SAFFORD—The Harvey C. Dietrich Fund, a component fund of the Arizona Community Foundation, has awarded more than $1.8 million to nonprofit organizations across the state over the last two years.
The Gila Watershed Partnership was one of the organizations selected in the first year of funding, receiving $45,000 in unrestricted support. The organization strives to protect and improve the overall health of the Upper Gila Watershed in Arizona. The grant supported general operations, providing flexibility for the organization to fulfill its mission based on where the funds are needed most.
The Gila Watershed Partnership’s Executive Director Sarah Sayles shared: “The unrestricted grant was a lifeline for us during a significant time of transition. It has helped to revitalize the organization and expand our restoration work in the region.”
Harvey Dietrich, known as Arizona’s last Jewish cowboy, made a name for himself in the cattle industry and upon his passing in 2020, revealed a profound act of generosity: $20 million his estate was entrusted to ACF. His legacy gift was invested and endowed to create the Harvey C. Dietrich Fund which generates around $900,000 in grantmaking every year, forever.
Harvey provided ACF with broad guidelines for deciding how grants from the fund created in his name should be distributed. In consultation with his widow Marnie Dietrich, ACF has honored Harvey’s philanthropic wishes by identifying organizations and community needs that aligned with his values of individualism, honesty, humility, and integrity.
ACF has been connecting donors like Harvey with organizations like Gila Watershed Partnership for more than 45 years. The organization provides charitable funds for donors to make lifetime or legacy gifts that benefit communities across the state today and into the future.
To learn more about charitable giving in communities across Graham and Greenlee counties, contact ACF’s Senior Regional Director Angie Laskarides at 520.505.3676.
The Arizona Community Foundation of the Gila Valley was founded in 1997 as a permanent philanthropic endowment for the enduring benefit of Graham and Greenlee counties. This family of charitable funds is guided by a local Board of Advisors and benefits from cost-efficient, centralized professional services provided by ACF.
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 $1.3 billion in trust and endowment assets and is certified under the National Standards for U.S. Community Foundations. Since inception, ACF has awarded more than $1.3 billion in grants, scholarships, and loans to nonprofit organizations, schools, tribal entities, and government agencies. More information is available at azfoundation.org.
