Empowering Communities

In Washington state, we work to expand opportunities to help families with great needs and few resources live healthy and productive lives. While most of our local grants focus on giving children a great education and ending family homelessness, we also know that communities with strong support systems are more effective in reaching and serving families and children.

Washington state is home to many innovative nonprofits. We have strong nonprofit organizations throughout the state that are giving families access to critical supports to keep them housed, promoting academic achievement through community programming, and offering a range of other services that help children succeed in school and help families get back on their feet.

Local organizations know their communities. Community foundations and other local nonprofits understand the unique needs of their communities. They also have established, strong networks that can get resources to families and children quickly and efficiently. When communities face emergencies or crises, these networks are critically important.

Philanthropic organizations are struggling to fill the gap. In today’s tough economic times, communities and families are feeling the impact of state and local budget cuts. Philanthropic organizations are trying to fill this gap, but they simply don’t have the resources to make significant progress.

We are working to support these local organizations so they can work seamlessly with education systems, housing and homelessness advocates, and others to improve communities.

Next: Our Approach to Empowering Communities

Our Approach:
We are focused on strengthening nonprofits throughout the Pacific Northwest so they can lead local efforts and generate innovative approaches to help vulnerable families. This work to empower communities and nonprofits is done in two distinct ways.

1. Supporting Regional Organizations: To address the immediate needs of families and children, and to develop strong community partnerships, we provide direct grants to regional funding intermediaries, such as community foundations. These intermediaries use their strong local knowledge and networks to more effectively re-grant our funds—tailoring this funding to meet the unique needs of each community.
2. Strengthening the Philanthropic Sector: Our investments aim to strengthen the channels through which nonprofits and community leaders access technical assistance and general knowledge about organizational effectiveness. With effective local partners, we are better able to effectively understand and meet the needs of vulnerable families.

Current Grant Opportunities: Empowering Communities
We know we can find innovation in many places. While most of our grants directly fund organizations that are independently identified by our staff, we also accept unsolicited Letters of Inquiry (LOI) so we can support these innovative ideas. We focus this funding on collaborations that aim to improve educational outcomes for Washington’s children, because we believe a good education is the most important factor to help young people reach their potential. To learn more about this available funding, click here.