We are thrilled to announce the Foundation’s most recent Community Grant recipients. In all, we have awarded grants worth more than $3.5 million over the years. This round of grants totaled just under $50,000 thanks to your generous donations and legacy gifts. Here are the grant recipients and their projects:
- Friends of the San Juans: Salish Sea Immersive Dome project – This traveling program will deliver marine education experiences to schools and communities across the Salish Sea region. Participants explore habitats like eelgrass and kelp forests through virtual learning, reaching up to 1,100 people each year.
- League of Women Voters of Snohomish County: Snohomish Responsible Forest Stewardship – The grant will partially fund an education campaign using social media and mapping tools to raise awareness about mature forests. The project aims to build support for sustainable forest management and reach up to 400,000 people.
- Nisqually Reach Nature Center: Eye on Nature: Estuary Field Education & Stewardship program provides classroom visits and 12 field trips serving about 600 students with hands-on estuary education. The program prioritizes underserved schools and covers transportation costs.
- Nooksack Indian Tribe: Native Plants & Foods Garden Indigenous STEAM & Stewardship – the grant will help fund a culturally grounded program engaging Tribal youth in native plant gardening, restoration, and STEAM learning. Activities integrate Indigenous knowledge, stewardship, and hands-on education.
- Sahale Outdoors: Summer Environmental Day Camp – a 10-week outdoor day camp offering environmental education for youth ages 7–11. The program provides hands-on activities and reduces barriers to outdoor access for 400–500 participants.
- SEA Discovery Center: Free Marine Science Floating Field Trips – This program provides free field trips for 800 students that combine classroom, aquarium, and on-the-water learning. The program prioritizes equitable access for Title I and Tribal schools.
- Skagit Fisheries Enhancement Group: Salmon in Schools: Skagit Watershed Education & Stewardship Program – This is a hands-on program where students raise and release salmon while learning about watershed health. Field trips and restoration activities serve 1,400 students across 15 schools.
- South Puget Sound Salmon Enhancement Group: Kennedy Creek Salmon Trail Program – The program provides guided field trips serving 2,700 students and 2,000 community members. Participants observe spawning salmon and learn about habitat and stewardship.
If you know of a group that would benefit from our Community Grant program or a Norm Winn Grant, please share the information with them. Congratulations to all the wonderful groups that received a grant!
– Linda Anderson-Carnahan, Secretary