Vadon Foundation

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OVERVIEW: The Vadon Foundation supports innovative community-based initiatives that sustain healthy thriving indigenous nations in perpetuity.

IP TAKE: Vadon family philanthropy is in a period of flux, but should be watched in this new grantmaking category, given it’s collaborative support that seeks to grow grantees’ capacity in a multitude of ways. Interested grantees should initially send an introductory email or call to this approachable and responsive funder.

PROFILE: Established in 2013, the Vadon Foundation was founded by businessman Mark Vadon and Mattie Vadon. Mark Vadon graduated with an A.B. in social studies from Harvard College in 1992, and received his MBA from Stanford in 1997. He spent six years with Bain & Company before founding online jewelry retailer Blue Nile in 1999. He took the company public in 2004, and then launched a new online retailer, Zulily, offering daily merchandise deals geared toward mothers and their children. Vadon was also chairman of Chewy.

The foundation recently distributed half of its assets and foundation and director Mattie Vadon resigned from the board. The foundation, which limits information available on its grantmaking priorities and activities, supports innovative community-based initiatives that sustain healthy thriving indigenous nations in perpetuity.

The Vadon Foundation “supports innovative community-based initiatives that sustain healthy thriving indigenous nations in perpetuity.” It funds programs to ensure that “every successive generation of indigenous people and culture will face an increasingly brighter future of healthy self-determination, autonomy, evolution, and sustainability.”

The foundation’s website does not provide much information about grant amounts or recent grantees. However, past grantees include the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Children’s Tumor Foundation, Seattle Symphony, Northwest Harvest, Rainier Valley Food Bank, Bertschi School, and Rwanda Girls Initiative.

The Vadon Foundation strongly believes in collaborative grantee-centric philanthropy. It asks that interested grantees initially send an introductory email or call their offices for a discussion.

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