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COMMUNITY FOUNDATIONS

COCHISE COMMUNITY FOUNDATION An Affiliate of the Arizona Community Foundation P.O. Box 1208 Sierra Vista, Arizona 85636 Phone: 520-439-0595 ccf@azfoundation.org   www.azfoundation.org/affiliates

OUR MISSION

Established in 1998, the Cochise Community Foundation’s mission is to support Cochise communities in their efforts to be great places to live, learn, give, work and raise a family.

Focus areas include education, literacy and lifelong learning, health and wellness and improving the overall quality of life. An affiliate of the Arizona Community Foundation, CCF takes advantage of cost-effective, centralized financial management, marketing and administrative resources to maximize the impact and results of donor gifts.

In order to measure the progress of the community over time, CCF, the Cochise College Center for Economic Research and Cochise County partnered to create a Quality of Life Index. The QOL Index serves as a baseline for the state of the community and will be used to benchmark progress over time. For the results of the QOL Index, visit www.co.cochise.az.us/qolwebsite/index.html

We Believe In

• Investing in meaningful, lasting improvements in quality of life
• Preserving this region’s heritage and culture
• Expanding opportunities for lifelong learning
• Partnering with donors and local leaders to promote the highest quality of life for all residents

WORKING TO STRENGTHEN BORDER COMMUNITIES

Douglas Area Community Fund - Douglas, Arizona community leaders have formed a seven-member advisory board, trained in endowment fund development, and launched their local campaign to create the Douglas Area Community Fund.  They took these steps in response to a challenge from CCF which will match every dollar raised in Douglas with another dollar, up to $50,000. 

Funding for the match is provided by Border Philanthropy Partners:  the Ford Foundation, ACF, and CCF.  Grants from DACF will support entrepreneurial, youth and leadership development in the Douglas area. 

Early Childhood Development strategic grantmaking - In 2006 CCF, in collaboration with ACF, completed a feasibility study with input from parents and service providers in the border communities of Douglas, Arizona and Agua Prieta, Sonora.  Findings from the study revealed social and economic needs for disadvantaged young children in both communities. 

In this first opportunity to do research-based, strategic grantmaking, CCF selected proposals from Douglas and Agua Prieta nonprofit organizations that addressed these identified needs:  child development opportunities and resources; programs that train parents, caregivers and service providers; and opportunities for cross-border agencies to collaborate and discuss practical issues in providing services.  Agencies from Agua Prieta were invited to apply using a Douglas organization as their fiscal agent.  CCF awarded three grants; funds for these grants were provided through the Border Philanthropy Partnership by the Ford Foundation and ACF.

FACE OF COCHISE

Carol Sanger will join Arizona Community Foundation October 15 as Regional Director for the Southeast Region. Following a 30-plus year career in the public and private sectors, Carol is well known and respected in the region and state-wide. As immediate past chair of the Cochise Community Foundation board, she has participated in programs led by the Council on Foundations, the U.S.-Mexico Border Philanthropy Partnership and attended the first international community philanthropy symposium in Berlin. In partnership with Cochise County and Cochise College, she led the effort to develop the first Quality of Life Index in southeast Arizona which has significantly enhanced the profile of CCF.

Del Cabarga is a Border Philanthropy Partnership Fellow with the Cochise Community Foundation, an affiliate of the Arizona Community Foundation. Del has extensive experience with grassroots organizations which address local community issues within the border region of Douglas, Arizona and Agua Prieta,Sonora. His professional and community commitments have included working as a community organizer with a local human rights group, a project director working toward improving substandard housing in low income neighborhoods and a volunteer coordinator for Take to the Hills, a nonprofit charitable initiative encouraging families in the mountain communities of Sonora. He received his Associate of Arts from Cochise Community College.

WORKING THROUGH THE ARIZONA COMMUNITY FOUNDATION        

The Cochise Community Foundation is an affiliate of the Arizona Community Foundation, which has the fiscal and fiduciary oversight of Cochise Community Foundation assets. Because ACF assets total more than half a billion dollars, it can leverage the management advice of experienced investment professionals. ACF makes available quarterly reports measuring investment performance against standards in the equity and bond markets. Essential staffing, accounting and auditing services also are provided to help local volunteers focus on community needs. ACF’s administrative fee is low for these services, usually 1.25 percent of assets, which could not be provided locally at this price.

ACF honors local grantmaking decisions so that contributions given in a community can benefit that community to the fullest extent. Affiliates and donors across the state recognize ACF as a trusted steward supporting local communities.