We pursue our mission through grantmaking and programs in four areas:
Bioscience
Building Arizona as a global center for research and commercialization in the biosciences.
Flinn Scholars
Providing world-class undergraduate education in partnership with Arizona’s public universities.
A privately-endowed philanthropic foundation benefiting Arizona.
The Flinn Foundation was established in 1965 by Dr. Robert S. and Irene P. Flinn. Its mission is to improve the quality of life in Arizona to benefit future generations.
To achieve this mission, the Foundation aims to: advance Arizona’s bioscience sector; enhance undergraduate education for high-achieving students at the state’s public universities; elevate the fiscal and creative capacity of the state’s arts and culture organizations; and strengthen civic life and state-level civic leadership in Arizona.
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Providing no-cost meeting space to Arizona nonprofits.
The Flinn Foundation Educational Conference Center features two meeting rooms available to nonprofit member organizations closely aligned with the Foundation’s specific areas of interest in the biosciences, health care, education, civic leadership, and the arts. More about the Conference Center
NEWS AND UPDATES
Bioscience
Bioscience conference brings together founders, investors in Phoenix
Keep up with industry news with our Arizona Bioscience News newsletter. From Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego’s opening remarks to the advice from closing keynote speaker Tari Suprapto of Novo Nordisk, the fifth annual Flinn Foundation Bio Capital Conference provided for a full day of networking, panels, and connections. The sold-out March 5 event attracted almost 300 startup founders, investors, researchers, ecosystem builders and more to the Creighton University Health Sciences Campus at Park Central […]
Flinn
Dr. Robert Brooks, longtime Flinn board member, dies at 96
Dr. Robert Autry Brooks, a pathologist who served on the Flinn Foundation Board of Directors during a time of momentous change for the organization, died on Feb. 26, 2026. He was 96. Brooks served on the Flinn board from 1980 through 2005, an era when the Foundation hired its first employee, launched the Flinn Scholars Program and Arizona’s Bioscience Roadmap, and began funding Arizona arts and culture organizations. Brooks came to Phoenix […]
Flinn Scholars
Scholar Profile: Zahrah Ralph
Flinn Scholar Class of 2024 Zahrah Ralph has been named one of just 23 students nationwide selected for the Patti Grace Smith Fellowship Class of 2026. The highly competitive fellowship connects outstanding undergraduates with leading aerospace companies across the country. Named in honor of aerospace pioneer Patti Grace Smith, who led the Federal Aviation Administration’s Office of Commercial […]
Arts and Culture
Flinn Foundation, Arizona America250 Commission, Art State Arizona reveal Five C’s art installations
A new exhibit at the Flinn Foundation reimagines Arizona’s iconic Five C’s — copper, cattle, cotton, citrus and climate — in pieces created by artists from around the state. The Foundation launched the show Feb. 3, in partnership with the Arizona America250 Commission and Art State Arizona, with about 150 people attending the opening reception. “Arizona’s Five C’s: Past, Present and What Comes Next” […]