Hearst Foundations' Mission

The Hearst Foundations identify and fund outstanding nonprofits to ensure that people of all backgrounds in the United States have the opportunity to build healthy, productive and inspiring lives.

Hearst Foundations' Goals

The Foundations seek to achieve their mission by funding approaches that result in:

• Improved health and quality of life
• Access to high quality educational options to promote increased academic achievement
• Arts and sciences serving as a cornerstone of society
• Sustainable employment and productive career paths for adults
• Stabilizing and supporting families

Funding Priorities

The Hearst Foundations support well-established nonprofit organizations that address significant issues within their major areas of interests – culture, education, health and social service – and that primarily serve large demographic and/or geographic constituencies. In each area of funding, the Foundations seek to identify those organizations achieving truly differentiated results relative to other organizations making similar efforts for similar populations. The Foundations also look for evidence of sustainability beyond their support.

Culture

The Hearst Foundations fund cultural institutions that offer meaningful programs in the arts and sciences, prioritizing those which enable engagement by young people and create a lasting and measurable impact. The Foundations also fund select programs nurturing and developing artistic talent.

Types of Support: Program, capital and, on a limited basis, general and endowment support

Education

The Hearst Foundations fund educational institutions demonstrating uncommon success in preparing students to thrive in a global society. The Foundations’ focus is largely on higher education, but they also fund innovative models of early childhood and K-12 education, as well as professional development.

Types of Support: Program, scholarship, capital and, on a limited basis, general and endowment support

Health

The Hearst Foundations assist leading regional hospitals, medical centers and specialized medical institutions providing access to high-quality healthcare for low-income populations. In response to the shortage of healthcare professionals necessary to meet the country’s evolving needs, the Foundations also fund programs designed to enhance skills and increase the number of practitioners and educators across roles in healthcare. Because the Foundations seek to use their funds to create a broad and enduring impact on the nation’s health, support for medical research and the development of young investigators is also considered.

Types of Support: Program, capital and, on a limited basis, endowment support

Social Service

The Hearst Foundations fund direct-service organizations that tackle the roots of chronic poverty by applying effective solutions to the most challenging social and economic problems. The Foundations prioritize supporting programs that have proven successful in facilitating economic independence and in strengthening families. Preference is also given to programs with the potential to scale productive practices in order to reach more people in need.

Types of Support: Program, capital and general support

NOTE: There is no deadline for the Social Justice and Resiliency Fund; we will accept and review requests on a rolling basis.

Who We Are

We cultivate, celebrate and sustain all forms of charitable giving in southwest Washington to help strengthen our region for today and tomorrow. We connect people who care with causes that matter, in order to do more good with the resources available.

Social Justice and Resiliency Fund

In a time of heightened uncertainty, a swift response makes all the difference. This is one of many lessons we’ve learned after a year of navigating an array of unimaginable hardships amidst a pandemic. When the Community Foundation launched the SW Washington COVID Response Fund in 2020, we committed to supporting local nonprofit relief efforts working on the frontlines with economically vulnerable families and delivered more than $8.5 million in rapid-response grants. As our region begins to shift from relief to recovery, we recognize that our region’s most marginalized communities are too often left out of larger economic gains, especially in the wake of crises. This past year further highlighted this reality and the need for equitable and sustainable solutions. From this and invaluable feedback from the community, our Social Justice and Resiliency Fund was born.

Communities know best what they need to thrive. We learned from our COVID Response Fund that flexible, unrestricted funding leads to meaningful impact and we are continuing this trust-based approach through the Social Justice and Resiliency Fund.

This emerging fund provides support in the form of two types of unrestricted grants:

• Proactive Grants – Awarded based on outreach and ongoing conversations with our Program Staff; and
• Responsive Grants – Awarded based on a simple and brief application process through our website.

The Social Justice and Resiliency Fund provides nonprofits with the sustained support needed to address systemic issues facing our community. This work will ensure that when the next crisis hits—be it financial, environmental, or health-related—our region will have a more robust and reflective coalition of community-based organizations poised to respond quickly and equitably. Our community organizations demonstrate steadfast resiliency in the face of turbulent times and we are committed to supporting their capacity to continue meaningful work in southwest Washington.

Funding

The grants will vary in size and scope. We will provide smaller, responsive grants in the $5K-$25K range. For organizations who have deep alignment with the fund’s criteria and would like to explore a capacity building grant larger than $25K, please contact a CF Program Officer.

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%). 

Walmart’s more than 2 million associates are residents, neighbors, friends and family in thousands of communities around the globe. Walmart works to strengthen these communities through both retail business and community giving, and we support and invest in communities through local giving. The following programs have open application processes with specific deadlines for eligibility and consideration.

Local Community Grants

Each year, our U.S. stores and clubs award local cash grants ranging from $250 to $5,000. These local grants are designed to address the unique needs of the communities where we operate. They include a variety of organizations, such as animal shelters, elder services and community clean-up projects.

Areas of Funding

• There are eight (8) areas of funding for which an organization can apply. Please review the areas listed below to ensure your organization’s goals fall within one of these areas.
• Community and Economic Development: Improving local communities for the benefit of low-income individuals and families in the local service area
• Diversity and Inclusion: Fostering the building of relationships and understanding among diverse groups in the local service area
• Education: Providing afterschool enrichment, tutoring or vocational training for low-income individuals and families in the local service area
• Environmental Sustainability: Preventing waste, increasing recycling, or supporting other programs that work to improve the environment in the local service area
• Health and Human Service: Providing medical screening, treatment, social services, or shelters for low-income individuals and families in the local service area
• Hunger Relief and Healthy Eating: Providing Federal or charitable meals/snacks for low-income individuals and families in the local service area
• Public Safety: Supporting public safety programs through training programs or equipment in the local service area
• Quality of Life: Improving access to recreation, arts or cultural experiences for low-income individuals and families in the local service area

NOTE:

Application forms must be requested each year online prior to submitting an application. When you submit an LOI, a member of the foundation staff will be contacting you within the next five business days regarding the status of your request.

Full applications are due at the "full proposal" deadline above. 

The Foundation is dedicated to providing financial assistance to organizations committed to improving our world. Solutions to the problems of today's world still lie in the values of innovation, practicality, hard work, and compassion.

The Foundation considers applications for grants in the following areas:

• Education
• Social Service
• Health care
• Civic and cultural
• Environmental

The categories above are not intended to limit the interest of the Foundation from considering other worthwhile projects. In general, the Foundation guidelines are broad to give us flexibility in providing grants.

The majority of our grants are made in the U.S. However, like Dr. Scholl, we recognize the need for a global outlook. Non-U.S. grants are given to organizations where directors have knowledge of the grantee.

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.

Max and Victoria Dreyfus Foundation Grant

The Foundation will consider requests to support museums, cultural and performing arts programs; schools and hospitals; educational, skills-training and other programs for youth, seniors, and persons with disabilities; environmental and wildlife protection activities; and other community-based organizations and programs.

Our Story

In 1998, the Icicle Fund was established by Harriet Bullitt to support the work of six named partner organizations focused on protecting the environment, advancing the arts, and promoting the natural and cultural history of the Wenatchee River watershed. This work quickly expanded to include the North Central Washington region counties of Chelan, Okanogan, Douglas and Grant. At an early board meeting, Harriet told "The Parable of the Long Spoons", which conveys the caring and cooperative spirit with which she hoped the Fund would operate.

Now, as we look back at our work over the past 20 years, we are committed to a sense of place as central to the Icicle Fund’s mission. It is this belief that strong connections to the land and the communities in which we live are nurtured through artistic expression and imagination, an understanding of our past, and experience in and love for our natural landscapes and wildlife. 

Our collective focus on this mission has centered our work on three areas in which the Icicle Fund awards grants: Arts, Cultural and Natural History, and Environment. Integration of two or more of these areas can be very impactful.

The Icicle Fund is a 501(c)(3) supporting organization. As we look back at the past 20 years, and forward to the next 20, representatives of the six named partner organizations continue to hold the majority of seats on the Board of Directors and work collaboratively with each other and other organizations to carry out the Fund's mission. It is this collective impact that will allow our work to continue to care for and be shared by the partners and communities we serve for the next 20 years. We strive to make a positive difference in the quality and health of all life in North Central Washington. Our work is inspired by a vision of North Central Washington as a region where nature, the arts and the area’s natural and human history inspire an appreciation, understanding and stewardship of this special place.

The Icicle Fund: Project Specific Funding

The Icicle Fund awards grants to non-profit organizations who develop 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.

This year, we have again adapted our grant programs to further deepen partnerships with organizations that serve North Central Washington communities. Last year highlighted the power of flexible funding in allowing nonprofits to deliver mission in innovative and impactful ways. Depending on organizational mission and service areas, unrestricted or project support is available this year.

Our goal is to empower organizations to do their most important work in the community, implementing not only the high-profile but also the hard-to-fund projects while building and maintaining high performing organizations. 

We acknowledge the need for intentional strategies to engage community organizations and members who have been historically under-served through our programs. As a result, the application process and our applicant support service have been changed. 

Funding Priorities

We value both young (“upstart”) and mature organizations that foster a collaborative atmosphere, deliver mission in innovative and impactful ways, and connects with our diverse North Central Washington community.

Collaborative

We fundamentally believe that by working together we can increase the impact of organizations across this region. When mutually beneficial, we encourage exploration of collaborative relationships with one or more of the six Icicle Fund lead partner organizations.

Impactful

We support nonprofits in doing their most important work in the community, implementing not only the high-profile but also the hard-to-fund projects while building and maintaining high performing organizations.

Connected

We believe that strong, thriving communities are created and maintained through engagement of all its members and value nonprofits that remove barriers for community members who have been historically under-served or under-represented.

Our Mission

The three areas in which we awards grants are Environment, the Arts, and Cultural and Natural History. Integration of two or more of these areas can be very powerful and is encouraged when relevant.

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, and businesses ensure sustainable, quality arts programs
• Everyone in NCW deserves access to, and engagement with, the Arts at levels similar to urban areas

Environment

Icicle Fund envisions a future where intact landscapes, representative of the biodiversity of the region, provide opportunities for all people to connect with the land and water through stewardship capacity and policies that inspire long-term commitment to place. 

Strategic Goals

• Enhance the capacity of the North Central Washington community to know and care for and to access the land and water
• Build partnerships to advocate for strong policies to support land and water conservation through a variety of approaches
• Collaborate to conserve priority areas that sustain natural systems and species, connect across habitat types, and protect the flow of ecological and socioeconomic services
• Increase resilience to the local effects of climate change, in particular for climate-vulnerable populations or communities, and
• Work collaboratively to utilize multiple funding sources and increasingly leverage the Icicle Fund investment in conservation 

Priority Landscapes Include

• Natural lands that sustain systems and species, connect habitat types, and ensure the flow of ecological and socioeconomic services
• Working farms, ranches, and forests that balance human use with habitat protection and contribute to landscape connectivity
• Recreational lands such as parks and trails that provide opportunities for people to experience the outdoors close to home
• Lands that increase our resilience to the impact of climate change

History

The Icicle Fund envisions a future where North Central Washington residents and visitors understand and appreciate our region’s cultural and natural historical past.

The Icicle Fund: Unrestricted Funding

The Icicle Fund awards grants to non-profit organizations who develop 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.

This year, we have again adapted our grant programs to further deepen partnerships with organizations that serve North Central Washington communities. Last year highlighted the power of flexible funding in allowing nonprofits to deliver mission in innovative and impactful ways. Depending on organizational mission and service areas, unrestricted or project support is available this year.

Our goal is to empower organizations to do their most important work in the community, implementing not only the high-profile but also the hard-to-fund projects while building and maintaining high performing organizations. 

We acknowledge the need for intentional strategies to engage community organizations and members who have been historically under-served through our programs. As a result, the application process and our applicant support service have been changed. 

Funding Priorities

We value both young (“upstart”) and mature organizations that foster a collaborative atmosphere, deliver mission in innovative and impactful ways, and connects with our diverse North Central Washington community.

Collaborative

We fundamentally believe that by working together we can increase the impact of organizations across this region. When mutually beneficial, we encourage exploration of collaborative relationships with one or more of the six Icicle Fund lead partner organizations.

Impactful

We support nonprofits in doing their most important work in the community, implementing not only the high-profile but also the hard-to-fund projects while building and maintaining high performing organizations.

Connected

We believe that strong, thriving communities are created and maintained through engagement of all its members and value nonprofits that remove barriers for community members who have been historically under-served or under-represented.

Our Mission

The three areas in which we awards grants are Environment, the Arts, and Cultural and Natural History. Integration of two or more of these areas can be very powerful and is encouraged when relevant.

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, and businesses ensure sustainable, quality arts programs
• Everyone in NCW deserves access to, and engagement with, the Arts at levels similar to urban areas

Environment

Icicle Fund envisions a future where intact landscapes, representative of the biodiversity of the region, provide opportunities for all people to connect with the land and water through stewardship capacity and policies that inspire long-term commitment to place. 

Strategic Goals

• Enhance the capacity of the North Central Washington community to know and care for and to access the land and water
• Build partnerships to advocate for strong policies to support land and water conservation through a variety of approaches
• Collaborate to conserve priority areas that sustain natural systems and species, connect across habitat types, and protect the flow of ecological and socioeconomic services
• Increase resilience to the local effects of climate change, in particular for climate-vulnerable populations or communities, and
• Work collaboratively to utilize multiple funding sources and increasingly leverage the Icicle Fund investment in conservation 

Priority Landscapes Include

• Natural lands that sustain systems and species, connect habitat types, and ensure the flow of ecological and socioeconomic services
• Working farms, ranches, and forests that balance human use with habitat protection and contribute to landscape connectivity
• Recreational lands such as parks and trails that provide opportunities for people to experience the outdoors close to home
• Lands that increase our resilience to the impact of climate change

History

The Icicle Fund envisions a future where North Central Washington residents and visitors understand and appreciate our region’s cultural and natural historical past.