Funding for LAUNCH Renewed

FLAGSTAFF September 24, 2018

The Arizona Community Foundation of Flagstaff (ACFF) at their 21st Annual Grants Presentation today renewed their funding for organizational infrastructure and staffing of LAUNCH Flagstaff.  This is the third year of investment by ACFF into the collective impact work of the LAUNCH partnership.

Earlier this year, the Wharton Foundation announced an expansion of their investment in LAUNCH Flagstaff.  Together with the ACFF investment, this funding supports the staffing of a Partnership Director through October 2019.  The balance of funding for LAUNCH Flagstaff’s operations comes through the backbone support of the United Way of Northern Arizona.

“Collaborating with the Arizona Community Foundation of Flagstaff in supporting the efforts of LAUNCH Flagstaff compliments United Way of Northern Arizona’s decades-long focus on education, particularly early childhood development,” said United Way of Northern Arizona’s President and CEO Steve Peru. “United Way of Northern Arizona is grateful and proud to partner with the Arizona Community Foundation of Flagstaff and the Wharton Foundation to ensure ‘every student is prepared for every opportunity.'”

LAUNCH Flagstaff is a partnership of cross-sector organizations and stakeholders that provide established programs and services in the community.  Under the direction of the Partnership Director, LAUNCH provides the infrastructure in which these partner organizations can share resources, share accountability, and share success in making a collective impact toward advancing equitable access to world-class educational experiences for every child in Flagstaff.

“Maintaining neutrality in the work of collective impact is crucial to our community success,” said Partnership Director Paul Kulpinski.  “Through the investments of the Arizona Community Foundation of Flagstaff, the Wharton Foundation and the United Way of Northern Arizona, LAUNCH Flagstaff is truly a community owned effort.”

Funds from the Arizona Community Foundation of Flagstaff were granted to LAUNCH Flagstaff through the P-12 Educational Resources Fund, established by Francis McAllister who envisioned high quality educational experiences that embrace the whole child through experiential learning.

In addition to these funding partners, investments in the collective impact work of LAUNCH Flagstaff continues to grow.  Earlier this month, Read On Arizona announced that LAUNCH Flagstaff would receive three years of technical support as a participant in their Acceleration Zone Project for improved early childhood literacy development.  The project does not provide the LAUNCH partnership with direct funding, it does provide data analysis support, technical assistance in strategy implementation as well as policy planning and review.  The Acceleration Zone Project continues through 2021 with funding and support from the Arizona Community Foundation and the Arizona Department of Education Early Childhood Unit.