Safford, AZ — Freeport-McMoRan has announced the Freeport-McMoRan Foundation has awarded $400,000 to seven local projects through the Graham County Community Investment Fund (CIF) process.
Recipient organizations will receive their monetary awards in July and will be recognized by members of the Community Investment Committee during grant presentations this summer.
“Working in collaboration with a range of committed community partners, we’re continuing to focus on empowering citizens through opportunities to acquire a broad range of skills, education and leadership to foster community resilience and transformation that leads to sustainability,” said Tracy Bame, President, Freeport-McMoRan Foundation. “Things like vocational skills and educational attainment not only lead to healthier, higher standards of living but also are transferable beyond mining into other areas of the economy while broader leadership abilities support resilience and self-governance that enable thriving communities post-mining.”
A committee comprised of local community leaders representing diverse organizations as well as three Freeport-McMoRan representatives governs the Fund. The community leaders were selected by members of the Graham County Community Partnership Panel, a stakeholder engagement process established by Freeport-McMoRan in 2007 to foster open and ongoing dialogue with the community and allow the company and the community to work together to develop thoughtful solutions that address community needs. Soon after, Community Investment Funds were established to give community leaders the opportunity to direct funds from the Freeport-McMoRan Foundation to address local priority issues.
Since its establishment in 2009, the Graham County CIF has invested $4.65 million. The funds have gone to programs and projects that help foster sustainability and reduce dependency on any single industry by supporting initiatives that benefit community priority areas identified by CPP members. Proposals include those in the priority areas of education, environment, community and economic development, and health and wellness.
2019 grant recipients are:
Boys & Girls Club of the Gila Valley
Growing Smarter 2019 + STEM – $30,000
The grant supports the Club’s Power Hour, a structured hour-per-day homework assistance and tutoring program, as well as the Club’s established +STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) activity-based program aimed at helping youth to connect scientific principles to real-world applications.
City of Safford
El Paso Park – $78,000
Funds will be used to build community infrastructure and provide recreational opportunities for Safford residents. El Paso Park will receive needed improvements and enhancements.
Gila Valley Friends for a Drug-Free Community
House of Hope Sober Living Home – $100,000
Funds kick-start the construction of a sober living facility that will provide a residential accommodation, free of alcohol and illicit drugs, for men. Centered on peer support and connections to services such as vocational training, higher education and mandatory recovery programs, the program will assist residents with long-term recovery and future success.
Graham County Interfaith Care Alliance
ONF&P Capacity Building and Community Development Project – $22,000
The award supports the development of a cohesive strategic plan for Our Neighbors Farm & Pantry to inform and guide the organization’s contribution as a provider in the local food security system as well as define its role as a steward and leader in developing regional economic opportunities in the local foods space.
Local First Arizona Foundation
Graham County Loan Fund – $30,000
Grant funds infuse additional principal into the Graham County Micro Loan fund for local businesses. In rural communities without resources for smaller commercial loans, custom lending programs remove the access to capital barrier for both startups and developing businesses prepared to scale up, thereby supporting economic development and diversification efforts at the small business level.
Mt. Graham Baseball and Little League
2019 Field Lighting – $120,000
Funds will support field lighting at the Graham County Fairgrounds Park to illuminate fields used for both Little League baseball as well as soccer. The lighting project is being developed in a dark sky friendly manner to minimize any impacts to nearby astronomy observation sites. It will allow for prospective evening practices, nighttime games and matches in a space previously only available for daytime use.
The Gila Watershed Partnership
Gila River Linear Park Master Plan – $20,000
This award assist a grassroots effort to create a master plan for design and construction of a linear park and trail system along the Gila River in Safford and Thatcher, Ariz. The project aims to ultimately tie in to the existing popular multiuse recreation path in the community and bring users to the riverside. This is an effort to better connect the community to the river, helping to curb vandalism and wildcat dumping on the river and increasing local stewardship of the resource.
For more information about Freeport-McMoRan community investments and programs, please contact Sean Wenham at swenham@fmi.com or visit www.FreeportInMyCommunity.com.
