Happy New Year! As we enter 2025, I’m reflecting on the strength of our network and the relationships that sustain us through challenging times. These connections, built over years of learning together and collaboration, remind me of the resilience and determination that define our work in philanthropy. 

At PNW24 in Missoula — our first in-person conference since 2019 — we experienced the tangible power of community and the depth of our collective commitment to advancing a more equitable sector. Our shared exchanges were grounded in the realities of our work, highlighting both the urgency and the opportunity to push for meaningful change. 

As we look to the year ahead, we face a complex and uncertain landscape. Philanthropy will undoubtedly be tested, but this is precisely when we must hold steady. Our shared commitment to redistributing resources and power to underinvested communities cannot waver. Instead, we must focus on actionable steps: deepening partnerships with grantees and one another, amplifying community voices and advancing equity-centered practices in concrete ways. 

Philanthropy has the privilege to take the long view. In the face of change, we can provide stability and act with purpose, ensuring our efforts address immediate needs while paving the way for systemic change. Together, our network has the power to challenge inequities, not just with words but through deliberate action that creates lasting shifts in the sector and the communities we serve. 

Strengthening Our Regional Roots 

Now more than ever, building trust-based relationships is essential to advancing our collective work. Our work at Philanthropy Northwest is deeply rooted in our values, with the value of place informing how we engage with our network and address unique community needs across our region. Guided by our strategic plan, a shared commitment to equity and centering community, we are embarking on a multi-year effort to deepen our engagement across our six-state region. 

This effort is about intentionally strengthening our relationships with current and new members and ensuring that all voices in our network are heard and valued. 

In 2025, Philanthropy Northwest staff and I will deepen our connections across the six states in our region by spending more time on the ground, listening to understand your aspirations and challenges, and meeting with members, partners and community leaders where they live and work. 

Over the next three years we will lean into: building authentic relationships, growing our regional representation of our network, co-creating programming that considers local perspectives, as well as both context and place, and elevating stories and voices from our region. We increasingly recognize that while we may share the same aspirations for our work, our approaches may vary. 

As we prepare to celebrate Philanthropy Northwest’s 50th anniversary in 2026, this milestone is an opportunity to both expand, deepen and in some cases rebuild relationships that have shaped our work over the last half-century.

2025: Leveraging Our Voice and Collective Action   

Our region’s diversity is also a critical strength as we collectively advocate for equitable policies on a national stage. 

At this year’s Foundations on the Hill, we will leverage unique perspectives and stories from across the Northwest to drive effective federal advocacy, ensuring that the needs of our communities are front and center in shaping policy decisions. By staying rooted in our region while amplifying its voices nationally, we’re bringing the full power of our network to bear in advancing equity and systemic change. We invite you to join our delegation in Washington D.C., February 23 – 26. 

An Invitation to Build Together 

As we begin this new year, I invite you to join us in building an even stronger, more connected and impactful network. Whether through shared learning, collective advocacy or simply showing up for one another, each of us has a role to play in shaping the future of philanthropy in our region. 

Let’s move forward with unity, resilience and collective purpose, and build on the progress we’ve made toward advancing equitable practices. Here’s to 2025 and the shared moments that will define it.