Campion Foundation: Grants for Washington
/OVERVIEW: This funder makes grants to wilderness protection, homelessness and nonprofit capacity building causes in the Northwest. It strongly supports nonprofits in Washington State.
IP TAKE: Campion does not accept unsolicited grant applications. Grant seeker inquiries should have a government advocacy angle.
PROFILE: The Campion Foundation is based in Seattle, Washington, and makes grants to nonprofits running programs in its areas of interest. The Campion Advocacy Fund and Campion Foundation are separate but affiliated organizations that work in the same program areas—but in different ways. The Campion Advocacy Fund engages in direct advocacy for legislative and political change. This profile will focus on the grantmaking foundation, not the advocacy fund.
The Campion Foundation was established in 2005 by Tom and Sonya Campion. Tom co-founded Zumiez in 1978 and built it into the world’s largest action sports lifestyle retailer.
The foundation's three areas of grantmaking focus are protecting wilderness, ending homelessness and building capacity. It supports wilderness and homelessness programs in northwestern North America. Grants to strengthen nonprofits typically stay in Washington. View a list of grantees here. The foundation typically makes many more grants for wilderness and homelessness than it does for building capacity.
For wilderness protection, Campion supports efforts to protect landscapes in Alaska, British Columbia, Yukon and Northwest Territories, Washington, Idaho and Montana. An example is Trout Unlimited, which works to protect Bristol Bay from industrial mining projects, like the proposed Pebble Mine. The foundation does not accept unsolicited applications.
For homelessness, Campion prioritizes government policy and nonprofit advocacy. This is a very targeted grantmaking program that accepts applications by invitation only. Grantees include A Way Home Washington and the Washington Youth and Family Fund.
The funder seeks to strengthen nonprofits in Washington State through professional development grants to existing grantees to facilitate conference and training attendance. This is another targeted grantmaking program that accepts applications by invitation only. However, these are typically restricted to groups in Washington.
Campion says it follows the principles of catalytic philanthropy—“when a donor’s ambition to change the world is matched by their courage to accept the responsibility for doing it," rather than relegating the work to nonprofits and grantees. The founders were inspired by Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation’s “Impatient Optimist” philosophy.
Direct general questions to the staff at info@campionadvocacyfund.org or 206-686-5310. Keep up with this funder at its blog and philanthropy resources.
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