SAFFORD — Freeport-McMoRan Foundation announced Monday its Community Investment Fund is donating $400,000 to Graham County nonprofit organizations and municipalities this year.
“The COVID pandemic and other disruptive events over the past 18 months have affected how we all view and achieve well-being, as well as the need to think more purposefully about how we help to create individual, family and community resiliency,” said Tracy Bame, president of Freeport-McMoRan Foundation.
“An important part of this effort is the ability to work with our program partners to understand the impact of each project so we can collaborate with a broad range of community stakeholders to address gaps in services, resources and assets needed to support the well-being and resilience of people and communities over time.”
2021 recipients include:
● City of Safford, $210,000 for expansion of El Paso Park, including development of a new splash pad
● Graham County Interfaith Alliance, $50,000 for expansion of Our Neighbor’s Farm and Pantry services
● Southeastern Arizona Clean and Beautiful, $45,000 for water bottle-filling stations along the Gila Valley Multi-use Path
● Great Communities Resource Center, $40,000 for installation of a Practical Assessment Exploration System Lab for those with special needs
● Aravaipa Watershed Conservation Alliance, $30,000 for development of a Cooperative Watershed Management Plan
● Boys and Girls Club of the Gila Valley, $25,000 for the Grow Smarter 2021 program
Since 2011, nearly $4.3 million has been invested through the Freeport-McMoRan Foundation Community Investment Fund in Graham County. The funds have gone to programs and projects that help foster sustainability and reduce dependency on any single industry by supporting initiatives that build community resilience and capacity.
