Evan Kory
Hometown:
Nogales, Arizona
Evan is excited to engage with a wide variety of nonprofits ranging from the arts sector to affordable housing, many of which are now eligible for larger federal funding opportunities, increasing the potential for more employment and economic growth. Evan is grateful for the opportunity to offer these community leaders support and guidance through the ERC fellowship program, many of which are run by volunteers.
Evan Kory is an active member of the arts and economic development communities in Nogales, Arizona, Santa Cruz County and the US/Mexico border region. He serves as board president of La Linea Art Studio and recently led the effort of opening the Wittner Museum, a new performance space and art museum on Morley Avenue. Evan also serves on the boards of Nogales Community Development, Pimeria Alta Historical Society, and the Santa Cruz Foundation for the Performing Arts. In addition to his activities with non-profit organizations, Evan and his family have owned and operated retail stores, La Cinderella and Kory’s Bridal, in downtown Nogales for 76 years.
Evan is a classical pianist and harpsichordist and has performed in many countries around the world. He holds a master’s of music in historical performance from The Juilliard School and a doctorate of musical arts in piano performance from Manhattan School of Music.
ERC Project
Project Title:
Santa Cruz County Arizona Nonprofit Peer Accelerator: Building Economic Opportunity
Host Community or Region:
Arizona
Host Organization:
Santa Cruz Community Foundation, a geographic affiliate of the Community Foundation for Southern Arizona in collaboration with Santa Cruz County, AZ
Ensuring communities benefited from historic levels of federal funding after the pandemic, Santa Cruz County and the Santa Cruz Community Foundation (SCCF) supported local organizations become eligible for and secure federal funds. By providing capacity building support, resources, and intensive training, Arizona communities received ARPA funding and invested in the arts, food, culture, and affordable housing. Created and supported by various partners to help organizations compete for federal funding, 60 percent of nonprofits in their first cohort were new to federal funding. Now, the ERC Fellow will scale this accelerator program’s “train the trainer” model for 55 nonprofits, strengthen the nonprofit ecosystem, collaborate with regional partners, and track the outcomes and metrics of their model. The project aims to establish a strong and collaborative nonprofit sector in Santa Cruz County that significantly impacts the local community, allowing for these efforts and future funds to foster the arts, make housing more affordable, and boost culinary tourism to strengthen the overall economic landscape of the region.
Interested in supporting this project or learning more? Contact the ERC program team here.
