American Family Insurance Dreams Foundation announces 2023 grant recipients

American Family Insurance and its Dreams Foundation continue to have a significant impact in communities across the nation with this year’s unrestricted grant investments to 223 organizations, totaling $2.3 million (see link to entire list of organizations below).

Building partnerships through trust

“In the last few years we’ve been keenly focused on not only providing funding through Dreams Foundation grants to nonprofits doing essential work in our communities, but also becoming true partners through listening, learning and understanding their objectives,” said Maggie Pascaly, American Family community and social impact director. “And as we partner with these organizations who work to close equity gaps and have a meaningful impact, we also strive to make the relationship between us and them more equitable, in part through trust-based practices.”

Beginning in 2020, the Dreams Foundation has made investments in community partners through unrestricted, general operating support rather than requiring them to identify specific programs or services. “We know our partners understand what their organizations need most and where funds should be directed to meet their goals and achieve results,” said Pascaly. “And they appreciate the opportunity to make those decisions.”

These single-year grants complement the Dreams Foundation’s strategy of ensuring a majority of funding is committed via multi-year, unrestricted support to have the greatest community impact. Since this shift in direction three years ago, nearly 75% of the Foundation’s grant funding now meets these criteria.

The American Family Insurance Dreams Foundation has also designated giving priorities to include Academic Achievement and Education, Economic Opportunity, Healthy Youth Development, and Community Resiliency.

One organization’s story: JAG helps Arizona graduates discover their passions and find employment

Jobs for America’s Graduates (JAG) has been bridging the gap between education and employment for 40 years. The organization's mission is to provide comprehensive support and resources to underemployed and unemployed high school graduates, enabling them to stay in school, pursue higher education and secure quality, entry-level jobs.

In their Arizona chapter alone, JAG has been instrumental in transforming the lives of more than 40,000 students through their 30 programs. They have emerged as accountants, nurses, teachers, business owners, firefighters, and even elected government officials.

Dianna Harrier, director of operations at JAG Arizona, has felt the impact of the organization’s work in her own life. “In high school I was very strong academically, but it wasn’t until my senior year that a counselor approached me and asked me what my plans were for after graduation,” said Harrier. “My counselor suggested going to college, and that was the first time anyone had presented college as an option for me. Working with JAG is so fulfilling because I get to help kids who are in the same boat I was, who don’t have role models or know what their options are after graduation.”

JAG Arizona students often face many challenges including difficulty accessing transportation, disruptive home environments, low academic performance, economic disadvantages, lack of job skills and more. JAG focuses on mitigating these challenges and developing career pathways for youth through programs and community partnerships.

“We have a unique model because we partner with schools to offer our program as a class that students can take every day, as well as after-school and summer programs, and work with the school to cover the cost of the JAG teacher,” said Harrier. “Our curriculum is based on work and life-readiness. We cover everything from communication, decision-making and writing a resume to performing an interview.”

The program partners with local businesses and organizations to be a resource for students and offer a chance to build relationships or benefit from mentorships. They also collaborate with local organizations that can help students with personal challenges like access to transportation or even coping with grief.

JAG has impressive results that demonstrate the success of their programs. During the 2022-2023 school year, JAG Arizona served 1,147 students and 307 recent graduates. From JAG's Class of 2022, 99.7% of JAG seniors graduated high school, 23% higher than the state average, and 12 months after graduation 65% of JAG graduates continued to post-secondary education and 96% of graduates were engaged in school and/or full-time work.

Watch this video (2:49) and  learn more about what JAG is doing in Arizona:

Investing in communities since 2016

American Family Insurance and the American Family Insurance Dreams Foundation have donated $18.8 million to 1,500 community organizations across the country since its launch in 2016.

American Family Insurance and the American Family Insurance Dreams Foundation, together with their partners, are proud to support individuals, families and communities, working to make life better for all.

See the complete list of 2023 American Family Insurance Dreams Foundation grant recipients.

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About the American Family Insurance Dreams Foundation  
The American Family Insurance Dreams Foundation, Inc. builds on our long-standing commitment and support of communities we serve by offering unrestricted, general operating grants to eligible non-profit partners. We are committed to using trust-based values to create meaningful, impactful relationships and reduce the inherent power imbalances of the traditional funding model. Like many of our community partners, we’re also committed to learning, listening, and changing through collaboration and trust. The Dreams Foundation grant funding priorities are Academic Achievement and Education, Healthy Youth Development, Economic Opportunity, and Community Resiliency. These priorities align with our organizational efforts to invest in and improve the communities where we live and serve. Read more.  

About the American Family Insurance group  
Based in Madison, Wisconsin, American Family Insurance has been serving customers since 1927. We inspire, protect and restore dreams through our insurance products, exceptional service from our agency owners and employees, community investment and creative partnerships to address societal challenges. We act on our belief in diversity and inclusion by constantly evolving to meet customer needs and preferences. American Family Insurance group is the nation’s 12th-largest property/casualty insurance group, ranking No. 301 on the Fortune 500 list. The group sells American Family-brand products, primarily through exclusive agency owners in 19 states. The American Family Insurance group also includes CONNECT, powered by American Family Insurance, The General, Homesite and Main Street America Insurance. Across these companies the group has nearly 13,000 employees nationwide.