The Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community’s 12 Percent Gaming Grant Committee provided several grants for the 2024 calendar year to local organizations as a requirement of the Arizona Tribal-State Gaming Compacts between the state of Arizona and all 22 federally recognized Arizona tribes.

Under the compacts, each tribe with a casino can distribute on its’ own terms 12% of the overall contribution that would otherwise go to the state of Arizona. Contributions are determined on a sliding scale based on the amount of gaming revenue realized each year.

Currently, the remaining 88% of a tribe’s total annual contribution goes to specific buckets with a variety of causes in the Arizona budget.

Recipients of 2024 funds from SRPMIC include: A New Leaf, Alice Cooper Teen Center, Helping Hands for Single Mothers, Lily’s Pad, Southwest Human Development and more (see sidebar for full list).

“Since the pandemic emphasis has been placed on organizations that provide critical services to the community at-large such as food banks, homelessness, veterans, social service organizations such as the Salvation Army, Red Cross, and health care,” said SRPMIC Special Assistant for Legislative Affairs Gary Bohnee.   

Each year the committee determines general priorities for the year. Based on feedback with organizations and reviews of reports, the committee will define what organizations to consider and evaluate organization applications and what funds will be available to distribute as calculated by SRPMIC Casino management.

The SRPMIC 12% Committee is composed of Bohnee, SRPMIC President Martin Harvier, SRPMIC Vice-President Ricardo Leonard, Council member Cheryl Doka, Council member Mikah Carlos, Winter Wood and Jessica Sepulveda.

The annual SRPMIC 12% Committee luncheon took place on November 19. “The lunch event organized by the committee is a way to network with organizations who will be awarded and to thank them for the work they are doing in the Community,” said Bohnee. “In addition, several mayors attended and were thanked for their role in processing and distributing SRPMIC 12% grant funding vis-à-vis intergovernmental agreements.”

Next, the committee will begin its calendar year 2026 grant cycle mapping out goals for the year, reviewing reports, touring and seeking presentations from organizations.

2024 SRPMIC 12% Grant Recipients

Organization

Arizona Friends of Foster Children Foundation (AFFCF)

A New Leaf

American Indian Chamber Education Fund

Alice Cooper Teen Centers

ASU Indian Legal Program

Audubon Southwest

Arizona Cancer Foundation for Children (ACFC)

Arizona Humane Society

Arizona Science Center

Arizona Town Hall

Banner Alzheimer’s Foundation

Boys Hope Girls Hope

Center for Future of Arizona

Child Crisis

City of Mesa

City of Tempe

City of Scottsdale

Dignity Health – Dental Program

Dignity Health – Prescription Program

Family Promise

Feeding Matters

Fighter Country Partnership

First Tee

Florence Crittenton

Fountain Hills – Town of

Gabriel’s Angels

Heard Museum

Hellsgate Fire

Helping Hands for Single Mothers

Heroes to Hometown

Hospice of the Valley

Keys to Change (formerly Human Services Campus)

Lexie’s Voice

Liberty Wildlife

Lily’s Pad

Leukemia and Lymphoma Society

Maricopa Community College Foundation

Miracle League

Native American Connections

Opportunity 4 Kids

Paz De Cristo

Phoenix Zoo

Red Cross

Ronald McDonald House Charities

Ryan House

Salvation Army

St. Mary’s Food Bank

Southwest Autism Research & Resource Center

S’edav Va’aki Museum

Soldier’s Best Friend

Sounds of Autism

Starry Foundation

STARS

Southwest Human Development

Town of Gilbert

United Food Bank

U.S. Vets

VMLC

Veterans 5-9

Visit Mesa

Non-Core Current Grantees

Southwest Archaeology

Mesa Public Schools

OSBI – Culinary Equipment

Hugh O’Connor Pipe Band

Rancho Feliz Foundation

Southwest Archaeology

Teen Lifeline

University of Arizona – Native Arizona Museum of Natural History