Northwest

The Autzen Foundation approaches grantmaking broadly with funds going to the arts, education, the environment, and social services efforts. However, youth-focused organizations have been a primary interest lately.

Bob and Evangeline Atwood were pioneers in building the Anchorage we know today. Here are a few important things to know about their foundation’s current grantmaking efforts in Alaska’s largest city.

With deep ties to the Seattle area, the Behnke Foundation and the family behind it have evolved their grantmaking over more than half a century. Director Michelle McBride talks with us about the foundation’s evolution and its annual unrestricted artist award.

ArtsFund, an important backer of the arts in Seattle, has a history dating back to 1969. Here are a few key things to know about how this local grantmaker operates.

The foundation that Linda Breneman created with her ex-husband Jeremy Jaech, a software entrepreneur, has played an important role in strengthening Seattle's literary scene, along with other causes. We explore the backstory.

There are quite a few community foundations in the state of Alaska, many of them affiliates of the Anchorage-based Alaska Community Foundation. But there’s another community funder in Anchorage worth discussing as well, and this one is interested in the small communities in the far-northern reaches of the state.

June Boeing, the wife of the late Bill Boeing Jr., runs this foundation, which has been on the local funding scene since 2002 and gave away $1.5 million in a recent year. We take a look at where grants have been flowing lately.

Even as national funders step up their giving for child development and learning, a lot of the new action is happening locally, with regional foundations focusing more resources on the very youngest kids. We look at emerging initiatives in Texas and Montana.

Philanthropy is a small but important part of major projects in Seattle and the Bay Area aimed at ensuring more affordable housing and providing aid to the homeless. Where can grant dollars have the most impact in taking on these daunting challenges?

The Meyer Memorial Trust in Oregon has been organizing its grantmaking around equity for a couple of years now. In its most recent round of environmental grants, it launched several collaborations with Native American tribes that are worth a close look.

Despite a humming economy and new wealth piling up, Oregon recently experienced its first statewide drop in giving in a decade, according to a report by the Oregon Community Foundation.

There’s plenty in the philanthropy of energy companies to inspire cynicism. But given the expanding grantmaking of firms like NW Natural, it’s important for nonprofits—including green groups—to pay attention to who’s making grants and how to get in on the action.

Even as Boise booms, much of Idaho is struggling with problems common to rural America: a lack of economic opportunity, aging residents, and disinvestment in community services, especially healthcare. What can philanthropy do?

With the housing crisis accelerating and federal support shrinking, the Orcas Island Community Foundation in Washington State is the latest local funder undertaking new work in this space—including an advocacy role.

Funding for Native American causes consistently falls short. But in Alaska, the state with the highest percentage of Native residents, some key funders are stepping up for these communities.

Alaska Airlines’ giving is a great example of aligned corporate philanthropy. It backs causes that emerge out its core business of aviation, including STEM education, aviation workforce development, and charity flight.

Rasmuson, a funder that is solely focused on Alaska, has been stepping up its giving. We look at how this foundation approaches its work and where grants are going.

The Oregon Community Foundation is the top grantmaker in its state and one of the biggest community foundations in the U.S. It also funds one of the largest private scholarship programs of its kind in the nation.

A women’s giving circle in the centrally located small town of Ketchum has been ramping up its giving and has grown to more than 300 members today. Where are grants going?

We write often about the handful of national funders that support individual artists. But there are also some local and regional funders who operate in this space, including Artist Trust, which is based in Seattle.

The Inland Northwest Community Foundation changed its name after 44 years, to the Innovia Foundation, and is looking to be a more powerful catalyst of change in its region.

The Opus Community Foundation is a steady supporter of nonprofits in Oregon and Washington, funding across multiple issue areas. We take a look at how the money flows.

With few funders on the local philanthropy scene, grant awards in Alaska can feel a bit few and far between. That’s why the recent momentum of one community foundation here really stands out.

A top theme of this business funder’s giving is helping individuals and families who have suffered from unforeseen setbacks and losses. It’s a good foundation to know for nonprofits in Portland, Oregon.

Wyoming is a state that doesn’t get a ton of attention in terms of philanthropy news. But grantmaking here is on the rise, especially for causes related to animals and the environment.

Not all Native American foundations give in the same way, and there’s a funder in Oregon that recently reminded us of this. We take a look at the Three Rivers Foundation's latest round of giving.

Amid a growing opioid epidemic, one of the many places were addiction during pregnancy is a growing problem is the state of Montana. A health legacy foundation is trying to tackle the problem. 

What's happening at the University of Oregon is another example of how universities and other big nonprofits are taking risky gambles prompted by mega-gifts.