Free funder guide · Arizona · Last checked 27 September 2026
Which Arizona environmental funders actually accept applications
Most private foundations in Arizona have already told the IRS they won't read your proposal. This page explains how to spot them, and lists 11 secular funders of environmental and conservation work in Arizona that do take applications, with what they fund, what they have given, and when they next open.
Arizona is thin on open private money for secular conservation work: most of the Arizona foundations that take applications and made environmental grants are left off because their latest filings include grants to churches or religious charities. Only 11 funders pass, so the list leans on state and national public programs, one community foundation, and two out-of-state foundations active in Arizona.
From my own read of IRS filings, September 2026
In Arizona, 358 of the 463 private foundations with $1 million or more in assets that I could check tick the box on their tax return saying they don't accept unsolicited requests. That is 77%.
That leaves 105 larger Arizona foundations that say they will read an application. It is a higher share of closed doors than in Virginia (71%, 586 of 820) and Maryland (76%, 559 of 739), counted the same way.
How I counted: every private non-operating foundation with an Arizona address on the IRS Exempt Organizations Master File (September 2026 release) reporting assets of $1 million or more, checked against its most recent e-filed Form 990-PF (tax years 2023 to 2026, almost all 2024 or 2025). There are 465; 2 had no e-filed return I could find, so they are left out of the count. Operating foundations, which mostly run their own programs, are left out, as they were for Virginia and Maryland. Counting them too gives 77% (388 of 504).
What the checkbox means
One small box on the tax return tells you whether to bother.
Every private foundation files Form 990-PF with the IRS each year. Part XIV, line 2 of that return has a checkbox. A foundation that ticks it is telling the IRS, in writing, that it chooses its grantees itself. A proposal sent to it is usually wasted work.
"Check here if the foundation only makes contributions to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds."Form 990-PF, Part XIV, line 2
A foundation that leaves the box empty has to fill in lines 2a to 2d instead: who receives applications, what form they should take, any deadlines, and any limits on who or what it funds. For many small family foundations, those four lines are the only published guidelines they have.
The box does not tell you whether a foundation funds your kind of work. For that, read line 3a, the list of grants it actually paid. Check both before you write a letter of inquiry. Any foundation's return can be read free on ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer.
11 funders
Open to applications, and funding environmental work in Arizona.
Every funder below is secular, says it accepts applications (on its website or its tax return), and has paid grants to environmental or conservation groups in its most recent filing. Government programs are the exception: they file no tax return. Community foundations are listed by the program that fits environmental groups. Grant examples come from each funder's latest IRS filing unless the funder's own site is named.
Verified date on the funder's own site on 27 Sept 2026Expected based on last cycle; next not yet postedRolling applications any timeFiling only no website; from the tax return, confirm firstCheck site next date not posted; open their page
Statewide and regional public grantmakers
01
Arizona Water Protection Fund
Phoenix · statewide
A competitive state program for projects that "maintain, enhance and restore rivers, streams and riparian habitat", in three categories: on-the-ground capital projects, research, and water conservation outside the Active Management Areas. Any organization in Arizona may apply, nonprofits included; federal agencies cannot receive funds directly.
Typical grant
No cap or total published in the manual. No match required, though matched projects "typically receive higher consideration"; administrative costs are limited to 5% of the request. Fiscal 2026 awards: Grand Canyon Wildlands Council (Wild Arizona) $228,044 for riparian restoration on the Colorado River, Aravaipa Watershed Conservation Alliance $43,541 (its site).
Next deadline
Fiscal 2027 applications closed August 14, 2026; selections are due November 17, 2026. The next cycle should open about May 2027 with applications due about mid-August 2027 Expected.
How to apply
Online through the eCivis (Euna Grants) portal, using the templates in that year's Grant Application Manual. The fund runs an application workshop each June.
Arizona Game and Fish Department: Heritage Partnership Program
Phoenix · statewide
Lottery-funded Heritage grants for projects with a conservation benefit, in three categories: sensitive habitat and biodiversity work (called IIAPM), urban wildlife habitat, and public access for recreation. Open to 501(c)(3) nonprofits, government agencies and tribes.
Typical grant
Annual budgets rather than per-project caps: $200,000 a year for habitat and biodiversity, $130,000 for urban wildlife, $50,000 for public access (its site). Funds cannot pay personnel, salaries, overhead or in-kind costs, so it suits equipment, materials and contracted work.
Next deadline
Concept proposals are accepted at any time, subject to funding Rolling. Projects generally run within one state fiscal year (July 1 to June 30).
How to apply
Submit the Heritage Partnership Program concept proposal application (a PDF form on the program page); the department then asks promising projects for more.
Arizona State Parks and Trails: Recreational Trails Program
Phoenix · statewide
Federal trail money passed through the state for building and maintaining motorized and non-motorized trails and trailheads, and for trail-related safety and environmental education programs. Nonprofits are eligible. The same office runs the Heritage Fund trail and environmental education grants, but it received no Heritage money for fiscal 2027.
Typical grant
$1,820,000 available this cycle, with a 5.7% match (its site and fiscal 2027 handout). No per-project range published.
Next deadline
No deadline is posted; the office says opportunities open through the year and announces them to applicants registered in its WebGrants system Check site. A grant-writing workshop runs October 6, 2026.
How to apply
Register in WebGrants (azparkgrants.com) to get notices, then apply there; staff answer questions at [email protected].
National Fish and Wildlife Foundation: Five Star Grant Program
Washington, DC · Phoenix (the program's Arizona priority area)
Community restoration with hands-on outreach and education, such as urban tree canopy, wetland and riparian habitat, and pollinator and bird habitat. Each project needs five or more partners.
Typical grant
$30,000 to $150,000, with a 1:0.75 non-federal match to be competitive (2026 request for proposals). Arizona nonprofit grants in its filing for the year to September 2025, which does not name the programs: Borderlands Restoration Network $566,864 (milkweed for monarchs), Gila Watershed Partnership of Arizona $96,581 (Gila River habitat), Friends of Verde River Greenway $43,932 (volunteer water-quality monitoring).
Next deadline
About June 2027 Expected. The 2026 round closed June 4, 2026; the 2027 request for proposals is not posted yet.
National Fish and Wildlife Foundation: Western Big Game Seasonal Habitat and Migration Corridors Fund
Washington, DC · state-identified big-game focal areas in Arizona and ten other western states
Restoring winter range, stopover areas and migration corridors for elk, deer and pronghorn: removing encroaching trees, treating invasive plants, wildlife-friendly fencing and conservation easements. Nonprofits can apply for the main track (Option A); a second track is for states and tribes only.
Typical grant
The most competitive grants are at least $100,000, with a 1:1 non-federal match (2026 request for proposals). Its 2026 slate includes Habitat Forever $297,700 to remove juniper across 1,439 acres of the Prescott National Forest for pronghorn. Its filing for the year to September 2025 shows Arizona Elk Society $100,000 (grassland restoration for deer, elk and pronghorn).
Next deadline
About April 2027 Expected. The 2026 round closed April 21, 2026; the 2027 request for proposals is not posted yet.
How to apply
Full proposal in NFWF's Easygrants system; the fund offers an applicant tip sheet and a contact for match problems.
National Forest Foundation: Matching Awards Program
Missoula, MT · projects on Arizona's national forests and grasslands
The foundation's main competitive program for community engagement and stewardship work on national forest land, such as volunteer restoration, trail and watershed stewardship, and youth crews. Open to nonprofits, tribes and universities.
Typical grant
Range not stated on the page; grants are federal pass-through money with a match (see its request for proposals). Arizona grants in its filing for the year to September 2025, which does not name the program: Friends of Verde River Greenway $152,379, Arizona Elk Society $150,000, Borderlands Restoration Network $30,000.
Next deadline
Two rounds a year. The latest (Round 2 of 2026) ran May 27 to July 9, 2026; the next round is not posted yet Check site.
How to apply
Follow the request for proposals posted for each round on the program page.
Community Foundation for Southern Arizona: CORE Grants
Tucson · Southern Arizona
Unrestricted operating grants for Southern Arizona nonprofits, meant for salaries, technology, infrastructure and fundraising capacity. Environmental groups have won them: 2026 recipients include Watershed Management Group, Native Seeds/SEARCH and Groundworks Tucson.
Typical grant
Not published. Environmental grants in its filing for the year to June 2025 include Arizona Land and Water Trust $108,000, Tucson Audubon Society (Tucson Bird Alliance) $97,895, Friends of Cave Creek Canyon $30,000 and Sky Island Alliance $29,500 (the filing does not separate CORE grants from donor-advised gifts).
Next deadline
The 2027 dates, criteria and instructions are listed as "Coming soon" Check site.
How to apply
Create an account in the foundation's grant portal, then apply when the cycle opens.
San Francisco, CA · the interior West, including Arizona
About 70% of its giving protects public lands, waters and wildlife in the Rocky Mountain states, the Colorado Plateau and Alaska, mostly through smaller groups that use research, policy work, advocacy and litigation. It warns that it has a very limited budget for new applicants and does not usually fund land or easement purchases, trail building or tree planting.
Typical grant
Its 2024 filing shows 92 grants totaling $1,975,000. Arizona grants: Center for Biological Diversity $35,000 and $30,000, Wild Arizona $15,000.
Next deadline
Twice a year, by March 1 and September 1 (its standing schedule) Verified. Next: March 1, 2027.
How to apply
Application form, a narrative of four pages or less (the site says five in one place), board list, budgets, tax exemption letter and latest annual report or audit, by email.
Funds two things: guide and assistance dogs, and conservation of wildlife and habitat. It prefers direct conservation and science-based projects, gives priority to threatened and endangered species, does not fund groups whose main work is advocacy or litigation, and gives ongoing operating costs lower priority.
Typical grant
Its 2025 filing shows 31 grants totaling $1,486,807, most for nature conservation. Arizona grants: Arizona Center for Nature $350,714, Grand Canyon Conservancy $50,000, Desert Botanical Garden $22,364.
Next deadline
The 2026 cycle closed July 1, 2026 (portal opened April 1; first-time or lapsed applicants had to send an initial inquiry by June 1). The 2027 cycle should follow the same pattern Expected.
How to apply
Online only, through its SmApply portal. Groups not funded in the past three years start with an initial inquiry, which takes up to two weeks to review.
No website; everything here comes from its 2025 tax filing. A small family foundation whose grants go mostly to Arizona conservation and nature groups, plus a few arts and children's charities.
Typical grant
Eight grants totaling $70,000 in 2025. Examples: The Nature Conservancy (Tucson) $20,000, Desert Botanical Garden $15,000, Grand Canyon Conservancy $7,500, Munds Park Trail Stewards $5,000, Tucson Audubon Society $5,000.
Next deadline
September 30 each year, per the filing Filing only.
How to apply
A request on the organization's letterhead, with its website, any brochures describing its purpose, the number of people served and the area served, to Dye Family Foundation, 4848 E Cactus Road Suite 505-818, Scottsdale, AZ 85254.
No website; everything here comes from its tax filing for the year to June 2025. A very small Flagstaff funder whose grants include outdoor and environmental education for young people. Its filing lists only five grants, all described as board-designated, so an unsolicited request is a long shot.
Typical grant
Five grants totaling $89,325. Examples: Grand Canyon Youth $32,600, Tynkertopia $30,000, Friends of Camp Colton $9,798.
Next deadline
January, per the filing Filing only.
How to apply
A letter by mail, fax or email describing the project, its costs, the amount requested and the organization, with its IRS exemption letter, to Scott Pettitt, 1374 W Lil Ben Trail, Flagstaff, AZ 86005 ([email protected]).
It is not exhaustive and it is not a ranking. Deadlines and guidelines change, so open each funder's own page before you start. Grants are competitive, and past grant sizes describe what a funder gave, not what it will give you. I list secular funders only.
The full version
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Email me your organization's name, rough budget and what you'd like funded. You'll get a written reply within two business days.
You fill in a short intake questionnaire, then answer one round of written follow-up questions.
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