Giving back in Southern Arizona

Delta Dental of Arizona: Delta Dental of Arizona, through its foundation, selected 34 nonprofit organizations across the state to receive $766,506 in grants and dental supplies to improve the oral health of nearly 93,000 Arizonans. The funds were awarded to address the oral health needs of underserved children, pregnant women and seniors in 2020. Additionally, a new Delta Dental of Arizona Impact Grant program distributed an additional $200,000 to four organizations.

Nonprofits invited to apply for the grants must provide oral health services and education to over 650 children, pregnant women or seniors each year and have a proven record of fiscal and reporting responsibility. These grants provide $50,000-$75,000 a year for two years. Of the four Impact Grants, only one awardee hailed from Tucson — El Rio Community Health Center, which will use the funds to embed a dental hygienist or dental student in medical well visits to provide dental screenings, fluoride varnish treatments and oral health education to over 16,000 children each year and tie oral health to overall health.