Organizations We've Supported
155.5% of annual goal — our most productive year ever
141.6% increase year-over-year
Well above nonprofit average of 40%
Largest grant in organization history
Improved contracts success rate
Year-over-year growth in people served
Please review the following guidelines before submitting a grant application.
We are most likely to fund:
We do not fund:
All applications should be emailed to grants@thurstonfamilyfoundation.org
Subject Line: Grant Application - Your Organization Name - Month Year
(Ex. Grant Application - Thurston Family Foundation - January 2026)
President & CEO
"Ryan Flower is President and CEO of the Thurston Family Foundation, where he leads the Foundation’s strategy to strengthen nonprofit organizations through disciplined leadership development and long-term capacity building.
Ryan brings over 25 years of experience as an entrepreneur, operator, and executive leader. Early in his career, he owned and led Delivery Drivers Inc., a small business that was acquired by Walmart in 2022. He then spent 15 years at Restaurants on the Run, holding senior leadership roles across operations, customer care, sales, mergers and acquisitions, and technology. In 2015, Ryan joined Grubhub as Vice President of Market Operations, where he led one of the company’s largest divisions, overseeing more than 300 employees and 30,000 driver partners nationwide. During that time, he helped build Grubhub’s in-house delivery model from early development to a $1 billion revenue milestone in three years.
Prior to joining the Foundation, Ryan served as Senior Vice President of Consulting at MAP, where he partnered with nonprofit leaders to install operating systems that strengthened execution, accountability, and results. Over the past 5 years, he developed deep relationships with nonprofit leaders and a clear understanding of the unique challenges facing mission-driven organizations.
Ryan graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Economics from the University of California at Riverside and completed a Strategic Issues in Management program at the University of California at Irvine. Ryan has been married to Bethany for 19 years and they have 2 daughters.
Chief Advisor
"Jackson Fonder serves as Chief Advisor at the Thurston Family Foundation, where he leads the design and delivery of the Foundation’s operating system working directly with nonprofit leaders to strengthen execution, accountability, and organizational performance.
Earlier in his career, Jackson held senior operational roles at USAA and spent more than 20 years in the U.S. military, including serving as Director of Protocol for the White House Communications Agency.
Jackson is a three-time nonprofit CEO. He has led organizations through growth, instability, and transition, helping leadership teams establish clear expectations, steady operating rhythms, and follow-through that lasts. At UMOM New Day Centers, one of the nation’s leading family homelessness organizations, he led organizational stabilization, strengthened leadership and governance systems, and helped position the organization for national recognition and philanthropic investment.
Jackson holds an MBA and has completed executive education at Harvard Business School, the University of Virginia Darden School of Business, and Arizona State University’s Lodestar Center for Philanthropy and Nonprofit Innovation. He and his wife, Kathleen, have three grown children.
To lead as an innovative operating family foundation, introducing a new philanthropic model that accelerates the mission of nonprofits.
Strengthening nonprofits through strategic systems and funding that delivers lasting impact.
Via accountability to high standards and disciplined follow-through, we strive for meaningful impact.
We support solutions that endure.
We inspire collaboration and shared success.
We lead as an innovative operating family foundation that accelerates the mission of nonprofit organizations in the following areas:
NOTE: These are prioritized focus areas, but we are open to supporting organizations outside of this scope.
Jackson Fonder has been named Chief Advisor at the Thurston Family Foundation. In this role, he leads the design and delivery of the Foundation’s leadership operating system and works directly with nonprofit CEOs to strengthen execution, accountability, and organizational performance.
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The Thurston Family Foundation is entering a new chapter of leadership with the appointment of Ryan Flower as President & CEO, a move that signals continued momentum for one of Arizona’s most forward-thinking philanthropic organizations.
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Ryan Flower has been named President and CEO of the Thurston Family Foundation. He leads the Foundation’s strategy to strengthen nonprofit organizations through leadership development, systems, and long-term capacity building.
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