When we recognize innovation and multi-dimensional solutions in corporate and community endeavors, we maximize Arizona’s possibilities for success. If we plan for long-term solutions now, we can ensure we do not leave behind community-members, small business owners, or those on the front-lines of this crisis.”

Fred Pakis

The Pakis Family Foundation, a supporting organization of the Arizona Community Foundation, distributed a total of $1,150,000 through its recent grant cycle.

The focus of these grants was in response to the COVID-19 crisis and the immediate needs for financial support to assist the most pressing needs in the community. The aid will support more than 22 nonprofits providing COVID-19 crisis relief efforts, according to a press release.

The Foundation distributed a majority of the aid to organizations supporting food distribution, healthcare, and shelter services. These organizations have seen their demand for services increase as COVID-19 takes a toll on families and workers across the state. The Foundation also granted T Gen Foundation $50,000 to expand the needed testing for COVID-19 in Arizona.

Through this grant cycle, the Pakis Family Foundation also approved direct relief to organizations supporting the needs of small businesses through this crisis.

Of the total granted, $150,000 was distributed to organizations such as Local First AZ, a nonprofit which supports and advocates for local and small businesses in the state, and the Arizona Partnership for Economic Innovation, which promotes long-term, research-led investments in order to transform Greater Phoenix into a world-class business and innovation hub.

The Pakis Family Foundation granted the remaining $875,000 to organizations providing direct relief to different populations of Arizonans facing financial hardship, including veterans, domestic violence survivors, and homeless individuals and families.

More than $257,000 in grants went to organizations that provide human services, housing, and healthcare to Arizona’s homeless population. One of these organizations, Elaine, connects homeless individuals to healthcare through primary care resources and physical transportation, the latter being a significant hurdle in accessing preventative care and decreasing E.R. trips.

Elaine is one example of the wide array of innovative approaches funded by the Pakis Family Foundation to address the needs of Arizona’s communities, the press release stated.

Fred Pakis, a philanthropic leader in the community, understands the importance of business philanthropy and supported the creation of the Pakis Center for Business Philanthropy at ACF.

In this grant cycle, his family foundation distributed a $75,000 grant to the Pakis Center for Business Philanthropy.

Mr. Pakis has dedicated himself to making philanthropy a core part of his business operations.

“When we recognize innovation and multi-dimensional solutions in corporate and community endeavors, we maximize Arizona’s possibilities for success,” Mr. Pakis said in a prepared statement. “If we plan for long-term solutions now, we can ensure we do not leave behind community-members, small business owners, or those on the front-lines of this crisis.”

This round of grants from the Pakis Family Foundation is part of a larger effort from the Arizona Community Foundation totaling more than $6 million in COVID-19 relief grants from ACF, corporate donors, supporting organizations, and individual fundholders.

The Pakis Family Foundation was established in 1996 by Mr. Pakis to encourage intergenerational grantmaking by the Pakis family. Mr. Pakis co-founded Scottsdale-based JDA Software in 1985 and previously served on the Board of Directors for the Arizona Community Foundation.

Established in 1978, the Arizona Community Foundation is a statewide family of charitable funds supported by thousands of Arizonans. With five regional offices serving communities across Arizona, ACF is among the top 25 community foundations in the nation with more than $960 million in trust and endowment assets, and is certified under the National Standards for U.S. Community Foundations.

Since inception, ACF and its affiliates have awarded more than $783 million in grants, scholarships, and loans to nonprofit organizations, schools, and government agencies. More information is available at azfoundation.org.