TUCSON, AZ / AGILITYPR.NEWS / August 25, 2026 / $1,000 from Pima Federal Credit Union and $11,000 from QuikTrip mark the young, all-volunteer nonprofit's first institutional grant support

Team Access, an all-volunteer nonprofit founded to make community events accessible to people with adaptive needs, is grateful to announce its first two formal grant awards: a $1,000 grant from Pima Federal Credit Union and an $11,000 grant from QuikTrip.

The awards represent a significant milestone for Team Access, providing the organization with its first institutional financial support and demonstrating growing confidence in its mission, leadership, and community impact.

“We are so grateful for these first grant awards and for the confidence Pima Federal Credit Union and QuikTrip have placed in Team Access,” said Amber Russell, Vice President and Vice Chair of Team Access. “This is very exciting for our organization. As an all-volunteer nonprofit, this support will help us continue growing our work and reaching more members of the community.”

As one of Team Access's first formal grant awards, the funding represents an important institutional vote of confidence in the organization and its work. Together, the two grants provide Team Access with $12,000 in new funding and mark the beginning of a new phase of institutional support for the nonprofit.

“Receiving not one, but two grants at this stage in our development is incredibly meaningful,” Russell said. “These organizations are investing not only in our programs, but also in the potential of Team Access and the people we serve.”

Team Access grew out of a 2020 marketing research effort for Ascension, a Tucson-based wheelchair lift manufacturer, exploring how to better understand the needs of wheelchair users. That inquiry led the team to Southern Arizona Adaptive Sports (SAAS) and, working alongside SAAS athletes at El Tour de Tucson, to a broader recognition that accessibility depends on more than equipment — registration, parking, logistics, and event support all play a role. Adaptive athletes, the team came to understand, did not want separate events; they wanted access to existing ones. With nearly 100 adaptive riders participating in El Tour de Tucson by 2024, the group created Access Alley and expanded its event-day support, working with community organizations, local businesses, and volunteers. In 2025, that work was formalized: Team Access was established as a nonprofit organization, with a mission to help communities identify barriers and create practical solutions that make participation possible. That same year, partnerships expanded beyond athletics through a collaboration with AXIS Dance Company.

Today, Team Access supports more than 150 adaptive athletes a year and serves as a lead accessibility partner for El Tour de Tucson, working alongside regional partners including SAAS, University of Arizona Adaptive Athletics, and Wounded Warrior Project. At every event, its volunteers handle logistics, staging, and equipment — including its Omeo mobility devices — so that people of all abilities can participate fully, not just observe. In 2026, the organization is sharing what it has learned at the National ADA Symposium and the Bicycle Industry Summit, and is building toward El Tour de Tucson on November 22, 2026.

Additional details about the grant-supported programs and initiatives will be announced as the work moves forward.