Social Venture Partners Offers More Than $140,000 to Benefit Nonprofits

In the ninth year of its Fast Pitch program, Social Venture Partners Tucson announces the selection of eight local nonprofits to participate in their unrestricted funding support and donations and a free training program that runs January through May of 2024. 

During SVP Tucson’s signature Fast Pitch Main Event, which will be held on Tuesday, March 26, 2024, at 7:00 PM in the historic Fox Theater, eight service organizations will pitch to a live audience of donors and take their shot at over $100,000 in on-stage sponsored grants. Every nonprofit participant in the program will receive unrestricted funding support on-stage and donations made by the audience in real-time at the event. 

Those live donations will be matched up to $40,000, thanks to the generous support from the Connie Hillman Family Foundation. Fast Pitch is a keystone program of SVP Tucson, an affiliate of the world’s largest engaged network of philanthropists and social changemakers. 

Fast Pitch was uniquely designed to provide the resources and support that are so desperately needed for nonprofit organizations to reach their next level of impact. In 2022, Fast Pitch provided the opportunity for local nonprofits to tell their stories and receive part of over $230,000 in unrestricted grants -a record impact – and in 2023, $218,000 was distributed among the nonprofits. 

In addition, the Fast Pitch program helps nonprofits to boost awareness, build their capacity, raise funds, and provide mentorship from community leaders. Every single nonprofit in our community has a story to tell, and a purpose and mission that matters! At SVP Tucson, we understand that nonprofits are working on the frontlines of social change. 

However, they are often unseen and underappreciated,” said Brittany Battle, Fast Pitch Director. “We have made it our priority to shine the spotlight on nonprofit voices. They are the real superstars of Southern Arizona, and we are here to provide wrap-around support so they can connect to our philanthropic community, strengthen their missions, and share their stories with a global audience.”

The selected nonprofits for the Fast Pitch Class of 2024 are:

Borderlinks

Parent Aid

Casa de los Niños

Special Needs Solutions

Children’s Clinics

The Haven

Interfaith Community Services

TMM Family Services, Inc.

A long-standing SVP supporter, Diana Charbonneau, Corporate Learning Facilitator at Tucson Electric and Power (TEP), is this year’s Fast Pitch Selection Chair and was also a Participant of Fast Pitch 2023 with IMPACT of Southern Arizona. 

“My Fast Pitch experience over the past year was humbling from the prep process to getting up on stage and pitching, then coming full circle as Selection Chair,” said Charbonneau. “SVP is a game changer for nonprofits, and we thank our community for the support that keeps it growing year after year.”

Each organization was selected based on a specific set of eligibility requirements and met one or more of the following 2Gen values :

• Honor Lived Experience by centering on the voices of parents, caregivers, and families, their expertise, their experiences, challenges, and solutions. 
• Embrace an abundant and ambitious mindset. 
• Believe equity is the moral center and encompasses racial, gender, and economic equity with an intersectional lens. 
• Welcome diverse viewpoints and invest in system, policy, and social impact leaders for the long run 
• Each organization will receive training for two months following the Fast Pitch Main Event to support them in building donor connections and creating comprehensive marketing strategies. And for the first time, each nonprofit will have access to a Participant Chair, who was a previous Fast Pitch award recipient and has experienced the entire process from applying for a Fast Pitch grant through this year’s participant selection. 

Tremain Ravenell from the Educational Enrichment Foundation and SVP’s first Fast Pitch Participant Chair said, “One of the greatest things that I took away from Fast Pitch was being around a community of other nonprofits and learning from each other. As the Participant Chair, I’ve already gone through the entire process and can help this year’s recipients better prepare for things that they may not see coming down the road and, hopefully, see greater success.” 

Fast Pitch is made possible by generous sponsors and individuals. Thank you to our Corporate Partners at the VIP, Icon, Marquee, and Legend Sponsorship Levels: Alexander Carrillo Consulting, Arizona Complete Health, Arizona Lotus, Arizona Public Media, Connie Hillman Family Foundation, Fox Theatre, The David & Lura Lovell Foundation, Soltero Productions, and TMC Health.

The SVP Tucson Fast Pitch Main Event tickets will be on sale at foxtucson.com/events/. 

Ticket prices are $75 for in-person and $25 for virtual attendees.