About Thunderbirds
The Thunderbirds direct the bulk of their funding to Phoenix-area community service and youth development, with a strong, golf-centered philanthropy run through their own Thunderbirds entities. They routinely fund junior golf programs, school- and youth-focused recreation organizations, local health and basic needs providers, and a small set of environmental/recycling initiatives, typically through repeat grants to Arizona-based groups. Their giving emphasizes local impact, sports-based youth development, and community safety-net services.
Focus Areas
Golf-related youth development and growth of the game (Thunderbirds Foundation, Junior Golf Association of AZ, American Junior Golf Foundation)Phoenix/Arizona community service intermediaries and donor-advised/umbrella funds (Thunderbirds Charities, Arizona Community Foundation)Youth recreation and inclusive sports programs (First Tee of Phoenix, Special Olympics AZ, Recreation and Athletics for the Disabled)Local health and basic needs providers (Banner Health Foundation, St. Mary's Food Bank)Local environmental and recycling initiatives with water/land conservation ties (Change the Course, AZ Recycling Coalition)
Who They Fund
About Thunderbirds
The Thunderbirds’ giving is anchored by a very large community-service stream to Thunderbirds Charities, with a $9,664,187 grant in 2025 following $6,523,871 in 2024 and $5,270,149 in 2023. That pattern places the foundation’s philanthropy firmly in Phoenix-area civic support, while also showing a second, consistent lane in golf-centered youth development and growth of the game. Across recent grants, the foundation has supported Arizona groups that connect children and adolescents to sports participation, recreation, and structured community programs. Several recipients recur across years, which makes the grantmaking easier to read as an ongoing set of relationships rather than one-off awards. Phoenix-based Thunderbirds Foundation received repeated support for growth-of-game work, and First Tee of Phoenix appears in both youth development and growth-of-game grants. The foundation also funded Sun Angel Foundation in Tempe for youth development, along with Arizona Community Foundation for community service. Health and basic-needs organizations appear alongside the sports funding, but the overall shape is still local and relationship-driven, with most grants staying within Arizona. The result is a profile centered on community service intermediaries, junior golf, and youth-serving organizations in the Phoenix area.
What Thunderbirds Funds
A major theme is golf-related youth development. The Thunderbirds gave $528,000 in 2025 to Thunderbirds Foundation for growth of game, after $493,000 in 2024 and $470,000 in 2023, and they also supported Junior Golf Association of Arizona Inc with $200,000 in 2025. Youth recreation is another clear lane. First Tee of Phoenix received $300,000 in 2025 for youth development, while Sun Angel Foundation in Tempe received $525,000 in 2025 and $500,000 in 2023 for youth development. The foundation also backs community service intermediaries. Arizona Community Foundation received $240,000 in 2025 and $452,000 in 2024 for community service, and West Valley Mavericks Foundation in Litchfield Park received $58,000 in 2025 for community service. Environmental work appears in a smaller stream, including Change the Course Bef in Portland, Oregon, with grants of $113,334 in 2024 and 2025.
How Thunderbirds Gives
Typical grants cluster around a modest mid-five-figure level: the p25 is $10,276, the median is $21,796, and the p75 is $43,750. The distribution is shaped by a few very large community-service grants and a much larger number of smaller awards. The pattern also shows repeat giving. Thunderbirds Charities, Thunderbirds Foundation, Arizona Community Foundation, Sun Angel Foundation, First Tee of Phoenix, Junior Golf Assn of AZ, Banner Health Foundation, and Change the Course Bef all appear in multiple years. The foundation does not fund individuals and does not make program-related investments. Its grantmaking is local, with most awards staying in Arizona.
Financial Snapshot
Annual Giving
$12.5M
Total Assets
$66.6M
Total Revenue
$117.2M
Total Expenses
$102.9M
Typical Grant Size
Most grants fall between $10K and $44K, with a median of $22K.
25th Percentile
$10K
Median
$22K
75th Percentile
$44K
Geographic Reach
Local14 states funded
About 82% of grants go to recipients in AZ.
Funding intensity
LowHigh
Headquarters
Leadership
PATRICK D WILLIAMS
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