Higgins Family Foundation
/OVERVIEW: The Higgins Family Foundation primarily funds grantmaking related to education, health, and the environment.
IP TAKE: The foundation lacks transparency, which limits information available on its grantmaking priorities and activities.
Annual grantmaking out of the foundation has been modest recently but perhaps more funds will go towards the family’s established interest areas in the coming years.
PROFILE: Established in 2001, the Higgins Family Foundation was founded by businessman Pete Higgins and his wife Leslie Magid Higgins. Pete Higgins graduated from Stanford University with undergraduate degrees in economics and history in 1980, and an MBA in 1983. Higgins spent 16 years at Microsoft Corporation, and was a member of the Office of the President, reporting to CEO Bill Gates. He is a founding partner of Second Avenue Partners, providing management, strategy and capital to early-stage companies.
The foundation does not maintain a website, which limits information available on its grantmaking priorities and activities. According to tax records, the Higgins Family Foundation primarily funds grantmaking related to education, health, and the environment.
Grants for Health
Leslie sits on the board of Seattle Children’s, which the couple support. Other grantees have included Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center.
Grants for Education and Sports
Higgins was on the board of trustees of his alma mater Stanford University. At the start of the decade, the couple pledged $2.25 million to create a matching fund for endowed athletic scholarships. The couple have three boys who grew up playing sports.
Grants for the Environment
Higgins is on the advisory board of Woods Institute for the Environment. The couple has supported Wild Salmon Center, Nature Conservancy, HOH River Trust, Forterra NW, and Long Live the Kings, whose “mission is to restore wild salmon and steelhead and support sustainable fishing in the Pacific Northwest.”
Important Grant Details:
Grants range from $5,000 to $50,000. In a recent fiscal year, the foundation gave away $180,000. Past grantees include Rainier Scholars, Mentoring Works Washington, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Forterra NW, and Long Live the Kings, whose “mission is to restore wild salmon and steelhead and support sustainable fishing in the Pacific Northwest.”
The foundation keeps a low profile and does not accept unsolicited proposals.
PEOPLE:
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CONTACT:
Higgins Family Foundation
c/o Frank M. Higgins II.
PO Box 264
Mercer Island, WA 98040
