Flinn Foundation Press Room

Flinn Foundation Facts

Download PDF

History

The Flinn Foundation was established in 1965 as a privately endowed grantmaking organization for the improvement of the quality of life in Arizona. Robert S. Flinn, a cardiologist and one of Arizona's leading medical practitioners, and Irene Flinn, a woman of considerable wealth and generous philanthropy, created the Foundation as a means to perpetuate their personal goodness and humanity in a way that would benefit the citizens of Arizona.

In the mid-1980s, the Foundation expanded its focus to include programs beyond healthcare, including the Flinn Scholars Program and the arts in Arizona. In 2001, after an exhaustive review of Arizona’s healthcare needs, the Foundation board and staff decided to narrow its grantmaking in this field in order to have a greater impact in one key area: the advancement of the biosciences in Arizona.

After a comprehensive study by Battelle, commissioned by the Flinn Foundation, Arizona’s Bioscience Roadmap was launched in 2002 with the goal of developing Arizona as a global bioscience research and commercial center. The Foundation supports the Roadmap through its grants and staffs the Roadmap’s committees and workgroups, led by the 100-member Steering Committee of statewide bioscience champions.

In late 2010, the Foundation launched the Arizona Center for Civic Leadership, a collaborative effort to strengthen civic leadership in Arizona. The Foundation serves as the administrator of the Center and co-sponsors it with the Thomas R. Brown Foundations.

Grantmaking

The Flinn Foundation awards grants by invitation. In the biosciences, the Foundation’s primary grantmaking interest area, grants primarily support multidisciplinary, collaborative efforts involving research teams at the state's public universities and nonprofit research institutions. Grants do not support a specific disease, discipline, or single investigator's interests.

The Foundation continues to support the Flinn Scholars Program, which in partnership with Arizona's three public universities, awards 20 undergraduate scholarships a year to Arizona's top high school seniors. The program aims to strengthen the ability of the universities to compete for such students and to provide the students an outstanding academic experience. The Foundation also continues its support of arts and culture statewide.

Conference Center

The Foundation’s building near downtown Phoenix features a conference center that is open at no cost to qualified nonprofit organizations for strategic planning and training workshops. Qualified nonprofit organizations are those functioning within the areas of the biosciences, healthcare, education, arts, and civic leadership.

Leadership

The Flinn Foundation’s board of directors includes leaders from Arizona’s medical, law, business, and education communities. The board is chaired by Dr. David J. Gullen, M.D., who practices internal medicine at Mayo Clinic, where he is also an assistant professor in the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine. The Foundation’s president & CEO is Jack B. Jewett, a longtime Arizona leader in health care, education, and public policy.

For more information, contact the Flinn Foundation.