Charitable foundations and corporations provide critical support to Northwest communities, awarding grants for a range of issue areas, support strategies and population types. This analysis examines philanthropic giving to our six-state region — Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington and Wyoming — by a sample of 4,092 U.S. foundations and corporate funders that contributed a combined $1.8 billion through 46,965 grants in 2014.
Key Findings
Family foundations contributed the majority of funds to the Northwest. Of the $1 billion in grant dollars to our region from family foundations in 2014, 51% represent the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’s support of activities and programs in Oregon and Washington.
Trends Over Time
Grantmaking by family and community foundations is on the rise. As Northwest philanthropy completed its recovery from the Great Recession between 2012 and 2014, funding to our region increased dramatically from family foundations, driven by a $311.6 million increase from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and from community foundations, led by a $15.6 million increase from The Oregon Community Foundation.
