PHOENIX, AZ, December 6, 2022 –– Freeport-McMoRan is pleased to announce the Freeport-McMoRan Foundation has awarded nearly $2.9 million to 41 projects in Arizona, Colorado and New Mexico through our Community Investment Fund.
Recipient organizations will receive their monetary awards and be recognized by Freeport-McMoRan and members of the Community Investment Committees during grant presentations this winter.
“The Freeport-McMoRan Foundation aims to provide resources, of which funding is only one part, to support communities and organizations as they focus on actions they can take to build resilience and the range of skills that may be needed to respond to opportunities and challenges,” said Tracy Bame, President, Freeport-McMoRan Foundation.
The Freeport-McMoRan Foundation works to create a funding process that supports applicants and encourages them to think about the impact that will come from an investment in their work. This moves beyond reporting on outputs, but rather thinking through what change can occur from the work that will be done.
“Throughout 2022, we continued conversations with community stakeholders and partner organizations about the path to increasing resilience in their local communities. While the unknowns of a post-COVID reality persisted as an ongoing threat to resilience, partners also explored other topics that have and will affect their future well-being, such as the energy transition and climate change, mine transitions, economic diversification, and the changing future of work,” Bame said.
Community Investment Funds are led by seven to nine local leaders representing diverse organizations and two to three local Freeport-McMoRan representatives who determine grant recipients. These community leaders are selected by members of the local Community Partnership Panel, a stakeholder engagement process established by Freeport-McMoRan more than 15 years ago to foster open and ongoing dialogue with the community. The process allows the company and the community to work together to develop thoughtful solutions that address community needs.
Since 2012, more than $2.8 million has been invested through the Freeport-McMoRan Foundation in Greenlee County. The funds have gone to programs and projects that help foster sustainability and reduce dependency on any single industry by supporting initiatives that build community resilience and capacity. In 2022, $300,000 was awarded to the following grant recipients:
Greenlee County Tourism Council
San Francisco River Revitalization Plan – $125,000
A comprehensive planning process will engage residents to determine a path forward to revitalize the San Francisco River Corridor. The plan will consider business and recreational opportunities as well as considerations on how to enhance tourism for the region.
Town of Duncan
Pool Project – $175,000
Funding will allow for the refurbishment of the municipal pool, revitalizing a community asset and providing a community gathering and recreational amenity for the Town of Duncan.
For more information about Freeport-McMoRan community investments and programs, please contact Martha Lujan at mlujan@fmi.com or visit FreeportInMyCommunity.com.