Amalia Luxardo joined the Women's Foundation of Southern Arizona in 2019 as the new Chief Executive Officer. As WFSA's CEO, Amalia provides strategic leadership in community engagement, mobilizing key stakeholders in advocacy and public policy and securing financial resources to increase the sustainability and growth of the organization.

The daughter of immigrant parents, Amalia's academic and professional careers have been dedicated to social, economic, racial, and gender issues. Early in her career, she served the broader Hispanic/Latino community in Washington, D.C., advancing access to justice for minorities.

She worked with higher education institutions, private firms, local nonprofits and the U.S. Department of State as a researcher and policy advisor on immigrant rights and issues surrounding the socio-economic impact of immigrants in the community. Amalia was previously recognized as a Next Gen leader by Hispanics in Philanthropy and strives to create new and equitable philanthropy for people of color.

Tucson organizations that support women and girls here are being offered the chance to win a $500 grant through the Women's Foundation of Southern Arizona and its after-school program for teen girls, Unidas.

The girls in Unidas have shifted their focus this semester to support COVID-19 relief work and to help local organizations.

“The COVID-19 crisis shines a harsh light on the difficult reality that women and girls in the US face on a daily basis,” said Amalia Luxardo, CEO of the Women’s Foundation of Southern Arizona. 

“Mothers are the primary breadwinners in over 40% of families, earn less than their male colleagues, and face inequity at every turn. Providing the essentials for their families is a struggle for many under normal circumstances, and this pandemic amplifies these challenges in a way we’ve never seen before.”

Unidas teaches high school-aged young women about leadership, philanthropy and social justice issues by giving the teens the opportunity to award grants to non-profit organizations that work to improve the quality of life for women and girls in Southern Arizona.

Each semester, the teens research social justice issues facing women and girls in the community, determine a focus area and, ultimately, select one organization to receive a grant of $5,000. The most recent Unidas grant recipients were Arizona Justice for Our Neighbors and the Boys and Girls Club of Southern Arizona.

During the current pandemic, the teens want to help women and girls who typically feel the economic impacts of a crisis at a disproportionately higher rate.

Organizations that support women and girls in Southern Arizona are encouraged to complete the brief application form for one of the $500 micro-grants at womengiving.org/unidas. The deadline to apply is noon on April 30.


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Contact reporter Patty Machelor at 806-7754 or pmachelor@tucson.com