Arizona Coyotes Foundation Accepting Grant Applications Through August 1

It's once again time for The Pack to give back.

The Arizona Coyotes Foundation is now accepting applications for the 2023-24 grant cycle, a process it hopes to complete by October 2023. Those who wish to apply can do so until Aug. 1.

Funding for all grants is made possible by contributions from Arizona Coyotes Foundation donors, as well as fundraising events held during the upcoming season. The minimum grant award is $10,000, while the maximum is $30,000, and those amounts will be determined by a panel of stakeholders that make up a grant review committee.

That panel, made up of over 30 individuals, will review all applications and award the grants based upon specific criteria, though the key funding priorities align with the Foundation's three pillars of service: Education, Health and Wellness, and Economic Advancement.

The full list of eligibility requirements can be found here, and those interested in applying for a grant can complete their application here.

"The Arizona Coyotes and the Arizona Coyotes Foundation always strive to lead by example, and our grant cycle is just one of the ways that we're able to have an impact in the lives of others," Coyotes President and CEO Xavier A. Gutierrez said. "We believe in leveraging the power of sports to make a difference, and it is a true honor to partner with our grantees to help promote access to education, health and wellness, and economic advancement for underserved and diverse communities."

Nadia Rivera, the Coyotes' Chief Impact Officer and Executive Director of Foundation & Community Impact, said the Foundation will continue to evolve its grants program, but it went through its bigger overhaul prior to the 2022-23 season with the establishment of its pillars of service.

The Foundation is currently focused on granting larger dollar amounts to fewer organizations, a move that will allow for a greater impact with grantee organizations. That said, there are numerous organizations that can still work with the Coyotes' Community Impact team, even if they are not the recipient of a grant.

"We also have our Community Impact side of the house, and these are dollars that are generously donated by the team -- there's resources, there's in-kind donations, appearances, sponsorship dollars, and volunteering opportunities," Rivera said. "There are many, many ways to still get involved in activating all of our other assets and resources from across the club."

The Arizona Coyotes and Arizona Coyotes Foundation invested over $1.2 million into the Valley community during the 2022-23 season.

The total includes the Arizona Coyotes Foundation awarding grants to over 50 non-profit organizations that support underserved and under-resourced communities and programs throughout Arizona; providing scholarships to the Arizona Kachinas girls hockey program; holding "Raise the Pack" hockey clinics throughout the state; working with Valley schools as part of the Coyotes Reading Program; and numerous event sponsorships and donations.

Alexis Meruelo, the chair of the Arizona Coyotes Foundation Board of Directors, said she encourages all nonprofits that support the Foundation's primary pillars to apply.

"It is an exciting time because our team gets to learn about all the amazing things these programs in Arizona are doing, and we look forward to reviewing and reading about the work that's being done," she said. "We're excited to support those organizations this year, and we hope to continue to keep granting bigger and better every year."

Considering the impact the Foundation had in the community just one year ago, it is certainly heading in that direction.

"We are really proud of the family of the work we were able to accomplish through our grant program, and the fact that we are able to touch so many lives all across The Valley means the world," Meruelo said. "It's something we don't take lightly, and we don't take for granted.

"The fact that every year we can just continue to be better and grow is something we're very proud of."