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WM Phoenix Open
WMPO logo courtesy of The Thunderbirds. Photo provided by Metro Phoenix Alliance.
The Thunderbirds
Founded in 1986, Thunderbirds Charities serves as the philanthropic arm of the Phoenix Open. The organization is responsible for managing and distributing charitable funds generated by the tournament.
Originating 90 years ago, the Phoenix Open is a professional golf tournament that has become a major fundraising event. Total charitable contributions have exceeded $226 million to date. Since Waste Management (WM) assumed the role of title sponsor in 2010, the tournament has contributed an impressive $160 million to local and regional nonprofits. In 2025, a record $18.1 million was raised for charity.
The 2025 WM Phoenix Open raised a record $18.1 million for charity, according to the group that organizes the event.
The Thunderbirds, a nonprofit, said the tournament raised $17.5 million in 2024 and $14.5 million in 2023. Each were records at the time. This is also the eighth time that “The People’s Open” has surpassed the $10 million mark in its fundraising efforts.
“Just incredibly proud and humbled by the support of this community and thrilled as Thunderbirds get to steward those monies back into the community,” 2025 Tournament Chairman Matt Mooney told KTAR News 92.3 FM’s The Mike Broomhead Show on Wednesday.
Since the nonprofit started the Phoenix Open 90 years ago, it has raised over $226 million. Of that, $160 million has been raised since WM became the title sponsor in 2010.
Thunderbirds Charities was formed as a nonprofit in 1986 in order to distribute the funds raised through the WM Phoenix Open.
How do charities benefit from the WM Phoenix Open?
One of the nonprofits that benefits from these donated funds is Child Crisis Arizona.
“They feed over 45,000 meals annually to infants and children in need,” Mooney said. “So, when you think about this incredible golf tournament that we all enjoy, that we have people now traveling from all over the world to be here and attend. And to see the benefit of that extended to those in need, especially children who maybe don’t have enough food on their plate, I mean, I just can’t think of anything cooler and more impactful than that.”
Thunderbirds Charities has donated more than $2.1 million to Child Crisis Arizona, helping build its 38,000-square-foot net-zero campus in Mesa, add classrooms and playgrounds during the pandemic and renovate the Thunderbird Kitchen.
What does the future look like for The Thunderbirds and WM Phoenix Open?
Mooney hopes to put more of a spotlight on the way that money that gets donated serves local communities.
“It’s a Phoenix story. There’s not another community in the country that has a golf tournament like this, where the community supports it and makes the event special and then the event is able to turn around and funnel those dollars back into the community,” Mooney said.
The 2025 chairman referred to it as a virtuous cycle.
The 2026 WM Phoenix Open will return to TPC Scottsdale February 2-8.
About Thunderbirds Charities
The Thunderbirds began in 1937, when the Phoenix Chamber of Commerce expanded its role as a convention and tourism bureau. There was a need for a special events committee to venture into new fields. Five young executives were selected to lead the committee. The Phoenix Chamber of Commerce suggested that the committee become an “official” group and expand its membership. Each of the five then selected ten additional members to make up a committee of 55. The Thunderbird name was chosen because the emblem of the Phoenix Chamber of Commerce was a Thunderbird derived from American Indian symbols. One of the early inductees was Bob Goldwater, an avid golfer. Goldwater thought it would be a great idea to sponsor a golf tournament. That first year, Goldwater sold the tickets, recruited volunteers and set up the golf course at the Phoenix Country Club. The Phoenix Open caught on, and in 83 years, has developed into one of the leading stops on the PGA TOUR. Goldwater was Tournament Chairman from 1934 through 1951 and is affectionately called the “Father of The Phoenix Open.”
Thunderbirds Charities is a non-profit organization formed in 1986 to distribute monies raised through the WM Phoenix Open golf tournament. The Thunderbirds Charities Board consists of 15 board members from varying professional backgrounds. The mission of Thunderbirds Charities is to support organizations that assist children and families, help people in need and improve the quality of life in the Greater Phoenix Metropolitan Area. The organization’s giving is directed toward organizations based or with a significant presence in Arizona.
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