Welcome to Thrive 2022 Hello Friends - We’re taking a new approach to sharing the Community Foundation's work this year, focusing each bimonthly issue on a key community challenge. We’re hoping this provides helpful insight as we work together to make this beautiful county of ours a place where everyone has what they need to thrive. Mauri Ingram, President...
Local businesses are a big part of what makes a place special, their presence wrapped up in our daily lives and special occasions alike: a haircut, a pre-work coffee or post-game pizza, a part for your car, a birthday card for your grandkid. They are owned by our neighbors, and we might see one or...
As of January 31st, thanks to the stunning generosity of our community members and neighbors, the Resilience Fund of the Whatcom Community Foundation, in partnership with Whatcom Strong, now known as the Whatcom Long Term Recovery Group, made grants totaling $1,701,199 to organizations working on the ground in the communities impacted by flood. The funds have...
General Funds for Whatcom County grants support efforts emphasizing a shared vision that everyone who lives here thrives, and that align with our mission to cultivate neighborliness, lift community voices, and invest in equity and hope. Grant amounts typically range from $1,000-$20,000. Timing, eligibility, and criteria may vary based on funding availability, fund type, and Foundation and community priorities. This Application Nonprofit...
As of December 3, Whatcom Community Foundation through its Resilience Fund, and working with Whatcom Strong, has made 22 grants totaling $816,000 to 15 organizations working on the ground in the communities impacted by flood. The Resilience Fund is our community’s emergency bounce-back fund. It puts philanthropic (i.e. private) dollars to work providing emergency assistance, such as financial support,...
The Whatcom Community Foundation is making grants from the Resilience Fund to local organizations who are working with Whatcom Strong to provide flood relief countywide to people based on individual needs. Every dollar raised here stays here and 100% of all donations made to the Resilience Fund are being granted to local organizations in Whatcom County...
In addition to raising and distributing money from the Resilience Fund, the Whatcom Community Foundation listens to community voices and shares information, helps identify systemic gaps and needs related to relief efforts, and offers potential solutions to mobilizing support efficiently and equitably. Here is a snapshot of progress: Resilience Fund grants: Nine grants totaling $470,000...
It’s already May! Spring is definitely in the air. While there is still much work to be done on just about every front, within that work lies possibility and hope for defining a new and better normal for our community. Here’s a peek at what we know right now, the questions we’re asking, and what’s...
The family and friends of Lynn Heimsoth, the Sunnyland principal who was fatally shot, along with her therapy dog Sukha, in her home last December have established the Lynn Heimsoth Memorial Scholarship here at the Community Foundation. In memory of her drive for social justice and a strong belief in all students having the opportunity for higher education,...
What if we could ensure a market for local farmers and feed our food-insecure neighbors in one program? That’s the Farm-to-Freezer project in a nutshell, and it’s just one idea cooking in the Food Security Task Force, convened in late March by the Community Foundation at the request of Whatcom Unified Command. While the focus is...
