ARIZONA TOWN HALL APPLICATION GRIC 2017.PDF

Created: 01/20/2017 • Last updated: 03/02/2017
General information
Organization Arizona Town Hall
Contact First name Laura
Contact Last name Parsons
Contact e-mail lparsons@aztownhall.org
Contact phone number 602-252-9600
Address
Street 2400 W. Dunlap Ave.
City Phoenix
State AZ
ZIP Code 85021
From what tribe is the Gila River Indian Community
organization requesting the
grant?
Total grant amount request 30,000
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The Gila River Indian Community offers multi-year awards. If your
organization is requesting a multi-year grant for this project or program
from the Gila River Indian Community, enter the amount to be requested
each year.
Amount
Year 1 (Gila River Indian
15,000.00
Community Grants Only)
Year 2 (Gila River Indian
15,000.00
Community Grants Only)
Year 3 (Gila River Indian
Community Grants Only)
Year 4 (Gila River Indian
Community Grants Only)
Year 5 (Gila River Indian
Community Grants Only)
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Gila River Indian Community Grant Application
Grant Cycle 2017
Cover Sheet
Municipality Information
1. Date of Application: 2/28/2017 (NOTE: Click or use up/down arrow keys to move among
fields)
2. Name of City, Town or County: Maricopa County
3. Mayor (City or Town) or Board of Supervisor’s Chairman (County): Denny Barney
4. Mailing Address: 301 W. Jefferson St.
5. City: Phoenix State: Arizona Zip Code: 85003
6. Acknowledgement of Submission by Authorized Municipality Representative:
Typed Name/Title: Melody Henderson Signature:
Applicant Information
7. Department/Organization Name: Arizona Town Hall
8. Is this a 501c non-profit Organization? No Yes If yes, attach IRS Determination Letter
9. Application Contact Person: Tara Jackson Title: President
10. Phone Number: 602-252-9600
11. Mailing Address: 2400 W. Dunlap Ave., Ste. 200
12. City: Phoenix State: Arizona Zip Code: 85021
13. Email Address: tarajackson@aztownhall.org Website Address: www.aztownhall.org
Project Information
14. Project Name: Community Town Halls on Funding K-12 Education and Criminal Justice
15. Purpose of Grant: Fund six Community Town Halls: three on the topic of Funding K-12 Education
(2017) and three on Criminal Justice (2018)
16. Priority Funding Area Education
17. Annual amount requested $15,000
18. Number of years that funding is 2
requested
19. Total amount requested (annual $30,000
amount x number of years)
20. Has your organization received past No
funding from GRIC? If yes, list each year
and amount
21. Geographic area served Maricopa & Pinal Counties
For Office Use Only:
Data Entry Receipt Evaluation
Outcome  Approval Recommended/Amount $  Denial

Gila River Indian Community Grant Application
Grant Cycle 2017
Narrative
Please structure your proposal to provide the following information in the order indicated. Provide the narrative
in paragraph form in the text field provided. Please be thorough but strive for brevity.
1. Briefly describe the organization’s history, mission and goals.
Arizona Town Hall educates, engages, connects and empowers people to resolve important issues through
consensus, not division, using a process based on respectful dialogue that values diverse perspectives, builds
relationships, and fosters leadership development.
For over 50 years, Arizona Town Hall has identified critical issues facing Arizona, created constructive forums
for education and exploration of these issues, and fostered leadership development. By drawing on Arizona’s
diversity of citizens, the Town Hall promotes public consideration of these issues, builds consensus and
supports implementation of the resulting recommendations through its members.
2. If the applying organization is non-municipal or a non-profit 501c, please describe your relationship with
Arizona municipalities including past and present support, whether it be through partnerships,
collaborations, in-kind contributions, grants, tax-based funding or other. Describe the supporting
municipality’s role in this project. If the applying organization is a municipality governmental sub-
division please enter the text “Not applicable.”
Arizona Town Hall works extensively with municipalities statewide, often serving as a neutral
facilitator to plan and facilitate community conversations that set priorities based on consensus.
The Town Hall also leads community discussions on strategic planning to implement the
established priorities and trains municipalities to use the Town Hall process. In addition, the
Town Hall often partners to host community programs on important policy issues. In this
instance, Maricopa County would, at a minimum, serve as a pass-through agency. However,
because Arizona Town Hall always seeks collaboration with multiple entities, Maricopa County
as well as other governmental and nongovernmental agencies will be invited to partner and
collaborate on these programs.
3. Describe the proposed project and planned goals and activities.
Arizona Town Hall will work in collaboration with educational, governmental and business
organizations to host a series of Community Town Halls on the topics of Funding K-12
Education (in 2017) and Criminal Justice (in 2018). Funding from this grant would be utilized to
support programs in Maricopa and Pinal County. At these programs, participants will be
provided with factual background information and then led through a series of faciillitated
discussions designed to develop consensus recommendations and a strategic plan for
addressing the issue in their community. Participants will also be connected with resources

Gila River Indian Community Grant Application
Grant Cycle 2017
through organizations like First Things First to implement recommendations on their own.
Recommendations made by the participants will also be shared with media, elected leaders and
participants at the three-day statewide Town Hall in November 2017 (on Funding K-12
Education) and November 2018 (on Criminal Justice). The goal of these Community Town Halls
is to strengthen communities through solutions-based discussions while also allowing an
opportunity for their perspectives to be considered as part of statewide discussions on the
issue.
4. Describe how the proposed project satisfies one or more of the priority funding areas identified by the
Gila River Indian Community.
Community Town Halls educate participants on the policy issue being addressed, providing
research, resources and potential solutions. While all Community Town Halls serve an important
education purpose that empowers participants to solve their own community issues, the topics
of the 2017 and 2018 Community Town Halls also fall squarely within two priority funding areas
(education and public safety) and impact a third area (economic development).
Solving education and public safety issues directly impacts economic development because one
of the key challenges with attracting high-wage employers is the lack of a qualified workforce
and the low ranking of Arizona’s K-12 education system. Lack of educational attainment in the
K-12 system is also strongly coorelated to serving time in the criminal justice system. In
essence, all of these topics are related: lack of funding to schools has created a serious teacher
shortage that is expected to worsen. Lack of quality teachers impacts the quality of the
education system which, in turn, negatively impacts the quality of the workforce and also results
in higher incarceration rates. Creating constructive community forums to address these
important topics in a way that connect resources, empowers participants to take action locally
and that provides an opportunity for their perspectives to be considered on a statewide level will
go a long way towards addressing all of these interrelated issues.
5. Identify the needs/problems to be addressed, target population and number of people to be served by
the project.
With respect to education: Arizona is consistently ranked at the bottom for per pupil spending.
How to fund K-12 education dominates the headlines on a regular basis and is the subject of
litigation and divisive political debate. Meanwhile, the consistent lack of funding has resulted in a
teacher shortage that is expected to increase dramatically (more than 2000 teacher positions

Gila River Indian Community Grant Application
Grant Cycle 2017
are still unfilled four weeks into the 2016 school year). Community Town Halls allow these
complicated and divisive topics to be discussed in a way that strengthens the community and
that builds local and statewide solutions. The Town Halls also connect resources to local
communities so that communities can begin to craft solutions that are not wholly dependant on
the state legislature.
With respect to criminal justice: Incarceration rates in Arizona have been steadily rising at a cost
to the people of Arizona in dollars and in lost human potential. Nearly $1 of every $10 of the
General Fund and approximately one half of the Maricopa County budget is spent on the
criminal justice system. Reducing the amount of incarceration through development of
community-based solutions (including those that help reduce recidivism) will have a significant
impact on reducing costs and will lead to improvements in educational and economic
opportunities.
Rarely can solutions to such complex issues be developed without significant community
conversation and contribution. Arizona Town Hall is widely known for its ability to efficiently and
effectively lead discussions on complex issues. Solutions developed during these Community
Town Halls will not only benefit the immediate community; they will be shared with the statewide
community at the three-day statewide Town Hall and with state leaders and influencers through
Town Hall publications, media outlets and other means. In this way, the entire state will benefit
from the knowledge and ideas that emanate from each Community Town Hall.
6. Define the project as a new or continuing program.
This project is an expansion of an existing program. While the Town Hall has held community
programs on complex policy issues for over 50 years, these programs have generally been in
the form of “Community Outreach Programs” that essentially provide a report to those in
attendance on the outcomes and recommendations of the three day statewide gathering. The
use of Community Town Halls that develop solutions on a localized level prior to the statewide
session began with the Future Leaders Town Hall in 2011 –- a gathering designed to engage
high school and college students. The concept was so successful that the Arizona Town Hall
began to incorporate it into other geographical community gatherings. Because of the success
and wide interest in these community gatherings held in advance of the statewide Town Hall,
the Town Hall decided to change its format beginning in 2017 so that a series of Community
Town Halls would take place around the state prior to the statewide Town Hall on the same
topic. Community Town Halls allow people who would never be able to attend the statewide

Gila River Indian Community Grant Application
Grant Cycle 2017
gathering to become informed and engaged in the issue. They also allow underrepresented
perspectives to be a part of important policy discussions.
7. Provide a brief timeline including start and finish dates. Indicate if the timeline is flexible.
The Community Town Halls will convene in 2017 and 2018. Planning is already well underway
although dates for events in Maricopa and Pinal Counties have not been finalized. The majority
of the Community Town Halls are being scheduled in late summer and early fall (prior to the
statewide session on the same topic). The timelines are designed to be flexible to accommodate
individual community needs.
8. Identify other organizations, partners or funders participating in the project and their roles.
The Town Hall collaborates with a wide array of organizations for all projects and this one is no
exception. The state’s public universities, the Arizona Board of Regents and a wide array of
representatives from educational, judicial, government, business and leadership organizations
are working together to create the background documents and other information utilized in
conjunction with this project.
The space to hold Community Town Halls is generally provided through in-kind contributions
from educational and government organizations.
The same groups that collaborate to create the resource document also partner in hosting and
supporting events and many have expressed an interest in hosting events on this topic
(dependant on funding). On the topic of education, the Town Hall is collaborating with groups
such as First Things First, Expect More Arizona, Valley Leadership and many others. Funders
include businesses like APS and Salt River Project and foundations such as the Piper Trust.
On the topic of criminal justice, the Town Hall will partner with the same or similar orgnizations.
Additional organizations, such as the court and prison systems, will also be included.
The Town Hall also partners with high level proessionals, such as lawyers and executives to
provide skilled facillitation for the Community Town Halls.
9. Would you be able to implement the proposed plan if your organization received partial funding for this
project?
Yes. If this project receives only partial funding, the Town Hall will not be able to fill all requests
for Community Town Halls but it will still hold events. The Town Hall is also seeking
supplemental funding from other sources and will “scale up” or “scale down” the programs and
the number of them depending on the actual funding received from several sources.

Gila River Indian Community Grant Application
Grant Cycle 2017
10. Describe your plan for project sustainability beyond the grant period. If this is a program/project
previously funded by the Gila River Indian Community describe efforts made towards the previously
described sustainability plan.
Once held, Community Town Halls tend to be the most self-sustaining of the events organized
by the Town Hall because the local communities take ownership of the event and, with guidance
from Town Hall staff, are able to create a strategic plan for funding and implementation of future
events. Nonetheless, the focus on Community Town Halls is part of a new strategic directive
supported by many of Town Hall’s long time supporteers. We are also hoping to approach
national funders to provide further sustainablility and to expand this popular program.
11. Describe your plan to document progress and results.
The Town Hall will track the number of persons and organizations involved, the number of
persons attending the Community Town Hall and the number of persons who receive the printed
reports and recommendations. Media coverage will also be cataloged. In addition, participants
will be surveyed to seek their evaluation of the event and to determine the actions that they plan
to take. The Town Hall will also encourage local leaders to develop a follow-up plan to track
and encourage recommended actions.
12. Indicate any application to and/or awards made by a tribe other than the Gila River Indian Community
for state shared revenues for this and any other project for the past five (5) years. If this information is
included in a separate attachment, please indicate that here.
Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community has provided 12% gaming grant awards since
2012 for a different project, the Community Outreach Programs. Community Outreach
Programs take place after (as opposed to before) the three-day statewide Town Hall and focus
on reporting of the recommendations from the statewide Town Hall and, in this instance, the
Community Town Halls. The Community Outreach programs are the last step in the process
and provide minimal community discussion while the Community Town Halls are part of the
initial community dialogue and are primarily focused on community discussion that informs the
statewide gathering.
The grants provided by SRPMIC are set forth below.
2012: $15,000
2013: $15,000
2014: $20,000
2015: $15,000
2016: $15,000

Gila River Indian Community Grant Application
Grant Cycle 2017
Project Budget
Budget Period: 2017-2018
For each budget item listed here please provide a narrative description on the following Project Budget Detail
page.
Proposed Budget Expense Amount Amount In Kind Total Budget
(list each budget item) requested from requested or contributions
GRIC secured from
other funders
1. Meeting Space $0 $0 $1500 x 6 = $9,000
9,000
2. 2 Facillitators for 6 events = 6 x $0 $0 $28,800 $0
(8 hours @ $150/hour)
3. Salaries and wages for office $ 30,000 $0 $0 $30,000
staff: organization of event,
research overview, question
preparation, registration, publicity
and media releases and op-eds. 6
x $5,000
4. Operations and computer and $ $30,000 $10,000 $40,000
technical support
5. Printing, postage $0 $2,000 $2,000 $4,000
6. Training for facillitators $0 $500.00 $1,000 $1,500
7. Click here to enter text. $0 $0 $0 $0
8. Click here to enter text. $0 $0 $0 $0
9. Click here to enter text. $0 $0 $0 $0
10. Click here to enter text. $0 $0 $0 $0
11. Click here to enter text. $0 $0 $0 $0
12. Click here to enter text. $0 $0 $0 $0
13. Click here to enter text. $0 $0 $0 $0
14. Click here to enter text. $0 $0 $0 $0
15. Click here to enter text. $0 $0 $0 $0
16. Click here to enter text. $0 $0 $0 $0
17. Click here to enter text. $0 $0 $0 $0,
Total Budget $30,000 $32,500 $50,800 $113,300

Gila River Indian Community Grant Application
Grant Cycle 2017
Project Budget Detail
Please provide a narrative description for each of the project budget items listed on the previous page. Include
the dollar figure and how it was derived.
1. Community gathering spaces are needed to hold Community Town Halls. The size of these programs can
vary from 15-250 people. Because of longstanding partnerships, the Arizona Town Hall is typically able to find
partners, such as Community Colleges and governmental organizations who provide space and AV services
on an in-kind basis.
2. The Town Hall uses highly skilled professionals who volunteer their time to facilitate Town Hall discussions.
Typically, these professionals are billed at rates that exceed $300/hour. Town Hall books their services at
$150/hour. The hours in the budget reflect the typical time spent by two trained facilitators (a recorder and a
panel chair) to train for and facilitate a Community Town Hall. The budget is for six Community Town Halls.
3. The cost of paid staffing to put on a Community Town Hall is $5,000 per event. This includes overseeing the
research document, development of questions and handouts; development of invitations for participants;
development of the agenda to meet the needs of the community; expert speakers on the topic; publicity; media
releases; registration of participants; use of traditional and social media (both before and after the event);
preparation of program handouts and presentations; preparation and finalization of reports; surveys to
participants; facilitation of follow-up events and communications with participants and partnering organizations.
4. Operational support includes all expenses of maintaining offices to support these programs. A portion of
overhead is applied to these programs for rent, computers, administrative staff and other essential elements.
5. Printing and postage expenses are for mailings, invitations, reports and handouts. The Arizona Town Hall
receives some in-kind printing from APS.
6. The Arizona Town Hall has already held one training session to train panel chairs and recorders. Several
more will be held . In-kind donations of services and food are often obtained to support the cost of the trainng
sessions.
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Gila River Indian Community Grant Application
Grant Cycle 2017
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