NOTE: Grant applications will be accepted online during two annual grant cycles, one in the spring and one in the fall.

Dominion Energy Charitable Foundation

In 2022, $45 million was invested in the communities we serve. The Dominion Energy Charitable Foundation awards grants in four focus areas:

• Human needs grants that support increased food security, housing and shelter, and access to basic medical and health care.
• Environmental stewardship grants to protect natural resources and help non-profit organizations make efficient use of energy.
• Education grants to develop the capacity of the future workforce, especially in STEM and energy fields.
• Community vitality grants to foster an appreciation of diversity, revitalize neighborhoods and ensure a vibrant community life through support of cultural endeavors.

NOTE: Updated August 8, 2023: The M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust has received and requested proposals that will carry us into 2024 with our current staff capacity for review. We are making improvements to our systems, updating our application process, and expanding our staff capacity, all to better support our grantees and the communities we serve. To allow us the opportunity to complete this work, the Trust has instituted a temporary pause on new applications to our strategic project grants process.

Starting September 5, 2023, Letters of Inquiry (LOIs) received for the remainder of 2023 will be reviewed in a 2-3 week window in the order they were received. LOI’s received prior to September 5, 2023 will also be reviewed in the order they were received.

About the Trust

Since 1975 the Trust has invested nearly $800 million into nonprofit organizations in the form of grants and enrichment programs. Jack Murdock’s desire to “nurture and enrich the educational, spiritual, cultural, and social lives of individuals, families, and communities" continues to be reflected in grants, enrichment programs, and all of the Trust’s activities to this day.

Mr. Murdock was an avid learner, innovator, and entrepreneur. His informal education was continuous and lifelong. The special importance he placed on education has been the beacon leading Trust support of many colleges and universities in the five states of Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and Washington.

Organizations involved in advancing culture and the arts are welcomed each year, as are projects targeted to elevating human services, health, and health care in the region. These include community-based and faith-based organizations, particularly those that serve youth. From a founder who was thoroughly unpretentious, the Trust has taken his lead to welcome the best ideas from all across the region’s urban and rural areas.

The Trust’s founder believed in science and technology as one of the most important sources of knowledge and inventiveness, knowledge that he believed to be strategic to resolving many issues. As a result, the Trust has long been at the forefront of private support for scientific research and innovation. In recent years, this has realized more than 60 scientific research grants annually.

Mr. Murdock was vitally interested in community issues and encouraged the convening and collaboration of diverse leaders to focus on questions of importance. The Trust continues to bring many voices together to examine and explore ideas and trends in various fields and sectors.

Grant Overview

We believe in transformational ideas that help individuals, families and communities flourish — and since 1975, the Murdock Trust has invested nearly $850 million into nonprofit organizations that embody our mission.

Every day, we work to further our founder Jack Murdock’s desire to “nurture and enrich the educational, spiritual, cultural and social lives of individuals, families and communities.” We make grants that help improve the quality of life in the Pacific Northwest, and we welcome nonprofits that share our commitment to thinking bigger, challenging problems and making a true difference.

Funding Types

The Trust makes grants for building the capacity of nonprofit groups in these primary ways for the following three types of projects:

Capital: 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.

Equipment & Technology: 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.

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%). 

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:

Health Care and Hospitals

A growing area of need in many of the communities the Foundation serves. In 2017, more than $2.9 million was awarded to hospitals and health-care groups to build and improve their facilities. 

Human Services

The Foundation awarded over $7 million to human service nonprofits in 2017, and the majority of grants in this area were awarded to groups that provide essential services to youth and families. Grantees included a range of youth-focused groups, including the Kansas 4-H Foundation, Kids TLC, Ronald McDonald House & Boys & Girls Clubs. 

Higher Education

In 2017, the Foundation awarded more than $10 million to over 45 educational organizations. Grantees included community colleges, private colleges, and public universities. 

Arts and Culture

Arts and culture projects received $7 million in 2017, including grants to the Eisenhower Foundation in Abilene, Kansas; the Kansas City Symphony, the Nelson Gallery Foundation and many more.

Mission and Vision

By fostering a charitable corporate culture and advancing the impact of effective aid organizations, we strengthen families and build prosperous communities.

The Sunwest Bank Charitable Foundation invests in outstanding local organizations and employee programs designed to build a philanthropic corporate culture and strengthen our communities.

Our primary focus is the care of vulnerable children and families and supporting nonprofit organizations that meet food, housing, health, safety, and education needs. The Sunwest Bank Charitable Foundation encourages bank employees to get involved through the Annual Mission Trip, Volunteer Grants, and Matched Donation programs.

Since inception, we have issued grants to organizations that meet the needs of homeless, hungry, abused, unemployed, at-risk, and otherwise disadvantaged children and families in Arizona, California, Idaho, and Utah.

Grant Guidelines

Grant awards average between $10,000 and $20,000. Grants greater than $20,000 will require a more substantial proposal that includes performance metrics that must be reported in quarterly reports post-funding. Grant requests will be reviewed every semester, awards will be announced within six weeks after the semester-end. 

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.

Apply for a Grant

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

• The information on this page is for Health, safety and wellness organizations including: addiction, disability resources, disaster relief, domestic violence, first responders, food insecurity, healthcare accessibility, homeless support, mental health, public safety initiatives, veteran organizations, wellness and preventative care.

NOTE: BECU member nominations are accepted through the Letter of Inquiry deadline, above. Nonprofit supplemental applications are due by the full proposal deadline.

Nominate a Nonprofit

Not all heroes wear capes. Some work to end hunger, others push for social equity and justice, and others transform lives through mentorship, education or the arts. Heroism takes many forms, and we're counting on you to help us identify the heroes among us.

The People Helping People Awards is an annual, member-driven program that recognizes members and nonprofits that help others. Each winner receives up to $50K in grant funds. This year, through our Black Community Development Project (BCDP), a five-year, $5 million commitment to Black communities and racial equity, we're giving up to $150K in additional funding to Black-led nonprofits nominated by BECU members.

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

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/chambers of commerce.

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.

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.

NOTE: We encourage organizations who are approaching us for the first time to follow the For Grant Seekers steps outlined above. By submitting the Organization Information Form, you allow us to review your goals and missions to determine if you qualify for partner status and an invitation to submit a proposal. We will accept and review Organization Form data from January 1 - August 31. 

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.

The Inukai Family Foundation was established in honor of Richard Michael “Dick” Inukai.

Born May 25, 1943 to Tom and Mecha Inukai in a Japanese internment camp in Tule Lake, California, Dick’s parents moved to Hood River while he was an infant, and later relocated the family to Portland where his father owned a gasoline service station. A graduate of Madison High School, Dick joined the Marine Corps where he served four years as a reserve. Eventually, Dick’s love of cars drove him into the automobile industry in 1962 when he took his first job with a local auto dealership as a salesperson. Dick quickly established himself as a top salesman and worked his way up the ladder. Inukai found his way into ownership with his first auto franchise at the young age of 30.

Coming to Hillsboro in the early 1970’s, Inukai later acquired what is now known as Dick’s Country Chrysler Jeep Dodge and in 1994 became a full partner in Dick’s Mackenzie Ford. Hard work, honesty and integrity were the foundation of Dick’s business dealings which quickly endeared him to the local business community. Dick’s philosophy on running his business was simply never asking anyone to do something he would not do himself. Inukai devoted much of his work in the community to dozens of organizations with causes that impact children, such as providing books and readers to elementary schools through Operation Outreach; providing food, gifts and adopt-a-family coordination during the holidays for the Domestic Violence Resource Center; and with Hillsboro Parks and Recreation.

Areas of Support

The Foundation supports the legacy of Richard M. (Dick) Inukai to help make society better by supporting organizations serving children, underprivileged youth, minorities, seniors, health care and education. The Foundation funding priorities are: Education; Community and Social Services; and Health Care and Medical Research.