Junior Achievement or Arizona (JA) is proud to announce that Thunderbirds Charities has awarded a $100,000 grant to support JA BizTown, a hands-on program that helps 4th through 6th graders learn economic and workplace skills through a series of classroom and hands-on lessons and experiences designed to teach skills for future success.

“The need for real-world education is growing as we see strong current and predicted changes in the economic landscape,” said Katherine Cecala, president of Junior Achievement of Arizona. “The generous funding from Thunderbirds Charities helps us advance our mission and expand pathways for today’s youth. It is our responsibility to prepare Arizona’s next generation, so they have the skills and confidence they need to seize opportunities and face challenges.”

The funding will provide an estimated 1,136 students with the opportunity to take part in the JA BizTown program. Students begin building their life and career skills in a series of classroom lessons where they learn about working in and being consumers in today’s world through topics like business plan development, calculating operational costs, developing marketing campaigns, applying for jobs, and more. Once they’ve explored those skills, they put what they’ve learned to work by becoming employees for a day in the on-site, student-sized town that features more than 40 different businesses and industries.

JA is helping bridge the gap between classroom learning and real-world success, particularly when it comes to personal finance, career exploration and workforce readiness. The nonprofit delivers these experiences to students from kindergarten through high school using a volunteer-led model executed through partnerships with 400 schools, nearly 3,200 educators and more than 9,000 volunteers throughout Arizona. Recent statistics show that JA’s programs are making a measurable impact, helping young people build the skills and confidence needed to succeed in school, work, and life:

• 92% of JA Alumni agree that students who participate in JA will be better prepared for the future.
• 90% of JA Alumni report JA played an important role in their belief that they could achieve their goals.
• 91% of JA Alumni say JA motivated them to continue learning.
• 85% of JA Alumni say JA helped them find more opportunities in education and work.
• 77% of JA Alumni say they are doing better than average from an economic or financial standpoint.

Junior Achievement or Arizona (JA)

This grant is part of the Spring 2026 cycle. View a list of all Recent Grantees.