OUR STORY
TigerMountain Foundation’s
Community Roots
Our founder and CEO, Darren Chapman, grew up splitting his childhood between South Phoenix and South-Central Los Angeles. Raised in some of the most economically disadvantaged areas of the Southwest, Darren’s childhood was shaped by the same cycles that still grip the communities he serves today.
After struggling through poverty, violence, serial incarceration, and a system that expected very little from him, he realized it was time to carve out a new path.
In 2007, Darren founded TigerMountain Foundation on a simple belief: every person carries intrinsic value, and that the right environment can unlock it. He’s assembled a diverse group of like-minded individuals to turn that vision into a reality.
Lived experience shapes everything we do!
Many of our staff have overcome incarceration or substance abuse issues in the very neighborhoods where we work.
Empowering the People…
Breaking the Cycle
Through partnerships with justice systems and parole departments, we help returning citizens reintegrate into the workforce and reclaim their place in the community — achieving an 85% non-recidivism rate among TigerMountain participants. Additionally, our partnership with local schools and youth organizations empowers our most vulnerable community members to break the cycle.
Today, TigerMountain operates across more than four acres of inner-city land in South Phoenix, turning vacant lots into thriving community gardens that boost farmer’s market supply chains and workforce development pipelines. Our Asset-Based Community Development (ABCD) model is built on the conviction that lasting change comes from within a community, not from outside it.
As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, TigerMountain Foundation is proud to be an Arizona Qualified Charity. We are guided by an 8-member board of leadership advisors from organizations including Vitalyst Health, the Social Security Administration, and United Southern Bank. This institutional credibility, paired with our deep community roots, is what makes TigerMountain’s approach uniquely effective.
