Top Charities in Arizona (2026)

St. Mary's Food Bank is the world's first food bank, founded in Phoenix in 1967 by John van Hengel — who also co-founded what became Feeding America. St. Mary's serves 13 of Arizona's 15 counties across 76,000 square miles, distributing enough food for more than 250,000 meals every single day. That scale required decades of infrastructure: 650+ partner agencies, direct food pantries in Phoenix, Surprise, and Chinle (on the Navajo Nation), mobile pantries, a home delivery program for homebound residents, and a Skills Center offering culinary and warehouse training to adults with barriers to employment.

Nearly 2 million Arizonans face food insecurity — roughly 1 in 8 statewide, 1 in 6 children. The challenge in Arizona is partly one of wages: 30% of the state's population is considered working poor, earning wages that barely cover housing in a market where rents and home prices have risen sharply, leaving little for groceries. St. Mary's ASU data partnership produced a GIS dashboard that maps food insecurity across Arizona, with particular attention to the Navajo Nation where food access is severely constrained. Tribal food boxes sourced from Indigenous producers are a specific program addressing Navajo community needs. St. Mary's also distributes over 1 million water bottles each summer — Arizona heat creates its own access emergency. $1 donated provides 5 meals. Volunteers work at Phoenix (2831 N. 31st Ave) and Surprise locations Monday through Friday.

United Food Bank covers the East Valley — Mesa, Chandler, Gilbert, Tempe, Scottsdale, and Pinal County — from its Mesa headquarters, operating as one of the five Arizona Food Bank Network regional food banks that together serve all 15 Arizona counties. The East Valley's rapid population growth has created a distinctive food insecurity profile: newer communities with many households one job loss or medical bill away from food assistance, alongside established communities with persistent poverty and high proportions of seniors on fixed incomes.

United Food Bank distributes through partner agencies across the East Valley and runs direct-service programs including senior food boxes, mobile pantry distributions, and school pantry programs. Their food rescue program works with East Valley grocery retailers and food producers to recover surplus. Volunteers sort and pack food at the Mesa facility throughout the week. For donors in the East Valley who want their support to reach their specific communities, United Food Bank is the most direct choice.

The Arizona Humane Society is the largest humane society in Arizona, operating in the Phoenix metro with two campuses — one in north Phoenix and one in central Phoenix. AHS handles animal emergency response for Maricopa County, taking in injured and sick animals that other shelters can't treat, alongside adoption, spay/neuter, cruelty investigations, and community programs. Arizona's hot climate creates year-round animal emergencies: heat-related illness, dehydration, and animals abandoned in cars are persistent concerns. The animal cruelty investigations unit responds to abuse and neglect cases across Maricopa County.

AHS runs a significant community pet resource program — recognizing that pet owners facing poverty often need support keeping their animals rather than surrendering them, AHS provides emergency pet food, low-cost veterinary care, and housing assistance for pet owners in crisis. Volunteer roles include animal care, dog walking, cat socialization, foster care, and adoption events. Arizona also has the Humane Society of Southern Arizona (Tucson) and numerous county shelter operations statewide.

Habitat for Humanity Central Arizona builds affordable homes in Maricopa County during one of the worst housing affordability crises in Arizona's history. Phoenix metro housing costs roughly tripled between 2018 and 2024 — median home prices crossed $400,000 in many submarkets, and even new construction in outer suburbs runs well above what households earning median Arizona wages can qualify for. Habitat's sweat equity model and below-market mortgages remain one of the few pathways to homeownership for families earning 30–80% of area median income in the Valley.

Habitat Arizona has affiliates in Tucson (Habitat for Humanity Tucson), Flagstaff, Yuma, and other communities. The Phoenix affiliate is the most active by volume. ReStore locations in the Phoenix metro accept furniture, appliances, and building materials — both as donation drop-offs and retail resale. Build days run throughout the year and are open to first-timers. Arizona's major employers — Intel, TSMC, Amazon, Boeing — provide significant corporate volunteer groups.

The Arizona Community Foundation is the state's largest community foundation, managing donor-advised funds, endowments, scholarships, and grants for Arizona nonprofits statewide. ACF has regional offices across Arizona — Flagstaff, Tucson, Yuma, and other communities — allowing donors to target giving to specific parts of the state. Their scholarship programs support Arizona students, and their grantmaking spans education, human services, arts, environment, and community development.

For donors with ties to specific Arizona communities or wanting to give to Arizona causes without picking a single organization, ACF is the most practical vehicle. Their database lists vetted Arizona nonprofits across all cause areas. ACF also manages disaster relief funds that activate after Arizona wildfire and flooding events — the Maricopa County area regularly experiences severe weather and flooding from monsoon season, and ACF maintains established giving channels for disaster response.

United Way of Greater Phoenix distributes grants to nonprofits across Maricopa County and manages workplace giving campaigns for major Phoenix metro employers — Banner Health, Intel, USAA, American Express, and state government. They operate 2-1-1 Arizona, connecting residents to food, housing, utility, and health resources statewide. Arizona's unique Qualifying Charitable Organization (QCO) tax credit makes United Way donations particularly tax-efficient: Arizona taxpayers can take a direct credit of up to $938 per couple for qualifying charitable donations, separate from itemized deductions. United Way of Greater Phoenix qualifies.

United Way of Tucson and Southern Arizona covers the southern part of the state. Multiple smaller chapters serve other Arizona cities. Their annual campaign is the largest workplace giving program in Arizona. The 2-1-1 helpline — accessible by phone or at 211arizona.org — is the fastest way for any Arizona resident to find food, shelter, or emergency assistance regardless of their situation.

The Red Cross Arizona Region responds to home fires, wildfires, monsoon flooding, extreme heat emergencies, and other disasters statewide. Arizona has a complex disaster profile: wildfires in the forests and grasslands surrounding Phoenix and Tucson; flash flooding from monsoon storms that can transform dry washes into deadly rivers in minutes; and extreme heat events that kill dozens of Arizona residents each summer, particularly in Phoenix. Blood collection runs at donor centers across the state; Banner Health, Dignity Health, and other Arizona hospital systems depend heavily on this supply.

Summer heat in Arizona is a humanitarian emergency by any measure — the Maricopa County heat-related death count regularly exceeds 600 per year. The Red Cross responds with shelter activation and cooling center coordination during extreme heat events. Disaster response volunteers complete several weeks of training. If you were displaced by a wildfire, flood, or other disaster in Arizona, call 1-800-RED-CROSS. Blood donation appointments are available within days at most Arizona chapters.

Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Tucson covers southern Arizona with programs including refugee resettlement, immigration legal services, border assistance, emergency food and housing, and counseling. Arizona's southern border with Mexico makes Tucson-area Catholic Charities operations distinct from those in most other states: they provide services at the Tucson border crossing for asylum seekers and migrants, coordinate with the Kino Border Initiative, and manage refugee resettlement for people arriving through legal immigration channels. Arizona's large Hispanic community and border location create demand for immigration legal services that exceeds what most nonprofit legal organizations can fill.

Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Phoenix covers the central and northern part of the state separately. Together they provide comprehensive statewide human services. Volunteers assist with food assistance, resettlement support, English tutoring, and administrative roles. Services are available to people of all faiths. Arizona's Catholic Charities organizations have strong track records with Charity Navigator.

The Salvation Army operates across Arizona — Phoenix, Tucson, Mesa, Flagstaff, Yuma, and other communities. Programs include emergency food, rent and utility assistance, overnight shelter, after-school programs, and during summer heat emergencies, cooling center activation. Phoenix has a severe homeless population, and the Salvation Army's downtown Phoenix campus is one of the most active emergency shelter operations in the state. Arizona summer heat makes shelter access genuinely life-or-death: people experiencing homelessness who can't find air conditioning during Phoenix heat emergencies face real mortality risk. The Salvation Army's cooling center programs have kept people alive during extreme heat events.

Red Kettle campaign runs November through Christmas. Thrift stores accept goods year-round. Emergency assistance is available at local corps statewide — call before visiting to confirm current program availability at your nearest location.

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Arizona matches children facing adversity with adult volunteer mentors across the Phoenix metro and other Arizona cities. Arizona has significant child poverty — particularly in South Phoenix, West Phoenix, and rural communities like Yuma and Nogales — and educational outcome gaps between low-income communities and the state's more affluent suburbs are pronounced. BBBS research shows matched youth graduate at higher rates, avoid the justice system more often, and find stable employment more readily than comparable youth without mentors.

Community-based mentoring requires meeting 2–4 times per month for at least a year. School-based mentoring runs weekly during school hours. Arizona's year-round outdoor culture — hiking, biking, sports — creates natural mentoring activities. BBBS Tucson covers southern Arizona separately. Demand for mentors across Arizona consistently exceeds available volunteers.