Search Through Grants for the Arts 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.

Overview

Founded in 2007 by Kat Taylor and Tom Steyer, Beneficial State Bank is a B Corp Certified community development bank with branches in California, Oregon, and Washington. One hundred percent of the economic rights of Beneficial State Bank are owned not by private shareholders, but by nonprofit organizations, including Beneficial State Foundation. As nonprofit shareholders, we reinvest all distributed bank profit back into communities to promote thriving people, a healthy economy and a prosperous planet. This ownership structure allows us to learn and develop new metrics and standards as Beneficial State Bank tests and implements equitable banking products and practices.

As of 2023, Beneficial State Bank is a $1.7 billion asset state-chartered, federally insured bank with branches in California, Oregon, and Washington. Learn more about the origins of Beneficial State Bank.

Supporting Our Communities With Sponsorships

From day one, Beneficial State Bank has been committed to supporting our community above and beyond our lending by providing sponsorships to 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations each year. We provide sponsorships to 501(c)(3) organizations in California, Oregon, and Washington that are engaged in transformative social justice and environmental work in our target sectors:

Social:

• Affordable and Multi-family Housing
• Arts, Culture and Community Building
• Education and Youth Development
• Beneficial Financial Services
• Economic, Business and Job Development
• Making, Manufacturing and Production
• Social Justice

Environmental:

• Environmental Sustainability
• Health and Well-being (non-food)
• Healthy Food
• Other Mission Categories (Business Ownership, Structures and Practices)

Beneficial State Bank has a unique business model compared to other banks. As a mission-driven bank majority-owned by the nonprofit Beneficial State Foundation, we work to maximize prosperity for our communities and our customers instead of working to maximize shareholder profits. We structure our business practices to benefit our stakeholders, not just our shareholders, so our total sponsorship budget is smaller than what you’ll find at a large, national bank. Therefore, we are limited in the number of sponsorships we can approve each year.

The Dennis and Phyllis Washington Foundation funds direct service non-profit organizations that help improve the quality of people’s lives by providing them with the tools they need to succeed. Since its inception in 1988, it has funded programs for those with special needs, summer camps for cancer-stricken or troubled children and ensured access to theater, arts and music programs by economically disadvantaged youth and their families. It has granted wishes for terminally ill children, awards for science and math fair winners, and funded programs to purchase clothing, school supplies and toys for needy children. The Foundation also has supported rescue missions, food banks, shelters for victims of domestic violence, free mammogram exams for low-income women, and dental screenings and preventive care for underprivileged youth.

When making a grant decision, we examine each organization’s financial stability, staffing and facility capacity, and relevant partnerships. Additionally, we assess the capability of an organization to sustain a program into the future and their ability to show measurable impact on the population they serve. Finally, funding is guided toward organizations that support low income, rural, and underserved populations through one of our four main focus areas:

Our Four Main Focus:

The Dennis and Phyllis Washington Foundation funds organizations that have accurately identified needs consistent with our mission and scope and who have successfully worked to provide programs and services that give youth and economically and socially disadvantaged individuals, families and those with special needs the tools they need to succeed in life.

Education

Education taps the immeasurable potential of the mind. Reaching children through early childhood education, after-school learning programs, post-secondary and graduate scholarships help our young people get the start they deserve. Providing higher education scholarships and funding educational programs helps build a strong educational foundation for future leaders.

Health and Human Services

Health and Human Services ensures the vitality of the human body and spirit. We target programs that ensure access to basic health care services to the most vulnerable members of our communities, as well as programs that educate our youth about wellness, nutrition, exercise and healthy lifestyles. We also support experiential programs that offer disabled or disadvantaged people opportunities they may not have otherwise.

Arts and Culture

Arts and Culture represents the innovation and creativity of a society. Through cultural endeavors we help bring people together to share their creative talents, intellects, passions, customs and bold initiatives to explore new ways of doing things. In the areas of theatre, art, and music the Foundation grants have helped organizations reach a broader audience, infused new life into programs and created long-lasting cultural traditions within our communities.

Community Service

Community Service touches the lives of everyone where they work, play and live. Despite our individual differences, we are linked by common interests to do more for the places we call home. The Foundation invests in organizations that fortify this connection. When everyone is involved one way or another in the improvement of their community, the community progresses in a positive direction.

Laird Norton Family Foundation

The Laird Norton Family Foundation (LNFF) is a private family foundation in Seattle, Washington, with a mission to honor and reflect the family’s shared values through giving and engage the family in philanthropy as a platform for strengthening family connections.

Primary Grantmaking Programs  

Our grantmaking reflects the values of the Laird Norton family. We give in program areas that reflect the family's shared interests:

Arts in Education

Our Arts in Education grantmaking program supports equitable educational opportunities for students using arts integrated and culturally informed instruction, including sustained professional development for public school teachers. Funding will be directed toward programs that seek to enhance students’ educational outcomes in public Pre-K through grade 12 classrooms rather than to simply increase participation in, or appreciation for, the arts.

• Our current support focuses on organizations that provide: long-term, push-in, professional development opportunities for public Pre-K through grade 12 teachers and schools; programs that aim to serve students furthest from educational justice; and programs with culturally relevant instruction and are focused on the whole child.

Climate Change

Climate change is a global, complex challenge facing our world. The goal of our Climate Change program is to help the planet heal and mitigate adverse impacts of climate change for all people, communities, and the natural world. Grantmaking is centered around carbon sequestration work and recognizes organizations as the experts and stewards to advance climate and environmental justice. Grantmaking is focused in the West Coast of the US.

•  We are focused on supporting work that increased the abilities of forests, coastal ecosystems, and agricultural lands to sequester carbon. Through projects involving healthy forests, blue carbon, and regenerative agriculture, we seek to learn from and follow the lead of communities impacted first and worst as our planet changes. 

Human Services

• Our Human Services grantmaking program supports organizations working directly with youth and young adults (age 12-25) who are experiencing or at risk of experiencing homelessness, and/or involved with child welfare, juvenile legal or behavioral health systems. Grantmaking is currently only with organizations in King County, WA. 

• Our current support prioritizes organizations that are created and led by the communities they seek to serve, that acknowledge and seek to address racial and social injustice in their work, and that offer programming with the aim of preventing youth and young adult homelessness and creating systems change.

Watershed Stewardship

​Watersheds have social, ecological, and economic significance. The goal of the Watershed Stewardship program is to create enabling conditions for long-term social and ecological health and resilience in places of importance to the Laird Norton Family. Currently, we prioritize work in Minnesota and Wisconsin as well as a few key watersheds in the Western United States, consistent with the Laird Norton family's priorities.

We take a long-term view on healthy watersheds and invest in organizational capacity with an eye to future resilience. We encourage our partners to focus not on single-species recovery or restoration to historical conditions as a primary end-goal, but to also consider the potential value of significantly altered — but functioning — ecosystems as we continue to face the impacts of climate change and other natural and human-caused changes into the future.

​We believe the wellbeing of the people who live in a place must be considered alongside ecological goals; understanding the diverse interests and values of a watershed’s human inhabitants is an important component of long-term success. ​

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.

The Norcliffe Foundation is a private family foundation established to improve the ​quality of life for all people in our community.

What we fund

Areas of support include human services, healthcare, civic and community projects, education, and arts and culture. 

Funding Areas

The foundation makes grants in the following areas: 

• Arts & Culture
• Civic & Community
• Education
• Healthcare & Research
• Human & Social Services

Grant Amounts

The Norcliffe Foundation provides support to a wide variety of organizations and projects. Grant size depends on the scope of the project and the capacity of the organization.

Nearly 60% of the grants we make are $15,000 or less.

Things to consider when determining the appropriate amount to request:

• What is the gift range already committed or pending from other funders and foundations? The Norcliffe Foundation is most interested in joining a community of funders and is rarely the largest donor to a project.
• Is there a history of funding from The Norcliffe Foundation and what is the range for those grants?

Funding Types

Funding types include:

• Capacity Building
• Capital and Infrastructure 
• Challenge or Matching
• General Operating
• Program Support ​

Since its inception, the Foundation, which is still led by Lester T. Sunderland's descendants, has focused on supporting construction projects, awarding grants to nonprofits in the Kansas City region and other markets traditionally served by the Ash Grove Cement Company. 

 The Foundation prefers to make grants for construction and special interest projects rather than for annual operating expenses. 

Grants for planning, design, construction, renovation, repairs and restoration of facilities are considered. Areas of interest include higher education, youth serving agencies, health facilities, community buildings, museums, civic projects and energy efficient affordable housing projects sponsored by qualified tax-exempt organizations. 

Funding Areas

In recent grant cycles, the Board of Trustees has awarded the majority of grants in four broadly defined areas:

Higher Education

In 2022, the Foundation awarded $49 million to more than 35 educational organizations. Grantees included community colleges, private colleges, and public universities.

Human Services

The Foundation awarded $30 million to human service nonprofits in 2022, and many grants in this area went to groups that provide essential services to youth and families. Grantees included a range of youth-focused groups, including Reconciliation Services, the Nebraska Youth Justice Initiative in Omaha, Nebraska and the Sno-Valley Senior Center in Carnation, Washington. 

Arts and Culture

Arts and culture projects received $23 million in 2022, including grants to the Springfield Art Museum in Springfield, Missouri, the Omaha Zoo and the Seattle Aquarium in Seattle, Washington. Health Care and Hospitals.

Health Care and Hospitals

This is a growing area of need in many communities the Foundation serves. In 2022, $65 million was awarded to hospitals and health-care groups to build and improve their facilities.

Mission

The Norman Archibald Charitable Foundation is a private foundation created in 1976 by the Will of Norman S. Archibald to be perpetually operated exclusively for the benefit of qualified non-profit charitable organizations serving the needs of Northwest Washington.

Vision

The Foundation is governed by Directors active in the community and having experience in the law, accounting, banking and financial markets. The Directors manage the Foundation’s assets and the cost of operations to achieve superior long term financial results consistent with an acceptable level of risk. The objective is to provide an ongoing source of current grant funding and the maintenance of adequate reserves to cushion the impact on its resources of unforeseen changes in financial markets while maintaining the purchasing power of the Foundation’s assets.

What We Fund

The Archibald Foundation funds non-profit charitable organizations that provide tangible benefits and ongoing support to improve the quality of life for residents of Northwest Washington.

As a means of achieving effective use of the Foundation's funds, a portion of the annual distributions are directed to a Core group of organizations. These Core organizations represent education, museums, hunger relief agencies, the arts and United Way agencies.  Grants are confined to organizations operating within the Northwest Washington region comprising the area from the Cascades to the Pacific Ocean and from Whatcom and San Juan Counties on the north to Grey's Harbor, Thurston and Pierce Counties on the south or to projects significantly affecting residents of Northwest Washington. Our Foundation supports the ArtsFund with annual grants for such organizations. Youth (age 17 and under) performing arts organizations are continuing to be considered for grants by our Foundation.Funding CategoriesThe Foundation annually funds two categories of qualifying charitable organizations that together provide tangible support for urgent needs to improve the quality of life for residents of the region. The categories funded are: 

• A limited group of prequalified somewhat larger recurring CORE grants that are funded annually over an extended period of time. The Foundation has identified these organizations to be deserving of ongoing support. Changes to this group of organizations are infrequent. 
• A larger number of smaller REGULAR grants which in total are affordable to the Foundation while reaching significant numbers of agencies in need with limited available resources. These grants are individually smaller dollar awards (usually less than $10,000) but they fill an important need for meaningful numbers of organizations.

Scope

The Foundation contributions support programs providing community services to youth, the elderly and/or disabled, including medical services and research and to organizations supporting education, the environment, museums and the arts.

Charitable Contributions Mission

Charitable Contributions Fund provides the opportunity for a sustainable and healthy community for all. The Tulalip Tribes strives to work together with the community to give benefits back to others to help build a stronger neighborhood. That's why, in Tulalip, it is traditional to “raise our hands” to applaud and give thanks to those who have given to us. We “raise our hands” to the numerous organizations in our region that contribute to our communities.

Charitable Giving

The Quil Ceda Village of the Tulalip Tribes donates funds to the local community as approved by the Tulalip Tribes Board of Directors. Qualifying programs may only be funded once each calendar year to help improve arts and culture, education and youth, social services, public services and the environment.

The Tulalip Tribes Charitable Contribution Funds program has assisted over 245 charitable organizations with over 50 million dollars since 1993 working in partnership with the surrounding communities including Marysville, Everett and Snohomish County to make a positive difference. Many of these programs are documented here including the six featured charitable organizations on this page. Tulalip Cares is pleased to demonstrate the past efforts and looks forward to receiving and funding qualifying proposals for benefiting the community in the future.

OUR GRANTMAKING

Since our founding, the collective membership of Washington Women’s Foundation (WaWF) has granted millions of dollars to nonprofit organizations across Washington State. Despite these investments, inequity and disparate access to justice, housing, food, art, community culture, healthcare, environmental safety, fair labor, and education persist throughout our state.

At the same time, we know there is no shortage of impactful, hopeful work being done to disrupt systems of oppression and the inequities they perpetuate. We fund change and changemakers in Washington State: the people and organizations driving equitable solutions to the greatest challenges facing our communities.

COLLECTIVE GRANTS

The Collective Grants are our core grantmaking program. Through our Collective Grants, our members invest in three priority areas by granting to organizations working within those areas. The priorities change each year based on our annual funding themes. These unrestricted grants range from $500 to $50,000 or more (up to 30 grants). As part of the application process, organizations can opt into consideration for our Women & Girls Grant.

Our 2025 funding priorities in the thematic areas of Climate & Agricultural Justice, Healthcare, and Education:

• Mitigating the Impact of Climate Change: We will invest in alleviating and reversing the effect of climate change on those communities most impacted by its effects in Washington State.​
  • We are interested in learning more about how climate change has impacted communities in Washington State and the solutions those communities are creating.
• Youth Mental Health: We will invest in culturally relevant mental health and connection-building services for young people (ages 26 and younger) including organizations with counseling staff or working with a network of external providers.
  • We are interested in learning more about systems of mental healthcare and how young people (ages 26 and younger) interact and heal within these systems, including systems designed to address youth addiction recovery.​
  • Adult Educational Opportunities: We will invest in non-traditional adult education programs and educational opportunities in support of adults navigating the requirements of employment and civic participation (this may include immigrant and refugee education services).​
  • We are interested in learning more about non-traditional adult education programs and services designed to support adults (ages 18 and older) as they navigate the requirements of employment and civic participation.​

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%). 

The purpose of the Bamford Foundation is to improve the quality of life of individuals and to strengthen their communities, primarily in Tacoma, Washington and the South Puget Sound area of the Pacific Northwest.

History

The Bamford Foundation was established in 1990 by Calvin D. Bamford, Jr. and Joanne Bamford with the intent of supporting their home community of Tacoma, Washington. As long-time President of Globe Machine Manufacturing Company, founded in 1917 and located on Tacoma’s tide-flats, Calvin has demonstrated his commitment to give back to the Tacoma community through this foundation and through his membership on boards and in a variety of community organizations. Likewise, Joanne, having moved to the area in 1967 when she married Cal, has led a number of boards and has worked with many charitable organizations in the areas of education, human services and the arts, in order to improve the quality of life of families in Tacoma. The Bamford Foundation embodies the values that Joanne and Calvin instilled in their children and hope to instill in future generations. These values include the importance of family, life-long education, involvement in one's community, and generosity.

What We Support

Over the past 12 years, the Bamford Foundation has continued to make grants aligned with our four priority giving areas, primarily within greater Tacoma and Pierce County, in the spirit of our founders' mission to improve the quality of life of individuals and families and to strengthen their communities. The foundation supports 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations, which include operational funds, capacity building funds, program funds, partnerships, and capital projects that are evidence-based; innovative; that promote equity, diversity, access and inclusion; and that invite individuals and families to use their voices and resources to strengthen their communities. We support efforts that represent collaboration with partners in the greater community for the most impact. The foundation's giving priorities reflect the board's value of the transformative role of lifelong education for individuals, families and communities:

Basic Needs (access to food, physical and mental/behavioral health care, housing and shelter, clothing and other basic needs, financial stability)

We support organizations that promote self-sufficiency through enabling individuals to meet their basic needs.

Early Learning and Parent support

We promote the healthy development and learning of young children 0-8 though our support of organizations, programs and initiatives/partnerships which improve access to and quality of early learning experiences including child care, support parents and primary caregivers as their children's first teachers, and enhance professional development and support of those who work with and care for young children.

Expanded Learning Opportunities

We support access to expanded learning opportunities for all of our community members, but in particular for children and youth preschool- grade 12, which includes participation in education-related programs in arts, cultural understanding and civic engagement; in the areas of STEM (science, technology, engineering and math); social-emotional learning; environmental education; and learning support programs (supporting different pathways to learning).

Access to Higher Education and Job training opportunities

We support programs, initiatives, and organizations that improve access for people to opportunities in postsecondary education, job training, apprenticeships and career pathways, including programs that support students to complete their degrees, and to identify and reach their educational, career and life goals.

Gould Family Foundation Grant

Mission

The mission of the Gould Family Foundation is to support innovative programs that promote Experiential Learning and the Arts. 

Funding

Grant amounts given are between $2,500 – $10,000.

African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund Grants

Grants from the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund advance ongoing preservation activities for historic sites, museums, and landscape projects representing African American cultural heritage. The fund supports work in four primary areas: Capital Projects, Organizational Capacity Building, Project Planning, and Programming and Interpretation. Grants made from the African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund will range from $50,000 to $150,000. In 2022, the National Trust awarded $3 million to 33 projects. Since establishing the African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund’s National Grant Program in 2017, the National Trust has supported more than 200 preservation projects nationally.

Community Accelerator Grant

ArtsFund is pleased to partner with the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation on the third round of funding for the Community Accelerator Grant, a $10 million investment in Washington state’s arts and culture sector. The program, now in its third year, provides unrestricted grants to cultural nonprofit organizations across Washington state. In the program’s second year, it awarded 811 grants to organizations reaching 37 of Washington’s 39 counties. Funding will provide essential capital to Washington’s cultural organizations, including fiscally sponsored organizations and tribal entities, with primary missions of producing or supporting arts and cultural activities. The funds are intended to boost arts organizations’ ability to invest in their missions and essential roles serving communities across the state.

What is it

Funded by the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation, year 3 of the Community Accelerator Grant program will provide unrestricted grants for cultural organizations across Washington state in amounts of $2,500 to $25,000.

Pacific Power Foundation

The Pacific Power Foundation is the philanthropic arm of Pacific Power. Our mission, through our charitable investments, is to support the growth and vitality of our communities. In 2021, the Pacific Power Foundation awarded more than $1 million to local nonprofit organizations.

Apply for a Grant

The foundation manages its grants in four cycles. This helps the foundation carefully review similar requests to ensure maximum benefit.

Education/STEM Grants

Electrical safety, energy efficiency education, higher education institutions, K-12, literacy and reading programs, STEM education initiatives, teacher/professional educator development, workforce development/careers and employability, and youth development.

About our Grant Making

Ninety-nine girlfriends makes annual grants, called Impact Awards, in the Portland Metro/SW Washington region from a pool of money contributed by our members. Impact awards range from $50,000-$100,000 each year, depending on that year’s pool.

We fund equally in four focus areas, selecting nonprofits whose work is aligned with our vision of a more equitable future for all and our values of strength in diversity, collective action, and community impact.

Letters of Interest are due in early April. Then, we use our internal processes to select the ones that are most aligned with our vision and values. These organizations are invited to submit applications. During this time, our member-volunteer teams are learning about implicit bias, equity and inclusion, Trust-Based Philanthropy, and consensus building. 

Guiding Principles

In addition to our eligibility criteria, we apply the following principles and trust-based philanthropy to guide decision-making on grant applications.

Equity - Grant making must be grounded in equity.

Trust - We believe the organizations that apply for our grants are the experts in their field. We will lead with trust, respect, humility and curiosity.

Learning - At our heart, we are a learning organization. We value new approaches as much as experience, we recognize our missteps as learning opportunities, and we learn best together. 

Responsiveness and Transformative Impact - We fund organizations that respond to a critical need and/or are working to address the root causes of systemic issues.

Initiative and risk-taking - We believe that taking risks and exploring new ideas can lead to innovative solutions to complex societal problems.  

We engage women in a collaborative learning environment of inclusiveness and mutual respect, incorporating our collective voices, perspectives, talents, and skills. We educate ourselves about implicit bias, equitable grant making, and consensus-building, and we are embedding racial equity in our work. Each year is a new year of grantmaking at ninety-nine girlfriends. Community context changes as do our members, our grant review teams, and our annual Funding Priority. In the end, what we fund is determined by the votes of our members. 

Focus Areas

Diversity, equity, and inclusion are central to our work. Our vision is a more equitable community for all, therefore we prioritize funding that supports communities that are historically and/or currently underserved with respect to socioeconomic status, race, identity, or ability.

We seek to fund organizations working to improve educational equity, opportunity, or education-related services for children and youth from pre-K through high school in the areas of:

• Early childhood education and development
• Out-of-school time and summer learning
• Programs that work to close achievement and opportunity gaps
• Career and/or college readiness tools and skills for high school students
• Arts education, cultural education, and creative expression

We seek to fund organizations working to ensure everyone has equal access to resources and safe spaces, across environmental issues in the areas of:

• Access to environmental resources - healthy food, homes, water and green space
• Countering environmental burdens - pollution in air, water, and land
• Providing educational resources around sustainability and climate change preparedness
• Advancing participation in the green workforce
• Promoting systems change that includes meaningful and inclusive participation in the environmental decision-making process, that promotes environmental justice and equitable environmental policies

We seek to fund organizations delivering trauma-informed services that focus on housing solutions and home stability for families, youth, and adults in the areas of:

• Prevention of homelessness and helping people stabilize and keep their housing
• Emergency, temporary, and transitional housing and shelters
• Housing placement
• Resources and support that help prevent adverse childhood experiences or provide healing resources for families experiencing housing/home instability
• Wrap-around services that strengthen housing/home stability including mental and physical health services, recovery support, and domestic violence advocacy

We seek to fund organizations that advance the economic security and financial well-being of women by removing barriers to work in the areas of:

• Job readiness - including skills training, trades, and education
• Adult literacy and language proficiency
• Financial literacy
• College and post-secondary success
• Accessibility to affordable and reliable childcare
• Accessibility to safe and affordable healthcare including physical, mental, dental, and reproductive health

Ninety-nine girlfriends recognizes the complexities of gender identity and gender expression, and welcome cisgender women, transgender women, and gender non-binary, gender non-conforming, or gender queer persons.

Use of Funds

Funds may be used for general operating or project support to advance your mission. Awardees may choose to have funds disbursed in one payment in 2024, or in two payments: one in 2024 and one in 2025. 

Background

Since 2000, the Kalispel Tribe has donated approximatley $1 million annually to our local community. The Kalispel Tribe believes in being a strong community partner and strives to achieve that through its commitment to supporting its neighbors. The Charitable Fund was established to support the work of the numerous non-profit organizations of Spokane and Pend Oreille counties. The organizations the Tribe supports are pursuing the same goals as the Kalispel Tribe, as we all work to better the lives of our future generations.

Focus Areas

The Tribe focuses its charitable giving in the following areas:

• Education
• Health Care
• Arts & Culture
• Social Services
• Environment Conservation

Only one comprehensive application for funding may be submitted in a 12-month period (Oct 1st-Sept 30th) per organization.

If you are requesting funding for an event that will occur in October or April, it is highly suggested you apply for the funding cycle prior to the month your event is being held (e.g., If your event is October 15th, apply in the April funding cycle to ensure review of your application prior to the date of your event.).

Nominate a Nonprofit

The People Helping People Awards are a celebration of exceptional work within the communities we serve and provide us the opportunity to honor members and nonprofits that drive positive change through service to others.

Each year, BECU members can nominate local nonprofits for a People Helping People Award of up to $50,000 in grant funds.

So look around you for heroes who deserve recognition, and nominate a nonprofit for a BECU People Helping People Award today.

Giving Areas and Subcategories

Nonprofit work must be focused in any one of the following seven giving areas:

• Advancing education (Pre-K through college): Access to education, mentoring, educational materials and programming, classroom, school and PTSA funding for educational programs/materials/experiences.
• Arts and culture: Equitable access to art experiences, underrepresented art and cultural organizations, cultural programs.
• Creating economic opportunity: Living-wage jobs, small and startup businesses, job quality for low-wage workers.
• Preserving health and promoting wellness: Access to healthcare, illness prevention/cure, mental health, patient support, disabilities, veteran advocacy.
• Preserving or restoring the environment: Conservation, stewardship, sustainability.
• Providing for basic human needs: Affordable housing, homelessness, senior advocacy, infant and child advocacy, food/diaper/clothing banks.
• Strengthening local communities: Neighborhoods, public safety, search and rescue, outdoor spaces, rotary/chamber.

Our Current Priorities

For those requesting support for youth programs, the Foundation will continue to focus on rural BIPOC organizations and allowing organizations to use awarded funds for general operating support.

Recognizing the critical role of BIPOC organizations, the Charlotte Martin Foundation continues to make it a priority to partner with organizations doing progressive work specifically in the areas of youth education and climate change, with a special emphasis on serving communities of color. Three years ago, we created a fellowship designed around researching BIPOC led organizations within our 5-state region that align with our priorities. We recognize that private funding is inequitably given to white-led organizations and we want to show our commitment to redistributing resources to non-dominant, BIPOC organizations.

Increasing Opportunities for BIPOC:

Increasing racial equity and diversity for youth ages 6-18.

BIPOC led nonprofit organizations with diverse leadership and staff are the focus of our grant-making. Organizations based in rural communities are also a priority for our foundation.

Programs that create opportunities in areas of education, cultural expression and athletics. Including but not limited to:

• Increase access to and the creation of diverse cultural experiences.
• Improve school-based and out-of-school learning opportunities in areas such as science, technology, engineering, arts, and math (STEAM) and other areas.
• Increase early college awareness and access to post-secondary education.
• Increase access to sports and diversify sports programs.

Guidelines for Youth Programs

Our program funding for youth ages 6-18 falls into three areas: Athletics, Culture and Education. Grants for youth programs must fall within one of these three program areas.

Youth Athletics

Athletics include a wide range of individual and team sports, with an emphasis on the value of sports for lifelong participation. School-sponsored intramural and after school sports programs have been greatly reduced, and middle-school aged youth have been most affected. After school athletics can be the incentive that gets kids involved in programs that also have educational and cultural components. Demand is increasing for athletics programs and facilities in rural areas and inner cities. More girls are getting involved in sports, requiring additional programs and space. Coaches are key to a positive experience for young people, and good coaching requires training.

Youth Culture

Culture includes art, music, dance, literature, theater, ethnic and regional heritage. Positive experiences in culture are essential in educating the whole person and should be an integral part of the lives of youth. Young people can use cultural experiences as creative resources to build self-esteem, promote personal growth, and preserve traditions. Arts and culture programs in the schools are being reduced or eliminated, and many communities, both urban and rural, have limited access to cultural resources.

Youth Education

All young people should have the opportunity to fulfill their potential. Education, in and out of school, happens best when youth direct their learning and engage in compelling problem-solving and critical thinking. Educators need support to play a vital role in assisting youth to investigate their passions and explore new interests. Rural schools often have less access to resources and curricula than urban schools. Both public and private schools need support.

Our Mission

Supporting charitable work that makes Oregon a better place.

We primarily award grants to small non-profit organizations focusing on social services, arts and culture, education, environmental initiatives, and youth-centered missions.

Pacific Power Foundation

The Pacific Power Foundation is the philanthropic arm of Pacific Power. Its mission, through charitable investments, is to support the growth and vitality of local communities.

Together with our foundation and employees, we've given $13 million to local communities since 2019 to lend a helping hand and spur economic development.

Grant Focus

The foundation manages its grants in four cycles. This helps the foundation carefully review similar requests to ensure maximum benefit.

Community Enhancement

Affordable housing, community resilience, community and recreation centers, economic development, libraries, monuments, memorials and science centers.

Environmental Respect

Animal and wildlife biodiversity; carbon and methane emissions; conservation of natural resources; environmental management systems; parks, trails and gardens; resource stewardship; waste management reduction, and water usage management.

About the Foundation

Ruth A. Wheeler and Henry O. Wheeler established their charitable trust in 1982. The Wheeler’s parents moved to Tacoma, Washington, in the mid-1880s and were Tacoma pioneers. The Wheelers were born in Tacoma in the early 1890s and died in Tacoma in the early 1990s. They were privileged to experience essentially the entire American twentieth century in Tacoma, with time spent most years in California. There, they lived and worked through two World Wars, the financial surge of the ‘20s, the Great Depression of the ‘30s, the economic boom of the ‘50s and ‘60s, and the social turmoil of the ‘70s. They endured challenges and found opportunities. Their experience was that adversity produces patience and patience produces hope. The Trust aspires to further the high ideals exemplified by the productive and generous lives lived by Ruth A. Wheeler and Henry O. Wheeler.

Funding Priorities

The Ruth Anderson Wheeler and Henry O. Wheeler Charitable Trust supports a variety of charitable causes with a major focus on education and organizations primarily located in California and the state of Washington.

Program areas

• Arts, culture, and humanities;
• Education;
• Health;
• Human services;
• Public/society benefit;
• Religion. 

What We Fund

To maximize the impact of our financial support, the Foster Foundation cultivates long-term partnerships with organizations whose work aligns with our priority funding issues. By identifying well run nonprofit programs with the vision and capacity to get things done, we continue to make sound investments in the people, communities and future of the Pacific Northwest.

Priority Areas

Building strong communities benefits all of us. Improving community life encompasses not only meeting critical needs such as food, housing, healthcare, education and employment, but also enriching community spirt and well-being through the support of artistic expression, cultural programs and sports/recreational opportunities.

We seek to identify and fund under-resourced opportunities to make a difference in these four areas:

Social Services/ Human Welfare

We fund emergency and critical human services that support people and families in need. This includes food, emergency/transitional housing, job/life's skills training, counseling and other resources and opportunities that build economic self-reliance.

Education

We support innovative programs that improve literacy, learning and academic success for all ages. Training, tutoring, mentoring and enrichment programs are examples of our outreach in this area.

Medical Research, Treatment & Care

We provide funding for promising medical research to aid in the understanding, treatment and prevention of diseases. The Foundation also supports hospice care as well as HIV/AIDs research and education.

Community Engagement

We nurture the spirt and well-being of Northwest communities by supporting cultural, artistic and recreational activities that engage all ages and populations. Foundation grants help sustain arts organizations and programs that express and grow the creative imagination. We also support community sports/recreational programs, centers and activities that promote health, well-being and teamwork.

Geographic Reach

With both family and business roots in the Pacific Northwest, The Foster Foundation takes a regional approach to giving. We target our funding to assist nonprofits engaged in our priority funding concerns within Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana and Alaska.

In addressing the founders' original intent, the Foundation will expand our philanthropy into smaller, more diverse communities within this five state area over the coming years. We will continue to support existing grantees. But, we desire to learn about and fund other pioneering initiatives and nonprofit programs that address the underserved and disadvantaged segments of this population―especially children, women and seniors.

Pacific Power Foundation

The Pacific Power Foundation is the philanthropic arm of Pacific Power. Our mission, through our charitable investments, is to support the growth and vitality of our communities. In 2021, the Pacific Power Foundation awarded more than $1 million to local nonprofit organizations.

Apply for a Grant

Arts/Culture

Arts festivals, cultural heritage, museums, music, theater/drama and visual arts.

WESTAF’s TourWest Grant provides flexible funding for presenters/presenting organizations within the WESTAF region to support their regional touring program. WESTAF also encourages the inclusion of community/educational outreach as part of an organization’s presentation of touring artists. 

TourWest is a competitive grant program funded by the National Endowment for the Arts to provide subsidies to arts and community organizations in the 13-state WESTAF region and jurisdictions, including Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and American Samoa for the presentation of touring performers and literary artists. 

Through TourWest, WESTAF and the National Endowment for the Arts aim to encourage the presentation of performing arts programming to culturally diverse audiences and those that do not typically enjoy ready access to the performing arts. In order to understand local needs and interests, WESTAF advocates working directly with individuals and groups from the communities that your organization seeks to serve. Community engagement and participation are key components of a successful TourWest grant application. 

WESTAF defines regional touring as programming that presents out-of-state touring artists and/or in-state touring artists traveling at least 50 miles to your venue. Presenters/presenting organizations are defined as organizations that present or host guest artists for engagements in their communities. Presenters can include but are not limited to community cultural organizations, community centers, churches, schools/colleges/universities, libraries, museums, film festivals/series, and performing arts centers. Typically, producing organizations or performing arts groups are not considered presenters, and are encouraged to contact WESTAF to discuss eligibility.

TourWest seeks to support the engagement of new audiences as well as collaboration between the presenters, artists, agents, and communities. In addition to working collaboratively with the artist(s) and/or community partners in planning the project, WESTAF encourages presenters to take advantage of opportunities such as block booking, presenter networks, and booking conferences to reduce costs and make artistic opportunities available to a broader audience. Partnerships and collaborative efforts between presenters are considered in the panel’s evaluation of an application and project.

Program Overview

Creative West’s TourWest grant program, supported by the National Endowment for the Arts, provides funding to presenters and presenting organizations to bring touring performers and literary artists to communities throughout the Western region.

Regional touring is defined as:

Programming that brings out-of-state touring artists to your venue, or In-state artists traveling at least 50 miles from their home base TourWest focuses on expanding access to the performing arts, especially in underserved communities.

To support this goal:

• Creative West encourages working closely with local individuals and groups to understand and meet community needs.
• Applicants are urged to include community engagement or educational outreach activities in their projects.
• Collaboration with artists, agents, and community partners is highly encouraged, along with strategies like block booking and using presenter networks to reduce costs and maximize impact.