At Philanthropy Northwest, we believe positive change happens when we come together to learn about and invest — our expertise, time, money and energy — in the places we call home. To realize a healthier, brighter future for all in the Pacific Northwest, we must build upon our collective strengths, connect across sectors, and engage in critical conversations to activate new ideas and practices.

This report, generously supported by the Satterberg Foundation, exemplifies these values. Each project featured illustrates the ways we can work together to develop true solutions to the challenges communities face.

In “Pacific Northwest Changemakers,” Mitchell Thomashow takes us from Central Washington to Montana, from Coastal Alaska to Portland. We learn how the Walla Walla Community Council generates community solutions to improve education and increase food security. And, we meet women promoting food sovereignty and teaching tribal youth about traditional Crow culture.

In Coastal Alaska, Sustainable Southeast Partnership successfully unites people from fishing and timber industries, Native communities and conservation to develop regional stewardship strategies. And, as gentrification in Portland and Seattle displaces low-income communities and communities of color, Living Cully and Yesler Terrace are creating a path for affordable housing rooted in local culture.

We are all in pursuit of a more vibrant region, and the communities featured in this report are leading sustainable grassroots change. We hope you will be as inspired by reading this report and that you will share it broadly — encouraging national and community partners to envision place-based, community-driven philanthropy for today and in the future. Now is a time for action, and together, our region can lead in the sustainable change our country needs.