Search Through Grants for Charities in Washington in the U.S.

Ben B. Cheney Foundation Grant

The Ben B. Cheney Foundation makes grants in the communities where Mr. Cheney’s lumber company operated.

Within those communities, the Foundation will respond to a wide variety of requests. The Foundation’s main goal is to support efforts that help to improve the quality of life in those communities.

Type of Grant

The Foundation is open to a wide variety of programs serving the communities where we give. We prefer to focus on project grants rather than ongoing operating support.

A project has three distinguishing features:

• A specific time period with a beginning and an end,
• Specific accomplishments for the project, and
• A specific budget that outlines both what resources the organization needs to achieve the stated accomplishments and where the organization plans to obtain those resources.

Project Grants

Project grants are generally given on a one-time basis. The Foundation will evaluate an organization's plans for sustaining the impact of project grants, especially those for program expansion or starting new programs. That evaluation will include these questions:

• Are there identified sources of support capable of sustaining the program?
• Is the organization committed to a strategy to gain those sources of support?
• Does the project plan include activities towards gaining that sustainability?

While the Foundation understands that fund raising is a part of many organizations' budgets, we feel that this approach allows us to respond to needs that go above and beyond the annual operating budget. As a result, projects for one-time capital or equipment needs often gain priority.

Through this approach the Foundation is able to make grants to a number of first time grantees every year. Since 1975 the Foundation has supported 1,200 organizations.

Program Areas

The Foundation organizes its grant making into eight categories. They are displayed here for information purposes only. The Foundation does not budget to categories in advance and grant seekers are not required to apply by category.

• Charity - Programs providing for basic needs such as food, shelter, and clothing.
• Civic - Programs improving the quality of life in a community as a whole such as museums and recreation facilities.
• Culture - Programs encompassing the arts.
• Education - Programs supporting capital projects and scholarships, primarily for six pre-selected colleges and universities with a record of service to Pierce County.
• Elderly - Programs serving the social, health, recreational, and other needs of older people.
• Health - Programs related to providing health care.
• Social Services - Programs serving people with physical or mental disabilities or other special needs.
• Youth - Programs helping young people to gain the skills needed to become responsible and productive adults.

Background

CHS is a global agribusiness owned by farmers, ranchers and cooperatives across the United States. Diversified in energy, agronomy, grains and foods, we’re committed to creating connections to empower agriculture, helping our owners and customers grow their businesses.

General inquiriesWe consider other requests that benefit the agriculture or cooperative industry.

The Community Response Fund (CRF) distributes funds in response to needs and requests from the community. The CRF complements the board-directed grants which are the core grantmaking strategy for the NWFE. CRF grants provide short-term funding for a specific project or need which has arisen from an eligible organization. CRF funding is for work being done that advances the objectives of our Growth Management and Aquatic Ecosystems programs. We also welcome proposals that will grow the base of environmental advocates and empower communities of color working on solutions to local environmental issues. The Community Response Fund serves two main goals: Grassroots Engagement: We invest in local organizations that are often the first to see, experience and understand environmental needs, threats and trends, but they may lack the resources of larger organizations to respond.  Environmental Movement Building: We support efforts to bring new voices into the environmental movement and encourage proposals that will grow the base of environmental advocates beyond those historically involved.In both cases, sample activities may look like:

• Lead community engagement on a proposed plan, vision or process. 
• File lawsuits or comments to stop proposed projects or activities that violate local, state or federal environmental regulations pertaining to aquatic ecosystems, land use or native species.
• Support leadership development and organizing capacity, particularly in under-resourced communities.
• Support for: trainings, list-building, canvassing and developing and implementing communications needs.

Likely Candidates:

• Community-based, locally-focused organizations 
• Applicants with a need for one-time funds for a discrete project
• Organizations piloting new projects, seeking small start-up funds

Growth ManagementThe goal of the Growth Management Program is to promote smart growth land use policies and to prevent damage to environmentally sensitive areas that are threatened by development, climate change impacts and the weakening of existing environmental laws and regulations. The Northwest Fund seeks to fund work advancing these objectives:

• Encourage transparent, sustainable, inclusive, community-driven land use planning and management within the State of Washington.
• Promote land use practices and policies which seek to reduce impacts, such as carbon emissions, that contribute to climate change.
• Increase the effectiveness of citizen advocates and nonprofit organizations to implement and maintain smart growth land use policies.
• Support compliance with and enforcement of growth management laws and regulations that result in long-term, statewide net benefits for the natural resources of Washington State.

We place emphasis on these strategies to advance our objectives:

•  Use litigation, mediation and other legal tools to enforce and monitor compliance with existing growth management laws.
•  Educate, organize and engage the public in land use planning processes and management that is consistent with smart growth.
•  Promote and defend the use of best available science to achieve growth management objectives.

Aquatic EcosystemsThe goal of the Aquatic Ecosystem program of the Northwest Fund for the Environment is to protect and restore the extensive network of fresh and saltwater ecosystems in the State of Washington and the native species that inhabit these ecosystems. Our program is divided into two areas of emphasis:

• Freshwater ecosystems including rivers, streams, wetlands, and riparian areas. We are concerned with water quality, water quantity and connectivity issues as they affect aquatic ecosystems.
• Saltwater ecosystems of Puget Sound and the Washington Coast, including estuaries and saltwater shoreline areas.

The NWFE seeks to fund work advancing these objectives:

Freshwater Ecosystems

• Improve implementation of water quality standards throughout Washington State, including the protection of waterways  from both point and non-point sources or the weakening of existing environmental regulations.
• Establish and protect adequate instream flow levels statewide to provide healthy habitat for native species.
• Enhance connectivity of freshwater systems – both instream and with other functioning water bodies and sources.
• Prepare and plan for changes in water availability attributed to climate change.

Saltwater Ecosystems

• Reduce and respond to threats to marine resources from external harms such as oil spills, invasive species and climate change impacts.
• Protect marine and estuarine habitat and native species from pollution or weakening of existing environmental regulations.
• Support and promote marine resource management that is sustainable, transparent, community-driven and ecosystem-based in its approach.

The NWFE places emphasis on these strategies to advance our objectives:

• Monitor the implementation and application of existing laws.
• Promote public policies that enhance, protect or restore aquatic ecosystems.
• Litigate to enforce and defend key laws e.g., Clean Water Act (CWA), Shoreline Management Act (SMA), and the Endangered Species Act (ESA) as they apply to these areas.
• Participate in ongoing public processes and negotiations.
• Inform and engage the public in the stewardship and protection of aquatic ecosystems and resources

About

The Dimmer Family Foundation was founded in 1993 in Tacoma, Washington by John C. and Marilyn J. Dimmer. Since its inception, the foundation has granted over $15 million to qualified charities, primarily in Tacoma-Pierce County, Washington. Contributions have been made to organizations focusing on children, families and the elderly; military and veterans; education; civic improvements, social services; culture and the arts; healthcare; animals and the environment. The grants are varied and unique and reflect the diverse interests of family members. We are proud to support organizations of all sizes. We have honored requests from fund raising professionals, committed volunteers and enterprising youth. This foundation has supported many capital projects which have left a lasting legacy in our community. However, the majority of our foundation gifts are made for operating support or programs. We make grants to more than 100 charitable organizations annually.

Grants

The grant application process is closed. Grants are made by decision and discretion of the Board of Directors. The Board meets at least twice a year, with letters of decision and grants being mailed shortly thereafter. The majority of grants are made at our spring meeting in the second quarter of the calendar year. The second meeting is in the fourth quarter of the year. In some unusual cases, we may be able to make a decision on a grant request between meetings if we are made aware of a particular urgency.

In the grant making process, we consider: a past history of giving with that organization; a personal relationship of a Board member with that organization or a person associated with that organization; and the relevancy of the mission of the organization. While past history is a good indicator of whether the Board will make future grants, no organization should assume that a future grant is guaranteed. Organizations that the foundation has previously supported are not asked to make a grant request annually, however, it is advisable to periodically provide organizational updates in the form of letters or newsletters, or to schedule a meeting with Diane Dimmer, Executive Director.

Open Philanthropy Project Focus Areas

So far, the focus areas we have selected fall into one of two broad categories: Global Health and Wellbeing (GHW) and Global Catastrophic Risks (GCR). We summarize the key differences between these portfolios as follows: 

• While GCR grants tend to be evaluated based on something like “How much this grant reduces the chance of a catastrophic event that endangers billions of people”, GHW grants tend to be evaluated based on something like “How much this grant increases health (denominated in e.g. life-years) and/or wellbeing, worldwide.”
• The GHW team places greater weight on evidence, precedent, and track record in its giving; the GCR team tends to focus on problems and interventions where evidence and track records are often comparatively thin. (That said, the GHW team does support a significant amount of low-probability but high-upside work like policy advocacy and scientific research.)
• The GCR team’s work could be hugely important, but it’s very hard to answer questions like “How will we know whether this work is on track to have an impact?” We can track intermediate impacts and learn to some degree, but some key premises likely won’t become very clear for decades or more. (Our primary goal is for catastrophic events not to happen, and to the extent we succeed, it can be hard to learn from the absence of events.) By contrast, we generally expect the work of the GHW team to be more likely to result in recognizable impact on a given ~10-year time frame, and to be more amenable to learning and changing course as we go.

Global Health and Wellbeing focus areas

Effective Altruism (Global Health and Wellbeing) - Many people want to help others, and seek out ways to do so effectively.

We empower people to use their careers and donations to help others as much as possible.

We believe that individuals can have a huge positive impact on the world by being thoughtful about how they can best use their resources to help others.

We support organizations and projects that enable people to use their careers and donations to improve the lives of humans and animals around the world.

Our work is guided primarily by two observations:

• First, there is large variation in the impact that different charitable organizations can achieve. By focusing on important, neglected problems and relying on evidence-based solutions, top charities, such as those recommended by GiveWell, can achieve much more than others with the same donation. GiveWell estimates that the funding it has directed since inception will save at least 200,000 lives.
• Second, the career a person chooses is one of the most important decisions they can make — and a career focused on important and neglected problems is likely to achieve much more impact. Today, however, there is a lack of quality resources and guidance that can help people find and pursue these kinds of careers.

Farm Animal Welfare - Tens of billions of animals are kept in factory farms globally, usually in harsh and inhumane conditions. 

We support efforts to improve the lives of animals confined on factory farms, and to end factory farming.

We support reforms to phase out the worst factory farm practices on land and sea. Through our cage-free work, we seek to end the use of cruel battery cages, used to confine about seven billion hens globally. Our broiler welfare initiative supports better welfare for the roughly 15 billion broiler chickens alive globally. And our fish welfare work supports the establishment of minimum standards for the world’s over 70 billion farmed fish.

We also fund scientific research to find new ways to help farm animals. This includes the development of innovative technologies (like in ovo sexing to end the killing of male chicks in the egg industry) and research into chronic welfare problems (like keel bone fractures in layer hens) in the hope of finding ways to reduce pain and suffering. We want to expand the global farm animal welfare movement, especially in emerging economies where the majority of the world’s farmed animals live. We’re especially focused on expanding advocacy in East and Southeast Asia.

Global Aid Policy - International aid improves millions of people’s health and wellbeing. We think it can do even more.

We’re working to create a future where wealthy countries give more aid to other countries in ways that help more people survive and thrive. 

International aid has helped save millions of lives, reduce poverty, and increase prosperity for millions of people throughout the past century. But there is still more to do. At the end of 2022, more than 8% of the world’s population — as many as 670 million people — were thought to be living on less than $2.15 per person per day. If trends continue, we will not achieve the global goals of ending global poverty and significantly improving health and well-being by 2030.

We launched our Global Aid Policy program in early 2022 to support efforts to increase government aid and guide it toward more cost-effective approaches that can improve people’s health and well-being.We focus our new, relatively small resources in ways we believe complement other donors and can go especially far:

• Increasing aid budgets, especially for multilateral health organizations operating in low-income countries.
• Improving existing aid programs by helping leaders draw on evaluations and technical analysis.
• Using our flexible resources creatively to accelerate progress.

Global Health & Development - We believe that every life has value — and that philanthropic dollars can go particularly far by helping those who are living in poverty by global standards.

We support work to save and improve lives in low- and middle-income countries.

Most of our giving in this category is to organizations recommended by GiveWell, with whom we have a close relationship. We are excited to support cost-effective interventions to save and improve lives in low- and middle-income countries. An additional subset of our giving supports scientific research we believe can help address diseases that disproportionately afflict the global poor.

Global Health R&D - Improving diagnosis, prevention and treatment of the most neglected diseases could save and improve the lives of millions of people..

We seek to support the development of new vaccines, drugs, and other tools to improve global health.

Historically, health technologies like vaccines and drugs have saved millions of lives around the world. However, diseases primarily affecting the world’s poorest people, such as tuberculosis, malaria, diarrheal diseases, rheumatic heart disease, and sickle cell disease receive much less research and development spending relative to their health burdens than diseases affecting the wealthy. Further investments could prevent millions of deaths and illnesses caused by neglected diseases.

Open Philanthropy has supported scientific research for human health since 2016. Over time we have learned that there are many excellent opportunities in global health R&D that we could support with increased resources and specialized staff. As a result, we launched this new program in 2023, substantially increasing our total funding in the area.

The Global Health R&D team works in parallel and in collaboration with our Scientific Research team, but with a greater focus on supporting tools and treatments through the development life cycle, including those requiring early proof of concept studies, human efficacy trials or implementation research. We are interested in funding research and development for new vaccines, diagnostics, drugs, monoclonal antibodies, and vector control tools for diseases with a large global health burden, as well as efforts to make these products more affordable and accessible.

Global Public Health Policy - Some of the world’s worst health issues can be addressed through public policy.

We support work on policies that cost-effectively address major public health issues.

Policies like air quality regulations, tobacco and alcohol taxes, and the elimination of leaded gasoline have saved and improved millions of lives.

These policies typically improve public health by addressing risk factors to alleviate the burden of non-communicable disease, which comprises a growing share of the health burden but receives relatively few resources. Policy interventions affect entire populations and are often cost-effective for governments to implement. We think philanthropy can have an outsized impact by helping governments design, implement, and enforce more effective public health policies. Because the benefits are diffuse, and responsibility for addressing them can cut across government departments and disease categories, many problems that are addressable through public health policy are currently neglected.

Innovation Policy - Scientific discovery and technological innovation are key contributors to economic growth and material progress.

We hope to safely accelerate scientific and technological progress to make life better for billions of people.

Historically, economic growth and scientific innovation have created enormous social benefits, lifting billions of people out of poverty and improving health outcomes around the world. At the same time, innovation carries risk; some technologies have the potential to do far more harm than good.

Our goal is to accelerate growth and innovation, without unduly increasing risks from emerging technology. Even small changes to the annual growth rate can compound to great effect over time, which gives us the opportunity to make high-leverage grants.

We’re interested in pursuing a wide range of strategies. Our current interests include:

• Helping build a scientific ecosystem that experiments with new ways of doing things, learns from those experiments, and adopts evidence-based practices.
• Supporting early-stage development of general technologies with the potential to accelerate scientific progress across many disciplines.
• Investigating programs and policy reform to help more migrants, especially highly-skilled migrants, move to countries operating on the scientific and technological frontier.
• Providing financial support for individuals to write “living literature reviews” that rigorously synthesize research and communicate it to a non-specialist audience. (See our call for pre-proposals at right!)
• Funding programs and research to help identify and minimize potential catastrophic risks from new scientific and technological capabilities.

Land Use Reform - Excessively restrictive local land use regulations push people away from centers of economic activity, inhibit innovation, and raise costs for renters.

We seek to reduce the harms caused by excessively restrictive local land use regulations.

These price increases ( see diagram)  are pronounced in large, high-wage metro areas (e.g., New York, Boston, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Seattle, and Washington D.C.). More permissive policy which enabled a greater supply of housing in those areas could unlock value by:

• Encouraging economic growth through greater innovation and agglomeration.
• Increasing the earnings of individuals moving to high-wage jobs in those areas.
• Enabling more people to live in denser areas, which have lower carbon emissions.
• Redistributing wealth and income to lower-income households and supporting access to housing for lower earners.

Scientific Research - We believe scientific progress has been, and will continue to be, one of the biggest contributors to improvements in human wellbeing, and we hope to play a part in this

We aim to support research that could affect a large number of people.

We primarily support biomedical research but our interests are not limited to any particular field, disease, condition, or population. Instead, we seek to identify scientific research that has the potential for high impact and is under-supported by other funders. We are excited to support high-risk and unconventional science when the potential impact is sufficiently large.

We are broadly interested in research that may lead to improved understanding of topics related to human health. We are most interested in research that could affect a large number of people. We typically start by looking for metrics related to the number of lives affected (often starting with the World Health Organization’s Global Health Estimates and IHME’s Global Burden of Disease Study). We begin with landscaping exercises to identify important research topics that could have the greatest impact in a given area.

Once we understand the research gaps in these fields, we assess which gaps are underfunded and seem most amenable to progress if funded. Often as part of this process, we will attend scientific conferences and interview scientists as advisors, peer reviewers, or potential grantees.

Some aspects of the following topics are currently of particular interest:

• broad-spectrum antiviral drugs,
• vaccine development,
• basic immunology,
• some aspects of cardiovascular disease,
• Alzheimer’s disease, predicting mouse-to-human translation, control of inflammation,
• epigenetics,
• novel scientific tools and methods,
• malaria, and
• research on how biomedical research may be improved. 

About the Muckleshoot Charity Fund

The Muckleshoot Indian Tribe has long understood the importance of being proactive in meeting the needs of its community. The Muckleshoot Charity Fund has placed high priority in awarding grants to organizations throughout the region that address the unique local and regional issues facing the population.

Most Muckleshoot Charity Fund awards range from $1,500 to $5,000, allowing many agencies to benefit from the funds available. Profits from the Muckleshoot Casino are the sole source of funding for the Muckleshoot Charity Fund grants.

Funding Priorities

• Education
• Health and Human Services
• Culture
• Arts
• Communities of Color
• Native American Programs
• Environmental
• Civic/Community Advocacy

There are no application deadlines. Applications are reviewed on a quarterly basis and successful applicants will be notified when funding is approved.

Mission

The heart of the RE/MAX Equity Group Foundation is to give back to the communities in which we serve, including all four counties in the Portland metro and SW Washington.

We believe in supporting grass-roots, hyper-local charitable organizations.

Who We Support

Small and Local

Small, local charities are the priority for the RE/MAX Equity Group Foundation. We seek to help grassroots operations that can truly benefit from contributions between $500 and $2,500. In doing so, we aim to make a meaningful impact within our community.

Tangible and Purposeful

We look to donate to specific purposes and prefer tangible contributions that can be measured such as food, clothing, medical services, equipment, camp sponsorships, and toys.  

Children and Families

Organizations that support children and families are the backbone of our community. We support groups that help those in need of food, clothing, shelter, medical care, rehabilitation, those in crisis, and need of counseling.

Direct and Impactful

Organizations with low operating expenses and direct community engagement is important to us. In general, we seek to contribute to groups with operating expenses under 30%.

Our roots run deep.

The Ash Grove Charitable Foundation makes grants annually to support the work of public charities with tax exempt status under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code in the geographical markets that we serve.

As one of the largest cement companies in the United States and one of the oldest still in operation, Ash Grove plays an important part in the foundation and infrastructure of our country. And with plants from coast to coast, being a good neighbor in the communities in which we live and serve is a priority and part of our DNA.

Ash Grove territory is a lot of ground to cover. We believe in active participation to improve the existing and future quality of life in the communities we serve. This participation includes financial support to charitable activities. We aren’t just focused on building highways and buildings – we are also helping to build better communities.

Ash Grove is one of the largest cement companies in the United States and one of the oldest still in operation. Ash Grove plays a part in the foundation and infrastructure of our country. With plants from coast to coast, being a good neighbor in the communities we live and serve is a priority and part of our DNA.

The Ash Grove Charitable Foundation mission is to support communities today without compromising future needs, where nature is respected, minds challenged, opportunities created, and neighbors gather in the community. We stand together to build better communities. Communities that thrive today and for future generations.

Funding Priorities

The Foundation awards grants to charitable, educational, and scientific organizations, which are public charities.

The Foundation gives primary consideration to capital building and renovation projects for the following funding priorities:

• Nature – Protect or Preserve.
• Education – STEM
• Economic – Trade Skills
• Civic – Gather in Community
• Human Services – Shelter

Funding

The Foundation’s goal is to provide significant support to public charities for capital building and renovation projects. Grants for these projects generally are limited to $25,000. Consideration is also given to program grant requests. Grants for these projects are generally limited to $5,000.

Grant Opportunities

Communities need nonprofits to thrive

We believe in transformational ideas that help individuals, families and communities flourish—and since 1975, the Murdock Trust has invested more than $1.4 billion into nonprofit organizations that share our commitment to thinking bigger, challenging problems and making a true difference.

Strategic Project Grants

Capacity-building awards for mission-focused projects and infrastructure investment

Capital Grants

Is capital growth or expansion important to your nonprofit’s vision for long-term growth and success? The Murdock Trust regularly makes grants that support construction, renovation, land purchase and other capital projects. In most cases, we prefer to receive requests for these types of projects once your organization has raised a portion of the needed funds.

Grant Opportunities

Communities need nonprofits to thrive

We believe in transformational ideas that help individuals, families and communities flourish—and since 1975, the Murdock Trust has invested more than $1.4 billion into nonprofit organizations that share our commitment to thinking bigger, challenging problems and making a true difference.

Strategic Project Grants

Capacity-building awards for mission-focused projects and infrastructure investment

Equipment & Technology Grants

Best practices suggest that a healthy equipment and supporting technology infrastructure is essential. Please note that with these grants, recipient organizations are responsible for 50% or greater of the purchase cost.

Grant Opportunities

Communities need nonprofits to thrive

We believe in transformational ideas that help individuals, families and communities flourish—and since 1975, the Murdock Trust has invested more than $1.4 billion into nonprofit organizations that share our commitment to thinking bigger, challenging problems and making a true difference.

Strategic Project Grants

Capacity-building awards for mission-focused projects and infrastructure investment

Program & Staff

Expanding programs and adding staff are important markers of nonprofit success. Murdock Trust grants help fund both new programs and the expansion of existing programs and may be used to cover start-up costs and/or related staff member additions. Typically, we fund program and staff grants on a declining basis over three years (100/67/33%). 

Community Grant Program

The Community Grant Program is comprised of more than 90 funds established by donors who have given Innovia Foundation the flexibility to make funding decisions that accommodate changing needs and capitalize on timely and compelling opportunities in our 20-county region. This program has one cycle per year and organizations are eligible to submit one application per cycle. The maximum award amount is $15,000, with most grants in the range of $2,500 – $15,000.

Program Areas

Guided by local priorities and engaged residents, Innovia Foundation will invest in programs and initiatives that promote vibrant and sustainable communities where every person has the opportunity to thrive.

Impact Areas

• Education and Youth Development
• Innovia Foundation invests in nonprofit organizations providing access to learning opportunities for all ages – from early childhood reading programs to college campus site visits for first generation college students.
• Arts and Culture
• From rural community theaters to large symphonies, Innovia Foundation partners with nonprofit organizations that support the arts as economic drivers, educational assets, civic catalysts and bridges between cultures.
• Economic Opportunity
• Whether it’s providing job skills training for refugees or developing a commercial kitchen for local entrepreneurs, Innovia Foundation works with nonprofit partners to build prosperity for local families, businesses and communities.
• Health and Wellbeing
• From programs addressing child hunger to those ensuring no senior falls victim to abuse or neglect, Innovia Foundation partners with nonprofit organizations to improve the social determinants of health in our community and meet the basic needs of our most vulnerable populations.
• Quality of Life
• Innovia Foundation recognizes that land conservation, compassion for our furry friends and wellplanned community spaces add so much to the quality of life we enjoy in the Inland Northwest and invests in organizations providing access to these community assets. 

Guiding Principles

Within our impact areas, we aim to fund proposals that are a strong fit with one or more of the following Guiding Principles:

• Respond compassionately to meet basic human needs
• We know that meeting basic human needs is fundamental to improving the quality of life for everyone. Innovia Foundation will collaborate with community partners to address both systemic issues and immediate needs.
• Bring people together to build inclusive communities
• We believe in bringing people together and building connections that enrich us all. We seek to develop places and spaces where everyone feels they belong and can participate in decisions that affect their lives.
• Expand opportunity and reduce inequity
• We recognize that persistent and systemic disparities diminish opportunities. We will bridge the divide that isolates and prevents members of our community from recognizing and reaching their full potential and will invest in organizations that address the root causes of issues and promote self-sufficiency

Project Types

Organizations may request a Community Grant for any of the following project types:

• Build a new program
• Expand an existing program
• Support for an existing program
• Capital projects/equipment
• This could include, but is not limited to, technology, furnishings, equipment, vehicles or building construction or renovation
• Capacity building
• This could include, but is not limited to:
• Collaborating with other organizations to improve services or eliminate duplication
• Strengthening governance, leadership or staff expertise
• Restructuring business models and accounting practices to improve organizational stability
• Building and diversifying revenue streams
• Developing and implementing long-term strategic plans 
• Refining communications, marketing and outreach 
• Improving volunteer recruitment, training and engagement
• Acquiring or improving impact measurement tools and program evaluation capacity 

Icicle Fund

Our Vision

North Central Washington is a region where nature, the arts, and the area’s natural and human history inspire an appreciation, understanding and stewardship of this special place.

Our Mission

To support the environment, the arts, and history through collaboration in North Central Washington.

Community Grants

Community Grants are one- or two-year unrestricted grants for non-profit organizations that enhance North Central Washington as a region where nature, the arts, and the area’s natural and human history encourage appreciation, understanding and stewardship of this special place. With these unrestricted grants, nonprofits have the flexibility to do their most important work in the community in innovative and impactful ways as they invest in programs, salaries/benefits, technology, capacity-building, communications, and other efforts that strengthen the organization and its long-term mission delivery.

Funding Priorities

The Arts

The Icicle Fund envisions a culture where a diversity of the Arts is accessible and valued as a critical component of vibrant communities in North Central Washington.

We Believe That:

• The Arts nurture the human spirit, transform lives, and connect people to place
• The Arts build strong economies and cohesive communities across social, economic, and racial boundaries
• The Arts are fundamental to a well-rounded education and help all students to succeed in school and life
• Collaboration between community leaders, artists, schools, businesses, and nonprofits ensure sustainable, quality arts programs
• Everyone in NCW deserves access to, and engagement with, the Arts at levels similar to urban areas

Our grant decisions align with the beliefs and vision stated above. We fund art organizations that work towards inspiring an appreciation, understanding and stewardship of NCW.

Environment

Icicle Fund envisions a future where intact North Central Washington landscapes provide opportunities for all people to connect with land and water, fostering a long-term commitment to place.

We Believe That:

• A healthy environment supports plants, animals, and humans while driving a strong economy
• Protecting land and water sustains natural systems and species, and increases our communities’ resilience to climate change
• Environmental education deepens the appreciation, understanding and desire to care for our natural world
• Access to land and water, along with recreational opportunities, can nurture the human spirit, transform lives, and connect people to place
• Equity and inclusion throughout conservation work are critical for healthy human and natural ecosystems
• Collaboration between schools and environmental nonprofits offer a uniquely equitable opportunity to inspire all students to make a lifelong connection with the natural world

Our grant decisions align with the beliefs stated above. We support organizations that foster an appreciation, understanding and stewardship of NCW through conservation, environmental education, and access to lands and water.

History

The Icicle Fund envisions a future where North Central Washington residents and visitors appreciate, understand, and engage with the region’s rich and diverse cultural and natural history. 

We Believe That:

• Understanding and appreciation of our region’s cultural history enhances respect for the diversity of NCW
• Natural history contributes to an understanding of the relationship between the natural world and people
• History preserves our collective memory which helps communities maintain a sense of identity and connection to place
• Collaboration between community leaders, Tribal Governments, and nonprofits ensures rich and diverse cultural and history venues and experiences
• Cultural centers and museums can be places to gather, engage, and learn about the history within our communities
• Learning from cultural history, traditional knowledge, and living practices provides insight into the present and guides the future

We prioritize funding organizations that work towards inspiring an appreciation, understanding, and stewardship of NCW through engagement with the cultural and natural history of the region.

Funding

This is a competitive grant program, awarding grants to an average of 45% of submitted proposals. Grant awards have historically been between $3,000- $35,000, with most between $10,000 $15,000. The minimum grant amount is $3,000.

Background

Benefitting communities where Nike employees live, work and play.

The Nike Community Impact Fund was established at Oregon Community Foundation in 2010. Through this fund, Nike employees work with OCF to award at least $550,000 per year to nonprofits and schools in the Metropolitan Portland region, the Northern Willamette Valley and in southwest Washington to give youth positive experiences in sport and physical activity, and advance healthier, supportive and more inclusive communities.

Nike believes in the power of sport to unleash human potential and build community. It fuels this belief through Made to Play, its commitment to getting kids moving through play and sport so that they can lead healthier, happier and more successful lives.

The Nike Community Impact Fund (NCIF) takes a collaborative approach to grant making by partnering with Nike employees to participate in the grant-making process and directly impact the local communities where they live and work.

NCIF helps local organizations bring the benefits of sport to their communities, giving kids an opportunity to enjoy the benefits of quality play and active lives, and creating stronger communities where sports and physical activity are a highly-valued part of everyday life.

Funding Priorities

• 75 Percent of grant awards support projects that promote sport or physical activity in the community.
• 25 Percent of grant awards support organizations and projects that address community challenges through innovative or proven community-based solutions

Emphasis is placed on inclusive programs that serve underrepresented populations.

Nike Community Impact Fund – Portland Metro And Northern Willamette Valley: 75% of grant awards support projects that promote sport and physical activity in the community. 25% of grant awards support organizations and projects that address community challenges through innovative community-based solutions.

Nike Community Impact Fund - Community Store – Northeast Portland Only: 100% of grant awards support projects that promote sport and physical activity in the community.

The Zinnia Grant is our most competitive grant program, designed to make a transformative and lasting impact in an Oregon organization with whom we have partnered several — if not many — times before.

• Our typical Zinnia Grant varies in size, depending on the finalist.
• Typically, annual awards range from $250,000 to $350,000 per year
• Award terms are typically three (3) years for Zinnia finalists unless the organization prefers an alternative distribution
• Applicants are required to have operating budgets in excess of $1M and must have three (3) or more grants on record with us, although ideally more
• This is our most competitive program and is conducted through a self-nomination process, such that organizations can forego the extensive application. We ask organizations to share updated information, complete a few brief questions, and otherwise leverage prior applications and funding history to inform our review.
• This grant is typically awarded to organizations that are unquestionably aligned with our Mission and values, and with whom we have partnered several, if not many, times already.
• Moreover, applicants must hold a deep and integral commitment to equity, especially racial equity. 

The Zinnia Grant is a stand-alone program and can be pursued by any eligible organization at any time, including those who are actively in or pursuing another grant.

About First Fed Foundation:

First Fed Foundation (formerly First Federal Community Foundation) is a private 501(c)(3) charitable corporation launched in 2015 with a generous gift of stock and cash valued at nearly $12 million from the parent company of First Fed, when the bank was converted to a publicly traded company. This gift underscored First Fed’s commitment to continue its 100-year tradition of supporting the communities it serves.

In that same spirit, First Fed Foundation’s mission is to improve the quality of life in the communities in which First Fed maintains full-service branches.

Committed to creating broad impact, the Foundation has contributed more than $7.3 million since 2015 to qualified nonprofit, tribal, and government organizations that provide community support, address homelessness and the availability of and access to affordable housing, and deliver economic and community development projects in Clallam, Jefferson, Kitsap, and Whatcom Counties and Bellevue, Washington.

What are the Foundation’s four funding priorities?

Community Support: We contribute to eligible community and human service organizations that improve the quality of life within the communities we serve. We give priority to programs and projects that build capacity to better serve the broader community, and that benefit low- to moderate-income, disadvantaged and/or marginalized persons or families.

Affordable Housing: We support programs and projects that build upon First Federal’s legacy of improving the availability of affordable workforce housing, and access to decent, safe, and affordable housing for low- and moderate-income, disadvantaged and/or marginalized persons and/or families in the communities we serve.

Economic Development: We fund initiatives that encourage and expand economic development and living-wage job opportunities in the communities we serve, with emphasis on collaborative and public/private initiatives sponsored by local organizations dedicated to economic development.

Community Development: We support capital projects that offer valuable benefits to broad segments of the communities we serve, with emphasis on collaborative and public/private initiatives featuring multiple funding sources. The Foundation appreciates naming rights on capital projects it supports.

Onpoint Community Credit Union Community Giving 

Established in 1932, OnPoint Community Credit Union has become Oregon’s largest credit union with over 500,000 members. As we have grown, so has our commitment to community engagement, from the volunteerism encouraged among employees to direct financial support of schools and nonprofits.

OnPoint awards grants to community-based organizations offering programming that aligns with one or both of our impact values. Funding can be requested for programmatic and general operating support.

OnPoint’s focus areas

• Economic Opportunity
• Community Vitality

We are able to consider one grant request per organization in a 12-month period.

The Washington Fund

While we focus more exclusively on Oregon state impact, we still value our partnerships with Washington State nonprofits and value the incredible work being performed by our past and present partners there. 

• We generally expect our average Washington Fund award to mimic our Rose Grant program, with the median award being $25,000-$35,000; awards will vary significantly for this program, however, and will be difficult to predict
• Award terms are typically 1-2 years, with terms open to three (3) years for exceptional applicants
• Generally, this program is only open to general operating support. In rare cases, we will accept applications for Capital Campaigns, though awards for such efforts will still reflect the anticipated median size
• We expect this program to be competitive and will prioritize organizations with whom we have partnered before, especially those in Southwest, Central, and Eastern Washington. Partners in Western Washington, especially the greater Seattle area, are less competitive but still welcome to submit a self-nomination.
• This program is only open to organizations headquartered in and primarily serving Washington State and/or Oregon 

The mission of The Stimson-Miller Foundation is to carry on the civic, cultural, educational, and health and human services charitable interests and concerns of the shareholders of Stimson Lumber Company in the greater Portland area and communities throughout the United States where Stimson Lumber Company conducts its business. 

The Glaser Foundation's Board of Directors is currently focusing on direct-line services, mainly to children and the elderly.

Grant Focus Areas

Medical

The roots of the Foundation’s Medical funding began when Paul Glaser sponsored a bed at Swedish Medical Center for low income patients. As medical funding models changed through the advent of Medicare and Medicaid, the Foundation’s support adapted to support immediate needs, hospital programs, and cutting-edge research. Through the Medical category, the Foundation funds innovative research and direct clinical services to low income residents of King County.

Services to Children with Disabilities

The Foundation makes grants to 501(c)(3) organizations that provide Services to Children with Disabilities with a particular focus on early intervention programs that address the needs of children from birth to five years old. Requests that address the needs of children from birth to twenty-one years will be also be considered.

Education

Education requests should share the goal of keeping kids excited about school and addressing the underlying conditions that contribute to the drop-out rate. Programs may include after school programs from the elementary level through community college and vocational programs are viewed favorably.

Services to the Elderly

The focus of the Services to the Elderly requests should be to enrich the lives of the elderly, particularly economically disadvantaged seniors. Grant requests that seek to address the physical needs, isolation, lack of mobility, and lack of intellectual stimulation will be considered. The Foundation prefers to fund direct line services, not large capital campaigns, and is supportive of new innovative programs and organizations.

Services to Children and Families from Disadvantaged Backgrounds

The focus of this category is to address challenges stemming from or contributing to poverty and economic insecurity. Grants will support programs that target food, shelter and clothing needs as well as domestic violence, addiction and homelessness.

Services to At-Risk Youth

Grants in this category seek to address systematic issues that keep youth vulnerable to interrupted education, homelessness, sex trafficking as well as addressing the needs of youth in foster care.

Supporting medical research and addressing specific healthcare needs.Seattle Foundation administers the Medical Funds program to support:

• medical research of potential benefit to the community, OR
• to address specific healthcare needs of low income children.

Medical Research Proposals

• Highest priority will be given to specific equipment requests for research projects working on cancer, cardio-pulmonary, multiple sclerosis (or “kindred diseases”), arthritis or autoimmune or inflammatory disease more broadly, and diabetes.
• Research projects that don’t specifically focus on one of these conditions but that could potentially impact their diagnosis or treatment are also encouraged to apply, including basic research.

Healthcare Needs of Low Income Children

Highest priority will be given to capital campaigns, facility renovation projects, or specific equipment needs in support of the healthcare needs of low income children.

Innovia Foundation

Innovia Foundation works closely with nonprofit organizations and others throughout the region to identify and respond to a wide range of community issues and opportunities. This might be as complex as collaborating with community leaders on a long-range plan for neighborhood preservation, or as basic as funding a program to provide shoes for children from low-income families. In all cases, Innovia Foundation looks to fund solutions that will create measurable, positive change in our region. 

Columbia County Children's Fund

The Columbia County Children’s Fund provides support to organizations within Columbia County. Applications must address one of the following program areas:

• Educational enrichment and special needs programs, with preference given to elementary school-aged children.
• Guidance, counseling and therapy to children and their families.
• Medical and dental services and/or supplies (glasses, hearing aids, braces) for disadvantaged children.

Our Mission

The Robert B McMillen Foundation is a non-profit charitable foundation established to; promote research in the areas of cardiology, lipid and organ transplant, support education at the university and college level in the states of Washington and Alaska and provide funding for social service organizations.

McMillen Foundation Grants Program

The Robert B. McMillen Foundation's Grants Management Program is for all things relating to grants under the Foundation’s Medical Research and Social Enhancement funding priorities. This is the place where all non-profit, grant seeking organizations should come to fill out a Letter of Introduction or Grant Application (if invited to do so).

Medical Research Grants

The focus of our medical research program is centered on research being conducted in cardiology, lipids, and organ transplant.

Our hope is to advance the areas of coronary, lipid, and transplant research in the early stages of life so that drastic measures are not needed late in life. We seek to support a program trying to discover these problems at the genetic level so that potential problems can be detected very early in life and extinguished before they become problematic. Please contact us if you feel your program fits our criteria.

Social Enhancement Grants

It is our privilege to give and to help. We are passionate about supporting programs that make a profound difference in the lives of others, specifically younger people or the disadvantaged.

As 2024 comes to a close, we celebrate the MAC Fellowship program which impacted the lives of 33 individual artists with awards of $5,000 and $10,000 grants; totaling $250,000 in all. MAC Fellows created ripples and impacted the world through the artwork they created, the messages of social justice and equity they told, the residencies they attended and the conversations they had with their communities.

We found this program very rewarding, but we are going to return to our roots in 2025 by making grants to non-profit organizations that seek to build a more equitable and thriving society; bonus points for those organizations who use the arts as the lens through which this work is conducted!

Community Foundation of North Central Washington

The Community Foundation of NCW is a tax-exempt philanthropic organization that helps individuals, families, businesses, and agencies support charitable causes throughout Chelan, Douglas, and Okanogan counties.

Community Grants

Supporting Charitable Causes in NCW

Several funding opportunities are available to support nonprofit charitable organizations and public agencies in Chelan, Douglas and Okanogan counties. Grants are made possible through established unrestricted funds and gifts from donors.

The competitive grant review process identifies projects, programs, or general operations that benefit the region through areas such as arts and culture, education and youth programs, environment and animal protection, health and human services, and public/social benefit.

Cashmere Fund Grant

The Cashmere Fund will provide funding for charitable causes that aim to preserve, protect, and enhance the quality of life for Cashmere residents.

• Minimum award $2,000
• Fiscal Sponsorships allowed
• No wait period (can apply each year)

Community Foundation of North Central Washington

The Community Foundation of NCW is a tax-exempt philanthropic organization that helps individuals, families, businesses, and agencies support charitable causes throughout Chelan, Douglas, and Okanogan counties.

Community Grants

Supporting Charitable Causes in NCW

Several funding opportunities are available to support nonprofit charitable organizations and public agencies in Chelan, Douglas and Okanogan counties. Grants are made possible through established unrestricted funds and gifts from donors.

The competitive grant review process identifies projects, programs, or general operations that benefit the region through areas such as arts and culture, education and youth programs, environment and animal protection, health and human services, and public/social benefit.

Chelan Valley Fund Grant

The Chelan Valley Fund will provide funding for charitable causes that aim to preserve, protect, and enhance the quality of life for its residents.

• Minimum award $2,000
• Fiscal Sponsorships allowed
• No wait period (can apply each year) 

Innovia Foundation works closely with nonprofit organizations and others throughout the region to identify and respond to a wide range of community issues and opportunities. This might be as complex as collaborating with community leaders on a long-range plan for neighborhood preservation, or as basic as funding a program to provide shoes for children from low-income families.

In all cases, Innovia Foundation looks to fund solutions that will create measurable, positive change in our region.  Awards from Innovia Foundation’s competitive grant programs are determined in partnership with local volunteers from throughout the foundation’s service area. This locally-based advisory process ensures that grant opportunities address the changing needs of our communities.

Innovia Foundation launched the Community Heart & Soul® Program to help rural communities throughout its 20-county service area BUILD COMMUNITY through a resident-driven process and TAKE ACTION on what matters most to its residents. Hundreds of communities across the country have implemented the program and experienced outcomes such as:

• Increased participation in local community-decision making
• Increased volunteerism
• Increased investment in community-supported programs and activities
• Increased economic development and downtown revitalization
• Community endowment funds

Grants of $30,000 will support community-based project coordinators and actions in the selected communities for up to two years. Communities must provide a $10,000 local match over the two-year grant period. Technical assistance, including program training and assigned certified coaches, will also be provided through the grant. The technical assistance is valued at $50,000. 

Community Foundation of North Central Washington

The Community Foundation of NCW is a tax-exempt philanthropic organization that helps individuals, families, businesses, and agencies support charitable causes throughout Chelan, Douglas, and Okanogan counties.

Community Grants

Supporting Charitable Causes in NCW

Several funding opportunities are available to support nonprofit charitable organizations and public agencies in Chelan, Douglas and Okanogan counties. Grants are made possible through established unrestricted funds and gifts from donors.

The competitive grant review process identifies projects, programs, or general operations that benefit the region through areas such as arts and culture, education and youth programs, environment and animal protection, health and human services, and public/social benefit.

Make a Difference Day Grant

Up to $200 is available to nonprofit organizations and groups participating in Make a Difference Day community projects in the Wenatchee Valley.

Funds will be disbursed in mid-October and are to be used to help implement or enhance the volunteer efforts for your Make a Difference Day project.