SAFFORD — After a record-breaking year of giving in 2024, United Way of Graham and Greenlee Counties is making a small change to the grant application cycles in 2025.
Amanda Patterson, grants manager for United Way, said Cycle 1 grant applications will open Jan. 1 and close Feb. 1, with the applications reviewed in March; Cycle 2 grant applications will open April 1 and close May 1, with the applications reviewed in June; and Cycle 3 grant applications will open July 1 and close Aug. 1, with the applications reviewed in September.
Large grants — those greater than $5,000 and no more than $200,000 — will only be available in the first three cycles.
“Cycle 4 is now going to be our holiday giving time,” Patterson said. “That’s going to focus on St. Vincent DePaul (and) Our Neighbor’s Farm and Pantry, who do the holiday boxes that are different than their normal boxes of canned goods and things like that. They’re going to focus on Thanksgiving meals; and Project Luke, with the gifts and clothing and shoes for families and children. We’re going to focus more on those.”
In Cycle 4 in 2024, United Way of Graham and Greenlee Counties granted almost $1.6 million to for projects and initiatives; bringing 2024’s total granted to $6.8 million.
There were 169 total projects funded, made up of:
- 62 large grants (greater than $5,000)
- 61 small grants ($5,000 or less)
- 36 sponsorships
- 8 holiday grants
- 2 emergency grants
The United Way of Graham and Greenlee Counties makes grants to nonprofit, educational and governmental organizations thanks to donations from Freeport-McMoRan and Freeport employees; employees of the City of Safford, Town of Thatcher and Graham County; and individual donors.
