Impact Story: Turning Ideas into Immediate Support
Thought partners from across the state recently came together for a Design Lab led by Prevent Child Abuse Arizona. The goal was simple: brainstorm bold, practical ideas to better meet families’ needs. Then, remove barriers that keep good ideas stuck on the whiteboard.
After the session, we invited Design Lab participants to apply for one-time funding to make their bold ideas happen. With flexible support leveraged from our Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA) grant funds and a generous gift from Chick-fil-A, we awarded seed funding to solutions that were hyperlocal and community-driven; ready to launch quickly; and built to support families with concrete, direct needs.
Grants were awarded to:
- Family Involvement Center (FIC)
- Children’s Action Alliance (CAA)
- Glendale Elementary School District (GESD), System of Care Center
- Intermountain Centers for Human Development
Grantees will track how many families receive immediate assistance through these projects. But numbers are only part of the story. The deeper impact is what happens when families receive tangible support early: stress decreases, stability increases, connection grows, and crises are prevented. By trusting our partners to pilot the implementation of their creative ideas, we can move more nimbly to meet the emerging needs of families.
What the Grantees Are Making Possible
Family Involvement Center: PlayStrong Arizona
PlayStrong Arizona expands access to youth sports as an upstream prevention strategy that strengthens protective factors, supports children’s physical and mental health, and helps build safer, more connected communities.
The pilot aims to provide 100 sports registration scholarships to remove financial barriers that keep kids on the sidelines. PlayStrong will launch in Maricopa, Pima, and Pinal counties.
“Families want their kids involved in something positive and structured, but the cost of sports registration and equipment is a real barrier,” said Lindsey Shine with FIC. “Kids are stuck on the sidelines, not because they don’t want to play or lack talent, but because families are already stretched thin and can’t absorb one more expense. PlayStrong Arizona is here to remove that barrier and help more children get moving and connected. This pilot project has reminded me that prevention doesn’t always have to be complicated. Sometimes it starts with making one opportunity possible.”
Children’s Action Alliance: Cities for Kiddies
Cities for Kiddies approaches prevention through local policy and partnership. This new municipal coalition will bring cities and towns across Arizona together to strengthen community support systems for families by improving timely access to services and preventing crises through coordination among municipal leaders, family resource partners, early childhood stakeholders, and community representatives.
“I’m most excited to launch an early childhood and family support model built in partnership with local leaders that truly reflects each community’s needs and strengths,” said Kyrstyn Paulat, CAA Director of Early Learning and Education. “Moving from an idea I have had for over a year to a work plan to a funded pilot has been rewarding and energizing. Our littlest kids need some big solutions, and when we work for them while looking at each of their unique communities, we can make real change possible.”
Glendale Elementary School District: System of Care Center
The GESD System of Care Center will build on existing services to strengthen protective factors, streamline access to support, and prevent crises for families with children aged birth to 3. Grant funding will support a social worker to coordinate services that meet needs before challenges escalate.
“This grant cycle allows us to strengthen and expand an integrated system of care that did not previously exist in a single, centralized setting,” said Denis Parcells with GESD. “It makes it possible to deepen partnerships, increase service capacity, and provide more comprehensive case management to families who previously had limited or inconsistent access to support.
“This funding allows us to move beyond referral-only models toward truly coordinated wraparound services that address mental health, basic needs, education, and social supports simultaneously.”
Intermountain Centers for Human Development: Bridge to Stability
Intermountain’s Bridge to Stability Program is designed to strengthen family wellbeing and improve concrete support and collaboration. Funding will expand a Community Closet inventory to meet urgent early childhood needs across Phoenix, Pima, and Pinal counties, ensuring families can access essentials quickly.
“The major need is immediate relief for basic needs,” explained Intermountain Communications and Philanthropy Manager Judith Gramajo. “This grant helps provide stability that starts at home. We can offer tangible support—developmental tools and family essentials—to a much broader segment of our community than ever before.
“We’re most excited to reach families who may have felt excluded from support because the child or adult wasn’t enrolled in our formal programs. This pilot is a meaningful step toward becoming a universal resource for families with young children. Stability is created through support for the entire home, not just the individual.”
Learning While Doing
Each grantee will participate in ongoing cohort calls to learn from one another and receive technical assistance from Prevent Child Abuse Arizona. The pilot projects will harvest lessons that can be applied to future pilots.
Prevention can often be dismissed as too abstract or idealistic, but it doesn’t have to be,” said Simone Tavassoli, Training Manager with Prevent Child Abuse Arizona. “In a time when support for children and families is being lessened every day, carving out space for experimentation feels like a way to demonstrate what family support looks like in ways that people can see and understand. My hope is that this momentum continues and that partners across Arizona and beyond recognize that innovation can be exciting, rewarding, and worth the risk.”
The flexible funding made possible through our HRSA five-year grant and Chick-fil-A’s incredible donation creates the conditions for innovation. And when innovation is possible, we can more quickly identify supports that work best for families and children.