Satterberg Foundation

Background

The Satterberg Foundation is a family foundation imagined by Virginia Satterberg Pigott Helsell and named to honor Elmer and Ruth Satterberg. It was founded in 1990 by her children, who gathered to create the initial mission to “improve the quality of life in the Pacific Northwest community.” The foundation’s assets grew substantially in the 2012 to 2015 era following the passing of a family elder, increasing the endowment from $4 million to $400 million. Since its founding, it has provided over $300 million in grants to nonprofit organizations. ^{2  3  4}

The organization is known for its shift toward Trust-Based Philanthropy, which emphasizes leaning on community knowledge and power-sharing. This approach is heavily driven by executive director Sarah Walczyk, who joined the foundation in 2013. ^{5  6  7}

The foundation explicitly focuses on left-of-center social justice themes, having modified its focus to center racial minority communities and equity beginning in 2015. Its mission is to promote “a just society and a sustainable environment.” This left-of-center focus includes core support for organizations working on racial justice, immigrant rights, and the Movement for Black Lives (M4BL), supported by a 10-year, $50 million Reparative Action Fund launched in 2020. ^{4  8  2  5}

Financials

For the fiscal year ending December 2023, the Satterberg Foundation reported total revenue of $80,338,467 and total expenses of $50,117,843, resulting in a net income of $30,220,624. The foundation’s net assets at year-end were $441,721,150. The primary source of revenue was sales of assets, which contributed $62,041,840, representing 77.2 percent of the total revenue. Dividends were the second largest source, generating $16,324,738, or 20.3 percent of revenue. Contributions received totaled $0. Charitable disbursements accounted for $48,292,017 of the total expenses, representing 96.4 percent. Compensation of Officers was $305,791. The foundation’s total assets amounted to $443,335,399, with total liabilities of $1,614,249. ⁹

Grantmaking and Advocacy

In 2023, the Satterberg Foundation reported grants to various left-of-center organizations. Notable grants included $1,005,586 to the Cultural Space Agency, $1,007,931 to Compasspoint Nonprofit Service, and $985,069 to the Amalgamated Charitable Foundation for a “decolonizing wealth project.” A further $100,000 was donated to the Black Organizing Project, and $1,007,931 to Byrd Barr Place for “BIPOC E.D. Coalition,” while $2,242,788 was donated to the Liberty Hill Foundation. Two grants for $738,823 and $503,966 respectively were given to the Social Justice Fund NW. There was a $900,000 grant to Seattle Public Schools. Grants of $175,000 were given to Somali Family Services and $100,000 to the Somali Health Board. $50,000 was given to Planned Parenthood. There were two grants totaling $175,000 made to Poder in Action. ¹⁰

There were four grants totaling $395,000 awarded to the Tides Center, including $125,000 for People Organizing to Demand Environmental and Economic Rights (PODER), $150,000 for the Detroit Action Ed Fund, and $20,000 for the AHRI Center. Additionally, there were five grants totaling $575,000 to the related Tides Foundation, including $25,000 for Poder Latinx, $100,000 for the Mass Liberation AZ Education Fund, $150,000 for the Trans Justice Funding Project, $150,000 for the Advance Native Political Leadership Ed Fund, and $150,000 for the Mass Liberation Fund. ¹⁰

The Satterberg Foundation made three grants for $738,823, $19,144, and $150,000 for “Solutions Not Punishment Collective,” all to Social and Environmental Entrepreneurs (SEE). ¹⁰

In 2025, the Satterberg Foundation partnered with the Trust Based Philanthropy Project through the “Meet the moment” initiative. This initiative seeks to bring its supporters together “in solidarity with nonprofits.” The group claims that the political climate could pose risks to nonprofits through reductions in funding, legal concerns, and lack of staff. ¹¹

People

Sarah Walczyk is the executive director of the Satterberg Foundation, joining the organization in 2013. Prior to this, she spent over fourteen years in nonprofit management, including roles at YouthCare and the Seattle Art Museum. She is a member of the executive committee for the Trust Based Philanthropy Project, a funder-to-funder advocacy initiative focused on community-centric grantmaking. ^{12  13  14  15}