Valley of the Sun United Way
Valley of the Sun United Way is a public charity based in Phoenix, Arizona. It brings people and resources together to address community needs and supports programs and direct services in Maricopa County.
Valley of the Sun United Way at a glance
In short: Valley of the Sun United Way gave $62.9M across 98 grants in 2025 (avg $641K), mostly in Arizona. 16% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $62,866,366
- -40.3% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 98
- -22.2% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $641,494
- -23.3% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $70,472
- Total assets
- $100,423,177
- -1.3% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 16% first-time grantees (16 of 98, 2025)
- Primary geography
- Arizona (100% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990, 2025; updated September 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to Valley of the Sun United Way
- How to Apply
-
Nonprofit organizations and schools serving Maricopa County residents with innovative solutions aligned with the organization’s focus areas can apply to be considered for funding. Grassroots and small nonprofits with annual revenues under $250,000 may also be eligible. The FY27 competitive application cycle was announced for early February 2026, with funding contingent on dollars raised in FY26. The organization provides grant-writing resources on application writing, financial components, and logic models.
- Contact
Mailing address: 3200 East Camelback Road 375, Phoenix, AZ 85018
Phone: (602) 631-4800
Website: https://vsuw.org
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Valley of the Sun United Way funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was First Things First Quality First Scholarships to Providers ($45.1M). Together the top 10 received $56.9M.
Grant Size Distribution
590 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 209 grants of 590 (35%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The organization says it supports programs and provides direct services in Maricopa County. In its 2025 grant reporting, 100% of grant dollars went to recipients in Arizona.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 98 itemized grants.
Cities
Is Valley of the Sun United Way open to new grantees?
16%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 16 of 98 grantees (16%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $2.9M; repeat grants $202K. How we count
Medians: $70K first-time, $69K repeat.
- 77% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (−7%). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990 filings (2019–2025). Recipient names are matched across years, so a renamed or misspelled grantee can look new; grants to individuals are left out. Methodology.
Giving History
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2019 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $62.9M (2025) to $105.4M (2024). In 2025 it made 98 grants totaling $62.9M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| First Things First Quality First Scholarships to Providers Phoenix, AZ | Program Support | $45,070,430 |
| Direct Designations to Various Agencies Phoenix, AZ | Program Support | $5,026,755 |
| Other Community Initiatives - Various Partners Phoenix, AZ | Program Support | $3,384,242 |
| A New Leaf Inc Mesa, AZ | Program Support | $762,435 |
| Arizona Community Foundation DBA Read On Arizona Phoenix, AZ | Program Support | $734,400 |
| Chicanos Por La Causa Inc Phoenix, AZ | Program Support | $642,895 |
| Make Way for Books Tucson, AZ | Program Support | $373,878 |
| Boys & Girls Clubs of the Valley Phoenix, AZ | Program Support | $373,284 |
| Community Bridges Inc Mesa, AZ | Program Support | $331,358 |
| St Mary's Food Bank Phoenix, AZ | Program Support | $228,144 |
Ready to take the next step with Valley of the Sun United Way?
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Net Investment Income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $100,423,177 | $73,525,775 | $77,451,896 | $62,866,366 | 98 | $1,371,605 |
| 2024 | $101,736,416 | $119,496,515 | $119,102,357 | $105,386,884 | 126 | $3,043,399 |
| 2023 | $108,533,886 | $110,603,271 | $112,728,218 | $98,529,662 | 122 | $2,546,883 |
| 2022 | $104,098,931 | $79,942,536 | $80,597,059 | $67,672,619 | 112 | $3,907,252 |
| 2021 | $109,732,254 | $109,884,545 | $90,513,487 | $77,930,567 | 132 | $2,757,734 |
| 2020 | $68,923,271 | $100,632,911 | $97,807,786 | $84,704,336 | 93 | $2,008,380 |
| 2019 | $69,570,189 | $94,198,484 | $96,992,987 | $81,103,531 | 86 | $3,609,906 |
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated September 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
The organization’s stated mission is to improve lives by mobilizing community, corporate, and nonprofit partners to reach bold goals for Maricopa County in health, housing and homelessness, education, and workforce development.
Its funding priorities include programs addressing early education and literacy, family support, food access, housing stability and wraparound services, and pathways to sustainable careers. The organizations it supported in 2025 illustrate a range of work: A New Leaf describes its mission as fostering social and economic stability across the Phoenix metro area; Make Way for Books says it aims to give all children the chance to read and succeed; and UMOM New Day Centers says it works to end family homelessness.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, Valley of the Sun United Way reported 98 grants totaling $62,496,188. Grant amounts ranged from $5,000 to $45,070,430, with a median of $70,472.
The largest reported grant was $45,070,430 for First Things First Quality First Scholarships to Providers, for program support. The filing describes these scholarships as helping eligible low-income families with children from birth to age five access high-quality, culturally responsive early care and education. Other large grants included $5,026,755 in direct designations to various agencies and $3,019,094 for other community initiatives with various partners. Named grantees included A New Leaf ($762,435), Arizona Community Foundation DBA Read On Arizona ($734,400), Chicanos Por La Causa Inc ($642,895), Make Way for Books ($373,878), Boys & Girls Clubs of the Valley ($373,284), Community Bridges Inc ($331,358), St. Mary’s Food Bank ($228,144), and UMOM New Day Centers Inc ($175,657).
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
Officers and directors listed on the 2025 filing include Latasha Causey, director and board chair; David Long, director and treasurer; and directors Adam Reich, Amanda Muir, Angie Bond-Simpson, Anthony Sharett, Chad Gestson, Chris Camacho, Christine Wilkinson, and Daniel Wani.
Valley of the Sun United Way is led by Carla Vargas Jasa, President & CEO on every filing since 2019; 8 of 48 officers listed in 2025 are compensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Carla Vargas Jasa
President & CEO
On filings since 2019
50 hrs/week
$211K (2020) → $354K (2025)
Latasha Causey
Director & Board Chair
Director → Director & Vice Chair, 2024
Director & Vice Chair → Director & Board Chair, 2025
On filings since 2021
4 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Chad Gestson EdD
Director
On filings since 2019
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Chris Camacho
Director
On filings since 2019
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Christine Wilkinson PhD
Director
On filings since 2019
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Hope Berman Levin
Director
On filings since 2019
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Neil Giuliano
Director
On filings since 2019
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Robyn Arnell Brenden
Director
Director & Treasurer → Director, 2024
On filings since 2019
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Ruben Alvarez
Director
On filings since 2019
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Todd Sanders
Director
On filings since 2019
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
John Graham
Director
Director & Vice Chair → Director & Board Chair, 2022
Director & Board Chair → Director, 2025
On filings since 2020
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Daniel Wani
Director
On filings since 2021
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
David Long
Director & Treasurer
Director → Director & Treasurer, 2023
On filings since 2021
4 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Drena Kusari
Director
On filings since 2021
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Geoffrey Burbridge
Director
On filings since 2021
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Lee Ann Bohn
Director
On filings since 2021
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Lisa Cagnolatti
Director
On filings since 2021
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Matthew Feeney
Director
On filings since 2021
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Monica Villalobos
Director
On filings since 2021
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Tracy Bame
Director
On filings since 2021
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Anthony Sharett
Director
On filings since 2022
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Monica Whiting
Director
On filings since 2022
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Paula Boca-Bommarito
Director
On filings since 2022
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Amanda Muir
Director
On filings since 2023
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Greg Geist
Director
On filings since 2023
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Jeff Barton
Director
On filings since 2023
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Jim Macdonald
Director
On filings since 2023
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Matt Byrnes
Director & Vice Chair
Director → Director & Vice Chair, 2025
On filings since 2023
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Pat Edwards
Director
On filings since 2023
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Ray Schey
Director
On filings since 2023
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Sabrina Freiberg
Director
On filings since 2023
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Adam Reich
Director
On filings since 2024
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Lauren Tobiassen
Director
On filings since 2024
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Paul Fannin
Director
On filings since 2024
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Rebecca Burleigh
Director
On filings since 2024
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Tyler Pfeifer
Director
On filings since 2024
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Angie Bond-Simpson
Director
New on the 2025 filing
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Jen Pokorski
Director
New on the 2025 filing
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Jenny Holsman-Tetreault
Director
New on the 2025 filing
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Kimberley Thompson-Heinl
Director
New on the 2025 filing
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Kyle Steinbuch
Director
New on the 2025 filing
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Tanya Muniz
Chief Finance & Operating Officer
Chief Financial Officer → Chief Finance & Administrator Officer, 2021
Chief Finance & Administrator Officer → Chief Finance & Operating Officer, 2023
On filings since 2019
50 hrs/week
$188K (2019) → $234K (2025)
Colleen Gautam
Senior Vice President, General Counsel & Administrator
General Counsel, Vice President & Administrator → Senior Vice President, General Counsel & Administrator, 2022
On filings since 2021
50 hrs/week
$114K (2021) → $156K (2025)
Laura Kaiser
Chief Corp Relations & Brand Officer
Vice President & Corporate Relations → Chief Corp Relations & Brand Officer, 2022
On filings since 2021
50 hrs/week
$120K (2021) → $184K (2025)
Shelley Griffin
Vice President & Information Technology
On filings since 2022
50 hrs/week
$127K (2022) → $156K (2025)
Melissa Boydston
Senior Vice President, Committee Development & Engagement
On filings since 2023
50 hrs/week
$122K (2023) → $161K (2025)
Christine Sullivan
Controller & CFO
Vice President & Controller → Controller & CFO, 2025
On filings since 2024
50 hrs/week
$130K (2024) → $173K (2025)
Emma V. Garcia-Loera
Chief Committee Development & Engagement Officer
New on the 2025 filing
50 hrs/week
$176K (2025)
Former officers (52)
- Former: Bradley Smith (2019–2024) — Director & Secretary
- Former: Steve Evans (2019–2024) — Director
- Former: Don Smith Jr. (2020–2024) — Director
- Former: Elissa Kelly (2021–2024) — Director
- Former: Lisa Riley (2021–2024) — Director
- Former: Robin Reed (2021–2024) — Director
- Former: Beth Ginzinger (2023–2024) — Director
- Former: Kimberly Thompson Heinl (2023–2024) — Director
- Former: Liz Montano (2023–2024) — Director
- Former: Avein Saaty-Tafoya (2019–2023) — Director
- Former: Kenneth Levine (2019–2023) — Director
- Former: Michael Tully (2019–2023) — Director
- Former: Nina Mullins (2019–2023) — Director
- Former: Vince Roig (2019–2023) — Director
- Former: Jenny Holsman Tetreault (2021–2023) — Director
- Former: Kevin Cooper (2021–2023) — Director
- Former: Patrick Strieck (2021–2023) — Director
- Former: Robert Podlogar (2022–2023) — Chief Committee Development & Engagement Officer
- Former: Jeffrey Meshey (2019–2022) — Director
- Former: Penny Allee Taylor (2019–2022) — Chief Public Policy Officer
- Former: Laura Lo Bianco (2020–2022) — Director
- Former: Maria Harper Marinick PhD (2021–2022) — Director & Vice Chair
- Former: Christopher McCurdy (2019–2021) — Director
- Former: Daniel Froetscher (2019–2021) — Director
- Former: Nancy Dean (2019–2021) — Former Chief Program Officer
- Former: Susan Frank (2019–2021) — Director
- Former: Tamera Skrovan (2019–2021) — Chief Corp Brand & Development Officer
- Former: Edward Zuercher (2020–2021) — Director
- Former: Waring Lester (2021) — Director
- Former: Bernard Narine (2019–2020) — Director
- Former: Emily Mead (2019–2020) — Director
- Former: John Gibson (2019–2020) — Director
- Former: Joy Rich (2019–2020) — Director
- Former: Kathleen Quirk (2019–2020) — Director
- Former: Ken Brooks (2019–2020) — Former Chief Inform. Officer
- Former: Maria Harper-Marinick (2019–2020) — Director
- Former: Merl Waschler (2019–2020) — Former President & CEO
- Former: Eric Caruth (2020) — Former Vice President Corp Fdn Relations
- Former: Gonzalo De La Melena (2020) — Director
- Former: Jennifer Holsman Tetre (2020) — Director & Board Chair
- Former: Brian Spicker (2019) — Outgoing Chief Program Officer
- Former: Derrick Hall (2019) — Director
- Former: Donald Smith Jr. (2019) — Director
- Former: Ed Zuercher (2019) — Director
- Former: Jennifer Holsman Tetreault (2019) — Director & Secretary
- Former: John Bouma (2019) — Director
- Former: Kenneth Cherry (2019) — Director
- Former: Laura Lobianco (2019) — Director
- Former: Mark Schiavoni (2019) — Director & Board Chair
- Former: Mary Alexander (2019) — Director
- Former: Michael Bielecki (2019) — Director
- Former: Phyllis Bruner (2019) — Director
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2019–2025. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.
Compensation Overview
From 2025 IRS filing
The highest reported compensation on the 2025 filing was $354K, to Carla Vargas Jasa (President and CEO). 8 officers or directors reported compensation on that filing.
Frequently asked questions about Valley of the Sun United Way
How much does Valley of the Sun United Way give each year?
Valley of the Sun United Way gave $62.9M across 98 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990. In 2024 it gave $105.4M across 126 grants.
What is Valley of the Sun United Way's typical grant size?
Valley of the Sun United Way's median grant in 2025 was $70,472, and its average grant was $641,494, across 98 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990. Organizations receiving their first grant from Valley of the Sun United Way that year got $2.9M on average.
Where does Valley of the Sun United Way give grants?
Valley of the Sun United Way gives mostly in Arizona: 100% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990 went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Phoenix, AZ (61 grants), Tempe, AZ (8 grants), Mesa, AZ (6 grants) and Scottsdale, AZ (5 grants).
Does Valley of the Sun United Way give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 98 grants with a stated purpose on Valley of the Sun United Way's 2025 IRS Form 990 were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Program Support" (98 grants).
Who are Valley of the Sun United Way's largest grantees?
Valley of the Sun United Way's largest 2025 grantees include First Things First Quality First Scholarships to Providers ($45,070,430), Direct Designations to Various Agencies ($5,026,755) and Other Community Initiatives - Various Partners ($3,384,242), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990. Together they received 85% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Valley of the Sun United Way?
Valley of the Sun United Way reported $100.4M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990. Its revenue that year was $73.5M.
What does Valley of the Sun United Way fund?
The organization’s stated mission is to improve lives by mobilizing community, corporate, and nonprofit partners to reach bold goals for Maricopa County in health, housing and homelessness, education, and workforce development. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Valley of the Sun United Way?
Nonprofit organizations and schools serving Maricopa County residents with innovative solutions aligned with the organization’s focus areas can apply to be considered for funding. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Valley of the Sun United Way's EIN?
Valley of the Sun United Way's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 86-0104419. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Data last updated September 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990 filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
Data update history
(7)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS April 8, 2025)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS March 25, 2026)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS March 10, 2020)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS January 27, 2021)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS March 28, 2022)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS April 6, 2023)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS March 29, 2024)
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in Valley of the Sun United Way's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Valley of the Sun United Way funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 10, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/valley-of-the-sun-united-way-morg_ab785adebfaf4ae9b0566800d2c99919
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_860104419_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Valley of the Sun United Way funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/valley-of-the-sun-united-way-morg_ab785adebfaf4ae9b0566800d2c99919},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-10. Data licensed CC BY 4.0}
}The figures on this page are open data under CC BY 4.0: reuse them with credit to Grantable and a link. Download the data.
Figures come from Valley of the Sun United Way's IRS filings (methodology). AI-written summaries, news items and logos are not covered by the open licence. Spot an error? Email hello@grantable.co.
Valley of the Sun United Way down — hundreds of funders to go?