The Arizona Newspapers Foundation was formed late in 1997 to give newspapers an opportunity to assist journalists on a new level. In general, ANA had found that the traditional function of awarding individual scholarships fell short of the Association's goals, since the recipients often did not become journalists. The Foundation offers grants to college and high school journalism programs, with a special focus on the high school level through its alliance with the Arizona Interscholastic Press Association. In 2000, the Foundation has made donations to the AIPA Summer Journalism Workshop and the Minority Students Workshop, both of which are held during the summer at Northern Arizona University. The ANF sponsors the High School Journalist of the Year award, to be presented at the AIPA Spring Convention. In addition, the Foundation works with AIPA leadership to assist the organization in other ways. In creating the Foundation, the Board of Directors of the Arizona Newspapers Association delegated responsibility for the educational, staff training and contest functions. To that end, the Foundation has subsidized members' subscriptions for online computer training, and has begun a program in cooperation with member newspapers to arrange for intensive staff training by visiting writing coaches. It continues to sponsor a Spring Advertising and Marketing Workshop and annual Fall Convention, where members attend seminars and workshops while benefiting from networking with other newspaper professionals. Editorial and advertising contests recognize efforts that produce the highest quality newspapers. Finally, the Foundation has embarked on an ambitious effort to create a resource book, "History from the Headlines: Using Arizona Newspapers to Teach History," for high school history teachers to use in conjunction with the social studies curriculum in Arizona schools. Work on the project began in 2000, with the generous support of a grant from the Arizona Republic. It is being carried out by Southwest Historical Services, with Mark Pry as project director and historian, and Susan Shaffer Nahmias as the educator.

Training Mission:

Organization Type: Journalism

Provides training for: Editors, Print

Types of training provided: National Convention