the robin reed
Bridgebuilder Fund
Robin Reed, Valley of the Sun United Way Board member and President and CEO of the Black Chamber of Arizona, strengthened our state, neighborhoods, businesses, and our organization by discovering the commonalities that connect us all.
where others saw barriers, robin built bridges.
Robin Reed passed away in 2024 and we honor him by continuing to bring his spirit of collaboration and common ground to our community. In recognition of Robin’s commitment to diversity, equity, access and inclusion and creating opportunities where they are most needed, Valley of the Sun United Way established the Robin Reed Bridgebuilder Fund.
This fund catalyzes the strategic priorities within our MC2026 plan for Mighty Change, enabling us to immediately build upon grassroots initiatives that uplift Black, Latino and Indigenous communities, families and children in under-resourced neighborhoods, and others who have long experienced underinvestment by removing barriers to wealth, jobs, health and education.
The Robin Reed Bridgebuilder Fund will support initiatives such as:
fair chance
collaborative
One in three American adults has a criminal record and over 50,000 people are currently incarcerated in Arizona. A new Fair Chance Collaborative will bring the community together to address the multi-dimensional needs of individuals involved with the criminal justice system in the Valley, such as job training, placement and retention, housing, healthcare and financial health.
grassroots & small nonprofits partnerships
Grassroots and small nonprofit organizations strengthen the social fabric of the communities they serve. Due to their knowledge, relationships, and enduring presence, they can activate solutions that are often missing in more traditional community development strategies.
Pathways to economic opportunity
The Pathways to Economic Opportunity program provides young Black and Latina women in our community with the resources to close the wealth gap though job skills training, work experiences, as well as direct access to mentors and professional networking.
