Foster Foundation: Washington
/OVERVIEW: The Foster Foundation supports human services, education, medical research and community engagement in the Pacific Northwest states of Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana and Alaska.
FUNDING AREAS: Human services, education, medical research, community engagement
IP TAKE: This family funder has a strong presence throughout the entire Northwest region and although it has not been accepting unsolicited applications since 2017, it is still open to grantseeker contact and learning about new local programs. This is a tougher nut to crack.
PROFILE: Established in 1984, the Foster Foundation is a private foundation based in Kirkland, Washington. This is the foundation of Albert O. Foster, his wife, Evelyn, and his son, Michael. In 1938, Albert Foster co-founded a stock brokerage firm called Foster & Marshall, Inc. The founding members have all passed away, but their legacy of giving in the region lives on through the foundation’s continued philanthropic work. The foundation aims to "advance the quality of life for present and future Pacific Northwest generations.” It funds local efforts for human services, education, medical research and community engagement.
The Foster Foundation’s social services and human welfare grants support emergency and critical needs, such as food, housing, job training and counseling. The goal here is to build economic self-reliance among local people. Education grants fund programs for literacy, learning and academic success for all ages. Mentoring, tutoring, training and enrichment programs receive these grants. Foster’s medical research grants go towards preventing and treating diseases, hospice care and research and education about HIV/AIDS. Meanwhile, the foundation’s community enrichment grants fund artistic, cultural and recreational activities that promote health, teamwork and creativity. Overall, the target population groups are children, women and seniors. The foundation reviews requests for capital needs on a case-by-case basis.
Grants range between about $5,000 and $200,000. Learn more about this funder’s local giving by examining its recent tax records. Grantmaking focuses on the entire Pacific Northwest region, which includes the states of Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana and Alaska. Past local grantees include Compass Housing Alliance, Boyer Children’s Clinic and Hamlin Robinson School.
This foundation does not accept unsolicited grant applications from nonprofits but rather invites qualifying organizations to submit proposals. However, it encourages regional nonprofits to introduce themselves to the foundation and share their missions and goals. Interested grantseekers should complete or update an organizational information form on the funder’s website and wait to hear back from the foundation to learn whether they have been invited to submit a proposal. The foundation accepts and reviews these forms between January and August. Direct general questions to the staff at info@thefosterfoundation.org or 206-726-1815.
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