The Town of Cave Creek announced the recipients of the annual Community Grants program at the Town Council meeting held on Jan. 7. The Community Grants offers $40,000 in financial grants, with a maximum request of up to $10,000, to non-profit 501 c (3) organizations within the Cave Creek and Desert Foothills boundaries. These grants are crucial in safeguarding the community’s health, safety, welfare, history, and culture, making a significant difference in the collective well-being.
“I want to compliment the volunteers who are the glue that hold a lot of our community together,” said Mayor Robert Morris. “Volunteerism is really alive in our town.”
The applications were reviewed by a five-member Community Grants Committee comprised of a current Cave Creek Town Council member, two residents, one business leader, and one senior Cave Creek town staff member. The review committee’s recommendations for funding were forwarded to the Cave Creek Town Council for final approval.
“I’m very proud of this program,” said Vice Mayor Kathryn Royer. “Thank you to the Council for supporting this project. It obviously serves a lot of people in our community, and I think it’s a very wise use of our resources.”
The Community Grants funds are provided to local, non-profit organizations dedicated to preserving, protecting, educating, and enhancing the community through various programs. To be eligible for the Community Grant, the organizations must have met the following criteria:
Applicants must be 501 c (3) tax-exempt organizations.
The program should clearly define its need and impact on the community and how it enhances or improves the health, safety, welfare, culture, or goals of Cave Creek, its General Plan, and its Strategic Plan.
The program must have measurable goals and objectives and a realistic method of achieving those goals.
The program must have been in existence for at least one year.
The applicant must have sources of financial support other than the Town of Cave Creek to demonstrate the ability to financially sustain itself beyond the year Cave Creek provides a grant.
Grants are intended to fund the program identified in the application, and
Grant funds are not made to individuals, families, political parties, fraternal, labor, religious, political action committees, candidates, lobbyists, military, professional associations, or any other program that does not meet the IRS definition of a charitable purpose.
Thirteen organizations submitted applications and were awarded the 2024 Community Grants.
- Cave Creek Unified Education Foundation $5,000
Funding will support the annual “Grant the District” campaign for 2025. Every summer, teachers and administrators apply for a grant from the Foundation. In 2024, the Foundation fulfilled 42 grants totaling nearly $75,000. The grants support technology, music and the arts, international learning, and health and wellness. Teachers and staff identify classroom needs such as music supplies or support materials for world language instruction. Grants provided in 2024 impacted 1,260 students. Every dollar contributed to the Foundation goes back into the classroom. - Desert Foothills Land Trust $5,000
The Desert Foothills Land Trust connects people to nature by working with communities and
partners to conserve and steward sensitive lands and species for the survival of the Sonoran Desert. Funding will support the Desert Discovery Day at its Jewel of the Creek Preserve in Cave Creek. On this day, families and friends from throughout the Valley and local communities are welcomed for a free day of outdoor experiences and hands-on learning. Participants can actively explore the geology and history of the area and meet many of the Sonoran Desert’s residents, including reptiles, mammals, and raptors. For the 2025 event, we would like to grow our reach and share the information with 122 schools. Funds will also be used to purchase food, water, supplies, participant giveaways, and educational materials. - Foothills Caring Corps (FCC) $5,000
FCC’s mission is to promote independence and enhance the quality of life of our neighbors, with particular emphasis on allowing them to remain living in their own homes. FCC accomplishes its goals by using a force of dedicated volunteers and staff who provide free-of-charge transportation services, in-home services, and other support to provide access to activities promoting physical, mental, and emotional health and well-being. Funding will be used to pay for its Town of Cave Creek transportation program to help pay for fuel and vehicle maintenance to support transportation-related neighborhood services. - Foothills Food Bank $5,000
The Foothills Food Bank & Resource Center provides boxed grocery rescue foods, wholesale-purchased staples, and rescued and purchased fresh foods in a market setting. It is the only gold-star certified nutritional pantry in the state of Arizona and offers referrals, resources, financial assistance, and training courses in self-care, financial literacy, and wellness. The fastest-growing demographic is the senior population. Funding will be used for the Senior Programs to offset the rising costs of purchasing additional nutritious food items to meet the increase in demand. - Sonoran Arts League $5,000
The Sonoran Arts League’s Mission is “to give to our community by promoting art, artists, and art education through leadership and service in the belief that an artistic awareness is essential to the well-being of life and our community.” The League began in 1974 as an informal gathering of local artists who put on small art shows in the Cave Creek town core. It has now grown to more than 500 members with a League gallery and a League studio, and it hosts an annual Hidden in the Hills event showcasing individual artists in its studios. Funding will be used to print and post a tri-fold brochure and map highlighting the locations of Hidden in the Hills studios during the two-weekend event in November of every year. - Cave Creek Museum $3,500
Funding will be used to preserve and safeguard the physical artifacts, oral traditions, and life stories of the families of the Cave Creek Mining District and the surrounding Desert Foothills. Funding may also be used for educational programs to build bridges between individuals, the land, and its cultural heritage. The Museum is the sole caretaker of the archeological footprints of prehistoric Native American peoples, post-Civil War American military campaigns, miners, ranchers, and tubercular patients. It is the home to Arizona’s only fully operational, ten-stamp, ore-crushing mill. Funding will be used to support its educational outreach programs. - Desert Foothills Library Association $3,000
The Desert Foothills Library turns 70 this year. Its beginnings were part of a movement by a single person to provide access to information to as many people interested in literature and literacy as possible. Desert Foothills is Arizona’s only non-profit independent library, promoting literacy and advancing knowledge through library resources and programs that inspire and support lifelong learning. Funding will be used to support its new project, the Listen Technologies hearing loop system, to better meet the needs of individuals with disabilities, particularly those who are hard of hearing. - Foothills Community Foundation at the Holland Center $3,000
The Holland Center supports various community enrichment services and programs, including the Desert Foothills Theatre, Desert Awareness Committee, Desert Foothills Leadership, Lifelong Learning, Creative Kids, and the Holland Gallery of Fine Art. Supporting continuing education for youth and adults alike, the Holland Center is committed to enhancing the quality of life in our community. Funding will be used towards the 3rd Annual Navajo Rug and Jewelry Show in partnership with the Adopt-A Native-Elder (ANE) Program. This event offers a unique opportunity for the community to engage with and learn about Navajo culture while directly supporting the livelihood of Native artisans. - Cave Creek Dark Sky $1,500
Cave Creek Dark Sky was established in 2019 to bring dark sky quality of life benefits to Cave Creek. Since its inception, the organization has been working diligently to educate and inform the community about contemporary dark sky lighting standards for preserving the night sky. Funding will be used to host a variety of educational presentations, including public star gazing events, and the distribution of dark sky educational materials to the greater community and schools. - Jubilate Conservatory of Music $1,000
The Jubilate Conservatory of Music was established in 2019 to provide musical instruction to young children and adults, focusing on communication. Students learn to read music, listen to music, and encourage each other. Tuition-free music classes are hosted at the Desert Foothills Library each Saturday during the school year. Funding would be used to assist in covering the 2025 Saturday classes. - Purse Impressions $1,000
Purse Impressions started in 2019 and, since then, has distributed 6,000 purses and backpacks to individuals in rehab. Additionally, over 800 back-to-school backpacks, diaper bags, and toys have been donated to 400 children living in sober recovery houses with their moms. Funding would be used to support its signature program, donating “Fresh Start” purses, backpacks, and totes filled with hygiene products, makeup, and other essentials to women and individuals leaving rehabilitation centers. - The Godspeed Project $1,000
The Godspeed Project was founded in 2023 to provide a safe, compassionate haven for grieving families seeking nature-based, trauma-informed grief support. Funds will be used towards grief support programs. The program’s offerings are based on its M.E.N.D. Program, which incorporates Mindfulness, Equines, Nature, and Discovery. The program utilizes rescued horses as companions to children and families and other modalities deployed in a trauma-informed manner. Families learn coping skills, gain confidence, reduce stress, and rebuild after loss. - Upscale Singers $1,000
Upscale Singers was founded in 2005 as a Community choir of men, women, and children. The group has a dual mission: to have fun while making great music and to pass on that joy and musical wisdom to the next generation. Funds would be used to assist with paying for venue rental and costume rental for spring and holiday performances benefiting Cave Creek students, choir directors, and voice teachers.
