We faced enormous challenges in 2025: economic uncertainty, rising inequality, political polarization, and deep cuts to federal funding. Through our work at Seattle Foundation, we also saw nonprofits, community leaders, and residents step up to care for those in crisis, advocate for effective public policies, and create a sense of belonging in this place we call home. 

This past year was a steady reminder that our community already has the wisdom, brilliance, and expertise to build a more vibrant, resilient, and joyful future. Philanthropy has an important role to play in ensuring it is well-resourced to do so. 

The need for flexible funding so communities can build resilience has never been clearer. Nearly three-quarters of nonprofit leaders surveyed by the Center for Effective Philanthropy report that demand for their services has increased, even as foundation funding has declined. 

When we asked local leaders from organizations supported in 2024 and 2025 about their needs, flexibility remained the top request. Nonprofits told us they need the ability to respond in real time to community needs, without being constrained by limited resources and/or unnecessary funding restrictions. 

Through our discretionary grantmaking and philanthropic advising we made important strides to meet this moment: direct flexible resources to the people closest to the challenges and best positioned to create solutions. This is the truest form of philanthropy—recognizing our well-being is inextricably linked, and that caring for one another is what creates a vibrant, joyful community. 

We felt that joy while celebrating the 2025 GoWest Award for Cooperation in Action, presented to Evergreen Impact Housing Fund (EIHF) and five partner credit unions. The award recognized a mixed-income housing project near public transportation, with 20% of its affordable multifamily units set aside for people with disabilities. This progress is possible when donors, nonprofits, public partners, and community leaders unite around a shared vision. 

In 2025, the Foundation made more than 8,000 grants, distributing over $277 million, representing the vision and generosity of our fundholders. Donor Advised Fund distributions totaled $182,724,805, a testament to the accelerating power of collective philanthropy. Within that growth, $21+ million was invested through Core Grantmaking, our discretionary resources guided by community insight, supporting 373 grants across 258 organizations. We fulfilled all multiyear grant commitments early, reflecting our ability to move quickly and respond urgently through funder partnerships to critical community needs. 

The future of our region depends on its resiliency; something we can only achieve through partnership. Our donors’ generosity creates stronger neighborhoods, greater community safety, healthier institutions, and better education systems. Our nonprofit and public partners understand what our communities need and help put that generosity to work where it can have the greatest impact. 

As Seattle Foundation celebrates 80 years of community progress, we do so with a clear understanding of the work ahead and a renewed determination to persist and adapt with what our region needs. We will be the premier community philanthropy in our region, moving and influencing transformative capital towards that joyful, resilient future. 

Thank you for believing in what is possible and helping us build it together. 

Honoring Our History, Building Toward Joy 

For 80 years, Seattle Foundation has partnered with communities across our region. Today that work continues through our Journey to Joy: expanding opportunity, strengthening communities, and creating a more resilient and equitable region for all.

We bring together giving expertise, local knowledge, trusted relationships, and the people and capital needed to improve our community. We were founded in 1946 with $289,000 in pooled resources and a belief that philanthropy could shape a stronger future for the region. From awarding $8,000 in grants in our first year to supporting milestones like the first planetarium projector at the Pacific Science Center during the 1962 World’s Fair, our history reflects the power of community-led funding. 

Over the decades, our work has grown alongside the region. Together with our donors and fundholders, we've successfully moved transformative capital in ways that respond to changing community needs. By 1990, Seattle Foundation was among the early adopters of donor-advised funds, and we introduced philanthropic advisory services to help donors align their giving with their goals and values. Today, with more than $1.5 billion assets under management, we reflect the power of community-led funding to inspire possibility. 

CHANGEMAKERS

Marguerite Yeo on Her Giving Journey

“A few years ago, while working with my attorney on my estate plan, he asked whether I had considered partnering with Seattle Foundation. Until then, I had never heard of the organization. I knew I wanted my estate to ultimately support charitable causes, but I also knew that my priorities might evolve over time. I might discover new organizations whose missions resonated with me, or I might decide that one cause deserved a larger share of my estate than I had originally planned. I’ve enjoyed a rewarding career in marketing, I’m an avid hockey fan, I love to travel, and I have causes that are deeply meaningful to me—my interests and passions are quite varied. 

My attorney explained that by establishing a fund with Seattle Foundation, I would have the flexibility to update my charitable beneficiaries and adjust allocations whenever I wanted—without having to amend my estate documents, pay additional legal fees, or deal with new paperwork each time. It was an elegant solution that gave me both flexibility and peace of mind. 

When I reached out to Seattle Foundation, Bill [Zook] was the first person to respond. He patiently walked me through every step of the process, answered all my questions, and made what I expected to be a complicated undertaking feel remarkably straightforward. His warmth, professionalism, and genuine desire to help made the entire experience enjoyable. I was genuinely surprised by how simple and seamless it was to put such an important part of my legacy in place. 

For me, the decision to leave my estate to charitable organizations was an easy one. I don't have children, and my sisters are happily married and financially secure, so I felt fortunate to be in a position where I could create a lasting impact through philanthropy. The act of giving back, even if not directly to the people who helped and nurtured me, gives me joy. 

My giving has also been shaped by personal experience. I lost both of my grandparents and my mother to cancer, so supporting organizations dedicated to cancer research was a natural and deeply meaningful part of my estate plan. While cancer research is especially close to my heart, I appreciate knowing that, through my fund at Seattle Foundation, I can continue to refine my philanthropic priorities as my interests and the needs of our community evolve over time.” 

FUNDHOLDER STORY

Katie Joannes

Katie Joannes and her family created Jaden’s Community Support Fund to honor the life and values of her son, Jaden, whose compassion touched countless people. From an early age, Jaden noticed and included those who were often overlooked, and he stood up for peers facing injustice. 

His friends recall how his kindness and willingness to connect gave them hope during their darkest moments. Katie shared one example: “There was a girl who used crutches to walk, I think she had cerebral palsy, and nobody was sitting with her at lunch. He made a point to sit with her and then came home and asked me, ‘Why won’t anyone sit with her? She’s so nice.’” 

When Jaden passed away at 19 from an accidental overdose, Katie chose to transform her grief into action. Guided by the belief that energy never disappears but can be redirected, she sees the fund as a way to channel love and loss into meaningful community support. The fund has already united young people who knew Jaden, forming a youth advisory committee that ensures his spirit of inclusivity remains central. 

Katie describes the work as both healing and empowering. 

Katie shared that working with the Seattle Foundation has brought her a deep sense of relief. “It can feel overwhelming to bring so many ideas together and then face the complicated administrative side of grants,” she explained. “With the Foundation, that burden is lifted. We can simply decide where we want to donate, let the team know, and trust that it will be handled.” She added that the operational support allows her to stay focused on the heartfelt work, while the foundation manages the logistics. 

The fund’s activities have created space for collective catharsis, helping others process their struggles without shame while celebrating Jaden’s legacy. Through collaboration with the Seattle Foundation, Katie has built a structure for sustainable giving. For her family and community, the fund is not just about remembrance; it is about carrying forward Jaden’s unwavering love for others.