It’s been over a year since our first newsletter, and we’ve made great strides in advancing relationships and increasing our giving across the foundation. In education, with strategic guidance from our senior program officer, and participation in community listening sessions, we completed a strategy refresh and decided to focus on families and the critical role they play in their children’s development and learning. We are excited to share more about the evolution of our education funding at this link, and to introduce a portfolio of outstanding community organizations to a wider audience of supporters.

Our big goal related to climate and clean energy is to decarbonize the Pacific Northwest, with a sharp focus on Washington and Oregon. One of the specific efforts we are excited to share is the regional research effort led by the Clean Energy Transition Institute (CET Institute). We were pleased to see the results of their study on the pathways to decarbonization. Meeting the Challenge of Our Time: Pathways to a Clean Energy Future for the Northwest is the first economy-wide analysis to examine decarbonization pathways mapped to the Northwest’s economic and institutional realities. The CET Institute commissioned this study to understand how Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and Washington could technically and economically achieve a low-carbon economy over the next three decades. We share more on the approach and results in the article below. To read the Executive Summary, follow this link.

We’ve spent the past few months revisiting our commitment to advocacy and civic engagement, reviewing our original motivations for this funding focus. In April, we launched a focused effort on assessing the needs, funding gaps, and partnership opportunities centered around supporting an informed and vibrant democracy. We are continuing our planning work through the fall and will update our website with news and a refined strategy.

We stand strong in our commitment to community partners and our three priority funding pillars – narrowing academic achievement and opportunity gaps, mitigating climate change and advancing clean energy solutions, and investing in advocacy and civic engagement that include all people in the political process. We welcome the opportunity to share more about this work, and we are happy to introduce our community partners to potential donors and foundations who align with our goals. Feel free to reach out, and let’s consider advancing in this work together.

Kim Wright

Executive Director