundation and the University of Arizona College of Science. The Tucson Foundations like to stay in touch with grantees and hear from them on a regular basis if they are seeking ongoing or occasional support.
Getting in touch
The foundations’ board of directors are all family members: Robert Lohse, Linda Lohse, Jennifer Lohse and Patricia Lohse. This is a very accessible funder that welcomes grantseeker contact and ongoing communication. Jennifer Lohse is the primary contact person at the Tucson Foundations, and she can be reached by online form, phone, fax or mail.
For more information about Arizona-focused funders, check out IP’s Arizona grants page, which offers insights about giving trends in the state and a list of foundations that operate in Arizona.