The Thunderbirds Charities grant of $50,000 supports Jobs for Arizona’s Graduates (JAG) in their mission to help young people stay in school and acquire the academic, personal, leadership and vocational skills they will need to be successful upon graduation.

JAG serves more than 1,800 young people at secondary schools and within communities. With this support, JAG will grow their reach in secondary school programs in Maricopa and Pinal Counties and continue meeting needs of young people facing barriers as they work to obtain their diploma and achieve their career goals.

Through the program’s for-credit elective course curriculum and co-curricular club, program participants engage in more than 130 hours of career planning, college readiness, job attainment and retention, skill development, employer engagement, and academic remediation. JAG program participants go on to reach their highest potential beyond graduation with a 99.7% graduation rate for the Class of 2022 compared to the statewide graduation rate of 77%.

“Arizona’s youth are the key to the future of this state, and it starts with providing them support to realize their potential for careers and post-secondary education that otherwise would’ve been out of reach. No matter their circumstances, JAG supports young people in overcoming those barriers whether they are the first to graduate high school in their family or the first to pursue a career in STEM,” said Jobs for Arizona’s Graduates President & CEO Marjorie DeRubeis. “Programs like JAG help secure a strong economic future, making Thunderbirds’ support more critical than you could even imagine.”

Jobs for Arizona’s Graduates (JAG)

This grant is part of the Fall 2023 cycle. View a list of all Recent Grantees.