113 listings · 26 categories · Sonoran Desert / Pima County, AZ + web-wide
This guide was researched and compiled with care, but nonprofits move, phone numbers change, and programs get cut. Verify details before you rely on them —
especially hours, eligibility, and whether a program is still running.
01 Start Here 1 14 Barter & Time Banks 6 02 Financial Help & Grants 1 15 LGBTQ+ Resources 7 03 Free Food & Fridges 2 16 Books & Research Archives 7 04 Housing & Anti-Poverty 2 17 Stock Media & Music 8 05 Churches & Faith-Based Aid 3 18 Creative Software 8
06 Physical & Mental Health 4 19 Free University Courses 9
07 Senior Services 4 20 Repair & Data Tools 9
08 Free Legal Help 4 21 Youth & Creative Underground 10
09 Family & Household 5 22 Museums & Free Days 10
10 Pets & Animal Care 5 23 Artist Collectives & Guilds 11
11 Gardens & Desert Skills 5 24 Free Artisan Festivals 11
12 Tools & Repair 6 25 Colleges & Adult Ed 12
13 Bikes & Transit 6 26 Community-First Businesses 12
01 Start Here
211 Arizona STATEWIDE HUMAN-SERVICES SWITCHBOARD
The actual master key to everything else in this guide: dial 211 (or search online) and a live specialist triages you to food, rent, utility, childcare, or crisis help anywhere in Arizona, in real time. Most people have never called it. Cited constantly while researching this guide.
Phone: Dial 211 (or 1-800-352-3792)Web: 211arizona.orgSearch directly: search.211arizona.org
findhelp.org SEARCHABLE DATABASE OF LOCAL AID PROGRAMS
A free, zip-code-searchable directory (formerly Aunt Bertha) of thousands of assistance programs nationwide — food, housing, work, health, and more.
Used as a source throughout this guide; worth bookmarking directly for anything not covered here.
Web: findhelp.org
02Financial Help & Grants
United Way of Tucson — VITA FREE TAX PREPARATION (IN-PERSON & ONLINE)
IRS-certified volunteers prepare and file taxes for free for low-to-moderate-income households, in person at sites across Tucson or online — gets people their full refund and EITC instead of paying a preparer to take a cut of it.
Web: unitedwaytucson.org/vita
AARP Foundation Tax-Aide FREE TAX PREP, ESPECIALLY FOR OLDER ADULTS
Free tax preparation focused on (but not limited to) taxpayers 50+, at dozens of sites across Arizona each tax season — no AARP membership required.
Web: aarpfoundation.org/taxaide
Wildfire AZ — Find Free Tax Help STATEWIDE VITA/TCE SITE FINDER
Arizona's statewide asset-building coalition runs a simple finder tool for every free tax-prep site in the state, useful if the specific United Way locations don't
line up with your schedule.
Web: wildfireaz.org/find-help/vita
Modest Needs SMALL ONE-TIME EMERGENCY GRANTS
A national nonprofit giving small, one-time emergency grants (rent, utilities, car repair) specifically aimed at people who earn just above the cutoff for traditional government aid and fall through the cracks. Genuinely unusual model, worth knowing about.
Web: modestneeds.org
UpTogether DIRECT, NO-STRINGS CASH TRANSFERS
Gives direct cash — not vouchers, not case management — to families and individuals working toward a goal, on the premise that people know their own needs better than a program does. Membership periods open and close, so check current availability.
Web: uptogether.org
Prestamos CDFI COMMUNITY MICRO-LOANS FOR SMALL BUSINESS
A community development financial institution offering microloans and small-business lending to entrepreneurs who wouldn't qualify at a traditional bank, plus free business coaching.
Web: prestamoscdfi.org/tucson
Arts Foundation for Tucson and Southern Arizona — START Grant DIRECT GRANTS FOR INDIVIDUAL ARTISTS
Annual direct-funding grants to individual working artists and small arts organizations (Community Impact and Artist Development tracks) — actual income,
not just free classes or gallery space.
Phone: 520-624-0595Email: info@artsfoundtucson.orgWeb: artsfoundtucson.org