History

Communities In Schools of Arizona was established as a 501(c)(3) in 1994 to “mobilize and connect community resources with schools.” Through our programs, we focus on providing the “Five Basics”: a one-on-one relationship with a caring adult, a healthy start and a healthy future, a safe place to learn and grow, a marketable skill to use upon graduation and a chance to give back to the community and peers. The goal of our work is to help disadvantaged students at all grade levels learn, stay in school and successfully prepare for life.

In the most recent ranking of non-profits done by Worth magazine, Communities In Schools was rated one of the top 100 best charities in the world. According to Worth, they “set out to identify those charities that are doing the best job, dollar for dollar…[Worth is] confident that the charities on this list will spend your money wisely and will do their best to change some of the grim facts of today's world that we all face." For every $1 invested in our organization, we leverage as much as $5 in resources for under-privileged schools.

Over the past five years, CISA has served more than 113,000 students, providing them the resources and services they needed to fulfill their potential. Encouraged by difference we have made in our schools, we seek to steadily expand our programs, making sure that the neediest areas are being served with the highest level of quality.