About Us
Who We Are
The Arizona Business & Education Coalition is a statewide nonprofit organization comprised of corporations both large and small, philanthropic and community organizations, state government agencies, individual community leaders, post-secondary institutions and school districts. Our school district members collectively represent nearly half of all Arizona's public school students.
What We Do
The Coalition facilitates strong leader-to-leader connections to develop and advocate solutions that address the evolving needs of both the education and business sectors. Our mission is growing Arizona's future.
Together we engage in this work with:
- A shared belief that an excellent and innovative education system that works collaboratively with the business and community/civic sectors is a necessity for a thriving Arizona.
- A determination to create a ripple effect that extends beyond individual communities and makes a meaningful and lasting difference in Arizona's educational landscape and economic future.
Career exploration and related initiatives like our Career Exploration Campus Framework Project, workforce development and public policy that supports it are priorities of our work today.
Partnership with other organizations to advance mutual priorities is a hallmark of our culture of collaboration.
Our Impact
How We Do It
As a 501c3 nonprofit, nonpartisan organization, the Arizona Business & Education Coalition is governed by a volunteer Board of Directors comprised of leaders from business, education and community organizations who believe students are Arizona’s greatest assets and that education, from preschool to grade 12 and post-secondary education, is the wisest long-term investment for our state’s civic and economic future.
The organization is sustained through a combination of membership dues, grants, sustaining contributions and in-kind donations.
Our History
The greatest strides in education in Arizona have happened when leaders from the worlds of business and education come together around a shared vision and with the intent to create a bright future for students and the state. The Arizona Business & Education Coalition has been making these powerful connections since 2002.
In fact, our founding was inspired by the resolve and collaborative work led by a coalition of business and education leaders in 2000 to pass Prop. 301, a major statewide ballot initiative to provide essential funding to Arizona’s K-12 public schools. Determined to do more to build a solid future for our state, many of the leaders from that successful effort came together to form the Arizona Business & Education Coalition as a statewide nonpartisan 501c3 organization dedicated to an exemplary education system, from preschool to higher education and post-secondary training.
Since that time, the Coalition has distinguished itself for programs, projects, initiatives and educational advocacy focused on preparing our students to positively contribute to the civic and economic success of our state.