The Seattle Foundation is a left-of-center grantmaking foundation based in Seattle, Washington that largely supports local organizations as well as national organizations with Seattle-based chapters that provide programmatic, professional, and housing assistance to the poor and minorities, including many with critical race theory-aligned initiatives.

Background

In 1946, Richard Fuller, a businessman and founder of the Seattle Museum of Art, raised $289,000 to be an endowment for the general improvement of life in Seattle, Washington. In October 1947, using that endowment, Fuller established the Seattle Foundation as a 501(c)(3) community organization. ¹ During its first year, the foundation disbursed a total of $8,000 to organizations in the area, including Overlake Hospital, YMCA Camp Orkila, and the Swedish Hospital. ²

In 1981, the foundation hired its first full-time president, David Lindsey Moberly, an education activist and district superintendent, who was succeeded two years later by Anne V. Farrell, who grew the foundation’s endowment to $300 million during her 23-year tenure. In that period, the foundation funded a variety of organizations aiming to assist individuals with HIV/AIDS, such as Bailey-Boushay House, a dedicated nursing facility; the Northwest AIDS Foundation, which has since become Lifelong; and the Chicken Soup Brigade. ³

Grantmaking

The Seattle Foundation makes grants to organizations through three programs: the Resilience Fund, Neighbor to Neighbor, and the Center for Community Partnerships. ⁴

The Resilience Fund

The Resilience Fund is focused on making grants to Seattle-area nonprofits dealing with unanticipated expenses related to new initiatives intended to assist racial minority communities. Recipients of grants from the fund include Hip Hop is Green, which engages in youth-oriented environmentalist advocacy; Missing and Murdered Indigenous People and Families, which provides support to families of indigenous communities who have gone missing; and the Muslim Community Network Association, which provides programming and support to Muslim communities. ⁵

Neighbor to Neighbor

The Neighbor to Neighbor program is focused on making grants to organizations that provide programmatic and professional assistance to poor and racial minority members of the Seattle community. Recipients of grants from the program include Somali Community Services of Seattle, a Somali community organization; the White Center Community Development Association, which aims to provide affordable housing to immigrants; and the Iraqi Community Center of Washington, a state-wide Iraqi community organization. ⁶

Center for Community Partnerships

Center for Community Partnerships is focused on developing standalone initiatives with the local community to assist poor and racial minorities. For instance, in collaboration with King County, the center launched Communities of Opportunity in 2014, providing an initial investment of $2.5 million over half a decade, which focuses on awarding grants to local organizations in the Seattle region, particularly those based in White Center, Rainier Valley, and SeaTac-Tukwila. ⁷

Alesha Washington

Alesha Washington has been the president and CEO of the Seattle Foundation since May 11, 2022. Formerly, Washington was the program director for the Vibrant Neighborhoods and Inclusive Economy programs at the George Gund Foundation in Cleveland, Ohio; vice president of government advocacy for the Greater Cleveland Partnership; and a government relations staffer with Cleveland Neighborhood Progress and the Centers for Families and Children. Additionally, Washington is a member of the Policy Advisory Committee of the W.E. Upjohn Institute and a member of the Brookings Metro Leadership Council. Formerly, Washington served on the boards of the Cleveland Public Library and the Center for Community Solutions. ⁸

1. “The Seattle Foundation.” ProPublica. Accessed May 16, 2022. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/916013536
2. “Our History.” Seattle Foundation. Accessed May 16, 2022. https://www.seattlefoundation.org/aboutus/history
3. “Our History.” Seattle Foundation. Accessed May 16, 2022. https://www.seattlefoundation.org/aboutus/history
4. “Nonprofits are the backbone of our communities.” Seattle Foundation. Accessed May 16, 2022. https://www.seattlefoundation.org/nonprofits
5. “2021 Resilience Fund Grants Announced.” Seattle Foundation. February 16, 2022. Accessed May 16, 2022. https://www.seattlefoundation.org/Blog/Articles/2022/02/2021-resilience-fund-grants-announced
6. “MANY ROADS…THREE DECADES OF ADVANCING RACIAL EQUITY.” The Seattle Foundation. 2021. Accessed May 16, 2022. https://www.seattlefoundation.org/-/media/SeaFdn/Files/N2N/N2NBooklet-2021.pdf?la=en&hash=14BD91E519B23E6DFCB2051E7D92AE93A84E6DC7
7. “Communities of Opportunity.” Seattle Foundation. Accessed May 16, 2022. https://www.seattlefoundation.org/blueprint-for-impact/Center-Community-Partnerships/communities-of-opportunity
8. “Alesha Washington.” Seattle Foundation. Accessed May 16, 2022. https://www.seattlefoundation.org/aboutus/ourteam/Presidents-office/alesha-washington