Supporting Grassroots Organizations in Arizona and Beyond
The power of grassroots organizations to make a difference in local communities is undeniable. From providing resources to those in need to leading campaigns for social justice and environmental advocacy, grassroots organizations are at the forefront of positive change within and beyond Arizona. Our Political Director, Ariel Reyes, recently joined a conversation with Blanch Vance, Senior Manager, Grants, and Strategic Operations at the Grove Foundation, to discuss the importance of supporting grassroots organizations and how foundations can get started in identifying who they are. We were joined by another Grove Foundation grantee organization, Araceli Villezcas, Sr. Communications & Marketing Manager from our partner organization One Arizona, and together, we shared how we are empowering Arizona communities.
The conversation was hosted by Catchafire. They facilitate connections between grantmakers and corporations who seek to equip nonprofits with capacity-building resources, and professionals who want to donate their time and talent through virtual volunteering with nonprofits who need their skills.
For grantmakers, partnering with grassroots organizations is an effective way to reach whole communities and empower the voice of marginalized and underserved populations. By collaborating with grassroots organizations and providing support, grantmakers can help build the capacity of organizations like ours, increasing our impact, and leading to long-term, sustainable change in the communities we serve.
CATCHAFIRE: How do you define grassroots at The Grove Foundation?
Blanche: We practice trust-based grantmaking so we support grassroots groups and leaders in key social movements. We define grassroots by people-driven efforts that are trying to incur change in the community and are developing solutions for how they want their neighborhood and region to look. Over the last few years, we've primarily focused on areas of civic engagement, environment, Black-led power building, safety net, immigration, reproductive health rights and justice, and civic engagement, and really being supportive to the folks leading in the work. We try to be adaptive and center those changemakers.
CATCHAFIRE: How do you define your work within that definition at INSTITUTO?
Ariel: Instituto is a capacity building and training hub in the state of Arizona that was founded due to a gap in resources. We're focused on civic engagement organizations in Arizona, helping them build capacity and making sure they have the training and resources they need to be successful. The way that ties into Grove's people-driven efforts is that we know the people closest to the problems are closest to the solutions. It is our priority to empower the folks within their communities, so we are not just a Maricopa County-based organization, we train and partner with people and organizations directly in Yuma County, Pima County, and Pinal County. We practice it day in and day out in the way that we hire and roll out new programs because we know that in 2027 Arizona will be a majority community of color state and that has to be at the forefront of our work every day.
CATCHAFIRE: What is your advice to foundations that are looking at grassroots collectives?
Araceli: Viewing us as a whole is beneficial because we are able to come together and strategize and have a solid state plan. There is no risk of overlapping work because we’re talking to each other constantly. Each partner is so unique but we’re all aligned in the fact that we care about civic engagement and collective power. Looking at us collectively gives us the opportunity to avoid duplicate efforts needlessly, especially with the presidential year coming up. It would also set us up to have one aligned budget for programming.
CATCHAFIRE: How did you find these organizations at Grove Foundation?
Instituto team at the capitol!
Blanche: We went to our table of partners in the Southwest region to see what was best with them in terms of support and uncovered opportunities to invest with newer individual organizations like Instituto and those that One Arizona has supported. We're really just being collaborative and relying on the work these organizations know about, they are the experts, and we are there just a connector and resource.
CATCHAFIRE: Why is it an important strategy to The Grove Foundation to bring US to your grantees?
One of Instituto’s many trainings for Farmworkers to Advocate for Heat Protections in San Luis, Arizona, which is part of our Project Yuma program.
Blanche: Catchafire is another way of being supportive of their work. It's a deeper layer of partnership and support for our organizations. It aligns with our values to give organizations the choice to decide what project they want to work on and who they want to work with. That's how we look at the resources and opportunities that we provide, giving flexibility and nimbleness is how we operate internally, so making sure that whatever opportunities we offer when it comes to capacity must align with that.
Instituto uncovered long term impact and worked with a volunteer to complete a translation project that saved them over $7,000:
Ariel:This project was important because there is a big Spanish-first/Spanish-only population in Yuma County that we serve, and we needed to ensure that they had the resources to train and educate. It allowed us to make an investment to make sure they felt seen, heard, and included in a very real way.
Key Takeaways
Grassroots organizations are key players for foundations to support when resourcing community change and strengthening efforts.
Grassroots organizations are key players for foundations to support when resourcing community change and strengthening efforts.
Finding nonprofits at the heart of community can be accomplished by asking questions, listening to community voices, and welcoming fiscally sponsored organizations into the fold.
Grassroot organizations need flexible support that can help them achieve their goals. Access to professional skill-based volunteers to accomplish specific projects through Catchafire has allowed grassroots organizations to tap into unique resources tailored to meet their real-time organizational needs.
