Junior Achievement of Arizona

For more than 65 years, Junior Achievement of Arizona (JA) has been preparing millions of Arizona students to succeed in work and life. We’re empowering their futures by giving them the knowledge and skills they need to manage their money; plan for their future; and make smart academic, career and economic choices. Delivered by 8,000+ business and community volunteer mentors, our hands-on, age-appropriate programs focus on three key areas: career readiness, financial literacy and entrepreneurship. At the foundation of all our programs is teaching students the ability to think critically. Equally impactful, we’ll open their eyes to future possibilities and help them apply those important skills to unlock their own future potential.

Set to serve more than 110,000 students this year and more than 3 million since its founding, JA is shaping the college- and career-readiness conversation, and we play an important role in Arizona’s workforce and economic development. Our programs help students connect what they learn in the classroom to the real world, and demonstrate how learning correlates to earning — knowledge critical to empowering today’s students to be successful, contributing members of society in the future.

We serve students with diverse backgrounds and socio-economic status throughout Arizona. While our programs are invaluable to all students regardless of background, the majority of the students we serve come from low-income households.

Our programs support the K-25 continuum, reaching students wherever and however they are learning today. Today, our programs have expanded to reach primarily low-income learners in 400+ schools across the State of Arizona,  in addition to partnering with other nonprofits and organizations focused on reaching opportunity youth.

We are wholly dependent on the financial and volunteer support of individuals, foundations and businesses. Our in-classroom programs are offered at no cost to teachers or students.

Donations to Junior Achievement are Arizona Charitable Tax Credit eligible, up to $400 per individual and $800 per couple filing jointly. Please consider empowering the future of Arizona kids.

Who We Are

Name of Organization: Junior Achievement of Arizona
Top Local Executive Name: Katherine Cecala
No. of Years with Org.: 8 years, 5 months
Main Local Office Address:
636 W. Southern Ave.
Tempe, AZ 85282
Phone: (480) 377-8500
Website: jaaz.org
Number of Locations in Greater Phoenix: 1
Year Established Locally: 1957
City Nationally Headquartered: Colorado Springs, CO
Type of Services: Career Exploration and Readiness Programs, Financial Literacy, Entrepreneurship Programs
Specialties: Free educational programs for students for Arizona learners, K-25, to prepare them to succeed in work and life.