At Seattle Foundation, we envision a thriving region of shared prosperity, belonging, and justice, where all individuals and communities have equitable access and outcomes, regardless of race, place, or identity.
Seattle Foundation utilizes our Blueprint for Impact as a guiding framework – outlining a series of bold strategies for closing the persistent and long-standing racial and wealth gaps in our region. The Blueprint for Impact is informed by lessons from our past, bolstered by data revealing stark racial inequities among Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) and under-resourced communities, and encouraged by the belief that centering equity in our work will lead to a better future for all.
Seattle Foundation’s relationships with diverse communities has enabled candid feedback, and our partners’ deep expertise has profoundly informed our approach to grantmaking and helped us direct resources to communities most impacted. In the past five years, Seattle Foundation has dramatically expanded our core purpose to invest in strengthening community capacity and resilience through organizing and movement building, while growing leadership and power in communities most impacted by persistent inequities.
As it relates to the focus of NEON, the three pillars of our Blueprint for Impact – A Just Democracy, An Equitable Economy, and A Resilient Environment – align with both the Income & Wealth and Power & Leadership systems.
Seattle Foundation promotes wealth creation and access to capital through both our strategic grantmaking and impact investments, including our support of Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs) and BIPOC entrepreneurs and small businesses, as well as immigrant and BIPOC women through the Early Learning Facilities Fund. In addition, through the Evergreen Impact Housing Fund, Seattle Foundation is working to increase access to economic opportunity and mobility for our region’s most vulnerable families who keep getting displaced and pushed further away from jobs, education, and community services.
Seattle Foundation advances NEON’s work in Power & Leadership through a variety of programs and initiatives. In June 2021, Seattle Foundation launched our REPAIR (Racially Equitable Philanthropy Aimed at Initiating Reparations) framework, which is aimed at advancing and supporting Black-led community leadership. We are taking a comprehensive and holistic approach to REPAIR, including our philanthropist engagement strategies, grantmaking priorities, and development of internal accounting and operational practices. In addition, we center communities most impacted in our COVID-19 relief efforts. For example, our Fund for Inclusive Recovery is guided by an Advisory Group of community experts who advise Seattle Foundation on grantmaking priorities. The Fund for Inclusive Recovery is a pooled fund to invest in further building the capacity of BIPOC-led and -rooted organizations and movements, and increase the civic influence and power of BIPOC communities as a pathway to a more equitable region out of the pandemic.
