As we mark 50 years of Philanthropy Northwest, I’ve been learning about the moments that shaped who we are today and the many remarkable leaders who came before me over the last five decades.

This organization has taken shape through courageous and innovative leadership, long-standing relationships, shared learning and, at times, difficult conversations. Many of the most significant moments in our history reflect a commitment to greater inclusion and belonging, the courage to evolve and a willingness to try something new.

Our Early Years

One of the things I didn’t fully appreciate is how early our regional identity took hold. Since 1982 this network has brought together funders from across five states — Washington, Oregon, Alaska, Montana and Idaho. In 2007, we added Wyoming to complete our six-state geographic footprint. Each state brings its own history and distinct culture, unique geography and priorities. This kind of diversity could have made it challenging to stay connected as a cohesive network. Instead, it has become part of a great strength. We have a long-standing practice of staying in relationship and working across differences, even when it is complex.

From early gatherings of funders sharing ideas around a table, to the conferences and convenings that continue today, there has always been a belief that we do better work when we learn alongside one another. Some of the most meaningful conversations don’t happen on an agenda. They happen in the in-between moments when people are willing to listen and invite a different kind of conversation. One of our former board members recalled a pre-convening experience at Silver Salmon Camp in Alaska, where a small group of funders navigated challenges together far outside a traditional conference setting. That story reminds me that this network is built as much in those shared experiences as it is in any formal strategy.

I was also struck by how our network has engaged in policy and advocacy. From our early years, there was a recognition that philanthropy has a role to play in shaping the enabling conditions that affect communities like access to economic opportunity and rural development We brought our first delegation to Washington D.C., going in 1997, laying the foundation for our annual advocacy event — Foundations on the Hill. It feels especially relevant now as many in our network are navigating how to use both their voice and resources to support our nonprofit partners and our most vulnerable communities. 

Greater Access and Inclusion

Some of the moments that I am carrying with me are those where this network chose to look inward and interrogate its own culture and practices.

There were times when leaders asked difficult questions about who our network was serving and who it was leaving out. The formation of the Grantmakers of Color Network emerged when some of our earliest leaders of color came together to push for a more inclusive and accessible sector. There were also moments when we had to acknowledge where we fell short. Our efforts to more deeply understand and engage with Native communities came after recognizing where we had failed to build relationships and understanding that was needed. That work required listening, learning, building trust and humility. It also required staying relationship and centering community voice long enough to do something differently. 

Those conversations were not easy. They unfolded over time, and they changed us an organization and network. Our journey to centering equity and racial justice in our work and organization is one that has come over the last two decades. The values we hold today and importantly, the manifestation of those values has taken time. Centering and claiming them is a major milestone, but operationalizing them requires tenacity and commitment over time. This has included The Giving Practice DEI and Racial Equity, Diversity and Inclusion-focused leader cohorts, our Momentum Fellows program to build a pipeline of more diverse practitioners in the field and our learning series on philanthropy and reparative action. 

Innovation at Our Core

Over the last five decades, innovation has also been central to our work and evolution. The creation of The Giving Practice, our national consultancy, initiatives like Building Community Philanthropy and Mission Investors Exchange, and the network’s rapid response during COVID-19, all reflect a willingness to adapt and expand how we think about the role of philanthropy in communities. We’ve taken on new roles — serving as an intermediary to moved pooled funds to support Census outreach and respond to food insecurity. And most recently, taking on a role as a grantmaking intermediary to move millions of federal funding into underinvested communities to undertake environmental protection work on behalf of the EPA. 

The Next 50

Finally, there is also a longer history that continues to ground this work. The Native American concept of potlatch reminds me that practices of giving, reciprocity and community responsibility existed long before our current philanthropic institutions.  

All of this feels especially present right now. Many of you have shared how challenging this moment feels, as the work to advance equity, inclusion and belonging is under assault. There are real questions about how to move forward in the face of increasing headwinds.

When I come back to our history, I am reminded that this work has always required persistence and clarity, and a willingness to stay engaged even when it would be easier to step back. I also see how much depends on relationships that can hold difference and change over time.

That feels like work in front of us.  

This moment asks us to hold firm in the commitments we’ve been building over time. To continue advancing equity and to stay grounded in our values. To continue practicing belonging, courage and innovation in ways that are visible in how we lead, even as we face unprecedented uncertainty.

As we celebrate our 50th anniversary year, I hope you’ll spend time with the moments that have shaped this network. Visit our anniversary landing page to explore the timeline and stories, and to see how your own work connects to this broader journey.

I also hope you’ll join us this October at PNW26 in Anchorage. It will be a chance to come together, learn from one another and continue building the relationships that make this network possible.

I am deeply grateful to be a part of this community and to do this work alongside you.  

Fifty years is a meaningful milestone — lets forge forward together for the next fifty.