Strategic Focus Area

Environment

Volunteer shows healthy vegetables at the Naco Wellness Initiative's community garden in Naco, Sonora.

Cultivating Impact

Arizona is home to a beautiful and diverse landscape. Protecting the state’s natural resources and ensuring a sustainable future for all is a priority for residents. As a community leader and convener, the Arizona Community Foundation is uniquely positioned to direct investments and leverage partnerships to address local environmental priorities.

December 2–3, 2026 | Phoenix, Arizona

Explore the work related to extreme heat that is steering towards a more resilient Arizona.

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ACF Environment Fund

Support solutions that address Arizona's most pressing environmental needs.

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Environmental Priorities

ACF is committed to directing its community efforts and funding to the following priority areas:

Extreme Heat

We are working to reduce urban heat islands by partnering with the existing efforts of municipal, nonprofit, and private partners to mitigate extreme heat in communities experiencing the highest heat index within our cities— an initiative that is supported by 84% of Arizonans (Source: Center for the Future of Arizona).

Food Systems

Nearly one in six Arizonans live in a food desert with a lack of access to affordable, nutritious food (Source: Arizona Department of Agriculture). Supporting sustainable food systems also promotes long-term environmental and economic resilience by conserving vital resources like water for farming and food production.

Conservation

Accessible outdoor space is a critical element of community well-being and quality of life. Arizona’s biodiversity—spanning four North American deserts alongside mountains, grasslands, forests, riparian zones, and even tundra—creates six distinct biomes that host a remarkable variety of plants and wildlife, making the state a vital reservoir of ecological resilience and adaptation (Source: Arizona Game & Fish).

Environmental Accelerator Project

You can drive long-term, collaborative impact across Arizona by exploring the Environmental Accelerator Project.

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Restoring Food Sovereignty and Cultivating Community

Impact in Action

Elderly woman standing over crates of fresh vegetables

Established in 2024

by farmers from the Kerley Valley

300,000 people

living in the Navajo Nation

13 grocery stores

spanning 27,000 square miles

For many living in the Navajo Nation, the nearest grocery store is nearly a three-hour drive away—a burden that underscores the deep-rooted inequities in food access across the region.

Amid these challenges, the Bikooh Agricultural Cooperative is a symbol of resilience and community strength. The Bikooh Agricultural Cooperative is dedicated to supporting and promoting agriculture, food sovereignty, food security, and the preservation of cultural traditions in Tribal food systems. The cooperative also champions land stewardship, aiming to restore and sustain the agricultural heritage of the Navajo people.

The cooperative’s formation was catalyzed by the hardships of the COVID-19 pandemic, which exposed the fragility of existing food systems and highlighted the urgent need for local, sustainable solutions. In response, local farmers and community leaders in Tuba City and the Kerley Valley united with a shared vision: to restore food sovereignty, create economic opportunities, and build a sustainable future for their community.

Grounded in the deep agricultural traditions of the Navajo people, the cooperative empowers local farmers to cultivate their lands with greater efficiency and sustainability. By providing essential resources, training, and infrastructure, ACF and the Bikooh Agricultural Cooperative are enabling these farmers to grow a diverse array of crops that will supply the grocery store cooperative. This approach ensures a consistent flow of fresh, locally sourced produce, reducing the community’s reliance on distant and expensive grocery stores.

Beyond agriculture, the partnership is about restoring the self sufficiency that has always been a cornerstone of Navajo culture. The cooperative model allows farmers to pool their resources, share knowledge, and collectively market their produce, ensuring fair prices and stable incomes. This is a powerful step toward food sovereignty, where the community can control its own food supply and ensure that everyone has access to nutritious, culturally appropriate foods.

Tourism is our leading industry, and we’re looking forward to this as an opportunity to engage other people and communities, to share our culture and community. It will be great to have a space where people can come, taste the food, and tour the fields.

Bijiibah Begaye

Executive Director of Cooperative Catalyst