Trustees of Virginia G. Piper Charitable Trust awarded a total of $6 million in unexpected grants to six of Arizona’s largest colleges and universities to advance their higher education missions in Maricopa County.
“The grants are an expression of Piper Trust’s ardent belief in the vital role that colleges and universities play in the health and strength of our communities and residents,” said Steve Zabilski, president and CEO of Virginia G. Piper Charitable Trust.
Individual grants of $1 million were awarded to Arizona State University, Creighton University, Grand Canyon University, Maricopa Community Colleges, Northern Arizona University, and University of Arizona.
Trustees of Piper Trust met with the presidents of each institution to thank them for their leadership and present them with a higher education impact grant. These grants are intended to help fuel their respective missions through programs or projects within Maricopa County that also align with the goals and objectives of Piper Trust. The awards are otherwise unrestricted.
“The grants are an expression of Piper Trust’s ardent belief in the vital role that colleges and universities play in the health and strength of our communities and residents,” said Steve Zabilski, president and CEO of Virginia G. Piper Charitable Trust. “Beyond their influence on the lives of students, our higher education institutions drive economic growth and workforce development, produce breakthroughs in research and technological innovation, and enhance civic and cultural life.”
Each of the recipient institutions has an established educational presence in Maricopa County, including several initiatives focused on healthcare and workforce development.
Arizona State University has been named the most innovative public research university in the United States for the past 10 years. With multiple campuses throughout Maricopa County, and with a global presence, ASU awarded more than 37,000 college degrees in 2024 and is a key economic engine for the state.
Creighton University School of Medicine’s state-of-the-art Phoenix health sciences campus is home to nearly 1,000 students and is focused on addressing the urgent need for physicians, nurses, and other healthcare professionals.
Grand Canyon University graduated more than 31,000 students in 2025, its 75th Anniversary year, through its Phoenix campus and online programs, more than half with degrees in fields with significant workforce shortages, including teaching, nursing, and social work/counseling/behavioral health.
Maricopa Community Colleges is the largest community college system in the nation, serving more than 140,000 students annually across 10 individually accredited colleges. As Arizona’s largest workforce developer, the system offers more than 600 degree and certificate programs in high-demand career fields, including bachelor’s degrees.
Northern Arizona University offers innovative, workforce-aligned degree programs across Maricopa County, with distinctive strengths in nursing, health professions, behavioral health, and teacher preparation—fields essential to Arizona’s continued prosperity. Through close partnerships with the 10 Maricopa Community Colleges, students can complete most of their coursework where they live and finish their degree at NAU, seamlessly transferring credits, avoiding relocation, and graduating ready for in-demand careers.
University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix graduates about 130 physicians annually and conducts millions of dollars in medical and bioscience research. U of A’s College of Nursing graduates hundreds in Gilbert in two innovative programs: the nation’s first BSN in Integrative Health, and the accelerated Master of Science for Entry to the Profession of Nursing (MEPN).
As higher education is one of our state’s highest priorities, Piper Trust was compelled to recognize these institutions and the visionaries, leaders, and students who continually strive to propel Arizona forward.
The initiatives include several partnerships with Arizona State University: funding for ASU’s Biodesign Institute and the Virginia G. Piper Center for Creative Writing, and most recently support for ASU’s Watts College of Public Service and Community Solutions to establish the Piper Servant Leader Network focused on building a pipeline of nonprofit leaders.
Additional investments span Arizona’s higher-ed and health ecosystems: grants to support construction of the Creighton University Health Sciences Campus in Phoenix and a Creighton–Society of St. Vincent de Paul collaboration to address health disparities through the Virginia G. Piper Medical Clinic; investment in Grand Canyon University’s CityServe initiative to mobilize resources, volunteers, and nonprofits to provide free household goods to families in need; funding to significantly expand Maricopa Community College District’s Licensed Practical Nurse program; a grant to Northern Arizona University to build out the Health Sciences Education Building on the Phoenix Biomedical Campus and expand the physician assistant program; and support for establishing the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix.
“Investing in the promise of people, discovery, and innovation was key to Virginia Piper’s philanthropy. She recognized the vital, long-game role that higher education institutions play, as Piper Trust does today,” said Zabilski.
