Annual Reports
Our work is changing systems and creating opportunities across
the state. These reports outline just some of the successes we’ve
recorded through our work.
Impact Reports
Read through the stories included here and learn about Local First Arizona’s broad impact in communities across the state. You'll be inspired by the self-reliance and prosperity that we are cultivating across Arizona, with the help of people just like you.
Fuerza Local
The Fuerza Local Business Accelerator is a six-month program designed to teach underserved micro-entrepreneurs important basics for financial literacy and business development.
We Rise
The We rise Business Accelerator is a no-fee six-month program offering comprehensive and practical business skills to Arizona’s Black entrepreneurs.
Economic Resource Center
Tribal and rural communities are not a monolith. Each community across Arizona is facing its own challenges and opportunities for success, often with limited resources and capacity to address them. Local First’s Arizona Economic Resource Center was created in 2021 to bridge this gap, unleashing funding opportunities for small towns, tribes, and nonprofits in rural and underserved communities.
Food Systems Reports
Feed Phoenix
In response to the COVID crises, Local First Arizona collaborated with the City of Phoenix to utilize CARES Act Dollars to provide high-quality meals to COVID-impacted families across the City of Phoenix. The Feed Phoenix Initiative brought together local restaurants, caterers, and farms to help prepare meals from Phoenix-grown produce in order to sustain local jobs and supply chains, strengthen the local food economy, and, most importantly, help keep all Phoenicians healthy during the ongoing COVID-19 economic, health and social crises.
Globally & Locally-Sustainable
Urban Living Labs (GLOCULL)
In 2020, Local First Arizona partnered with Arizona State University, the City of Phoenix, and the City of Tempe to tackle pressing issues in our food system such as conserving farmland, elevating Indigenous leaders, and helping local food businesses adopt sustainable practices.
Copper Communities
Food Hub Feasibility Study
This plan takes a place-based approach that will continue to assess the common variables among growers and value-added producers to facilitate the development of localized food production nodes and the development of an aggregation center to serve production nodes in the region.
Arizona Food & Farm Forum
The 2017 Food & Farm Finance Forum was the first event to be sanctioned by the Tucson City of Gastronomy Board as an event that helps galvanize food as a method of celebrating culture and providing the foundation for sustainable economic development.
Copper Communities
Food Hub Toolkit
This Copper Communities Local Food Toolkit was assembled to serve as a tool for current and future food producers to increase production and access new markets, as well as for the general public to navigate how to access more healthy local foods with existing infrastructure.
Sustainability Reports
YWCA Green Champions
In 2021, Local First Arizona, Tucson 2030 District, and YWCA of Southern Arizona launched a partnership to transform the House of Neighborly Service in South Tucson into a model of sustainable practices. The YWCA Green Champions Summary Report details the team's work to build community resilience and greater sustainability by 2030 and beyond.
YClimate Action
In addition to the Green Champions collaboration, the YWCA of Southern Arizona commission the Y Climate Action e-magazine capturing stories and resources to inspire community engagement in vigorous, equitable climate action.
Rural Development Reports
Rural Arizona Youth Research
Arizona’s Opportunity Frontier
To hear directly from rural young people about their perspectives on educational and career opportunities in their communities, Local First teamed up with Partnership for Workforce Innovation on a special research project that can inform community and workforce development strategies
Arizona’s Opportunity Frontier: Targeting Investment in Rural Communities and Native Nations is a collaboration of the Tonto Apache Tribe, aLocal.ai and Local First Arizona. Using advanced, AI-driven analysis, the report pinpoints high-opportunity industries where demand significantly exceeds supply. Native Nation and rural economies can jointly benefit from collaborative strategies focused on securing the targeted investments with the highest potential returns in jobs, wages, and economic resilience.
Economic Studies
Studies show that when you buy local, it makes a difference. Check out our featured studies here, and more below.
More Studies and Surveys
There are many more studies and reports that confirm that Localism works for communities and local economies. Visit the Institute for Local Self-Reliance for even more research.