Virginia G. Piper Charitable Trust Awards 10,000th Grant to Stardust
Stardust founder Jerry Bisgrove (left) was recognized as the nonprofit receives milestone grant to enhance its Gifts in Kind effort.
Virginia G. Piper Charitable Trust marked a significant milestone in its 25th year by awarding its 10,000th grant — presenting a $250,000 grant to Stardust to enhance its Gifts in Kind program, which provides high-quality donated goods to individuals and families in need through a growing network of nonprofit partners.
The milestone grant is part of the Trust’s $18.5 million in funding awarded during its 2025 fiscal year, reinforcing its commitment to strengthening Maricopa County through partnerships and capacity building.
The new funding will help Stardust build on a collaborative effort designed to efficiently receive, store and distribute large-scale material donations — goods that many nonprofits don’t have the capacity to manage on their own. Known as a “Gifts in Kind” program, the model channels corporate donations of new, high-demand items such as diapers, hygiene products, household goods and children’s supplies to nonprofits serving those most in need.
Founded in 1997 by Jerry and Debi Bisgrove, Stardust (formerly Stardust Non-Profit Building Supplies) operates retail centers in Glendale and Mesa, where new and gently used building materials are sold at low cost. Their larger mission — strengthening communities through reuse and redistribution — has grown dramatically through the Gifts in Kind effort, which now diverts thousands of tons of usable materials from landfills while distributing over $50 million in donated goods each year to nonprofits, serving more than 200,000 people.
“Stardust received its first Piper Trust grant more than 20 years ago,” said founder Jerry Bisgrove. “It is so meaningful that the Trust is again by our side and supporting us with this special grant as we work to scale this effort.”
Stardust’s executive director, Karen Jayne, was named a Piper Fellow in 2021. Her fellowship focused on exploring social enterprise opportunities and ways to scale the Gifts in Kind model. With support from an initial $100,000 grant, Stardust piloted a “hub-and-spoke” distribution system in 2024, similar to how food banks distribute to regional partners. That test delivered $11 million worth of goods to more than 100,000 individuals — exceeding expectations and demonstrating the potential for statewide reach.
“This grant will enable us to further our nonprofit partnerships so that together we can build an effective and efficient material resource system,” Jayne said.
With the support of the 10,000th grant, Stardust and its collaborators are now working toward a statewide distribution system capable of delivering $1 billion in usable goods annually. The vision is to support up to 2,000 Arizona nonprofits and reach as many as 1 million people with basic necessities — items that are often unaffordable for families with limited means.
“This 10,000th grant occurring in the Trust’s 25th Anniversary year is so symbolic of Virginia Piper’s approach to philanthropy, which focused on investing in leaders and in creative, collaborative ways to do the most good,” said Steve Zabilski, president and CEO of Piper Trust. “Jerry Bisgrove’s longtime philanthropic support for this community, along with Karen Jayne’s drive to scale this effort, truly represent the intentions of Virginia’s legacy.”
To see a complete list of Piper Trust’s fiscal year 2025 grant awards, visit pipertrust.org.
Karen Werner is the editor of Frontdoors Media. She is a writer, editor and media consultant. She has interned at The New Yorker, worked at Parents Magazine, edited five books and founded several local magazines. Her work has appeared in Sunset, Mental Floss and the Saturday Evening Post.