The Minnesota-based Northwest Area Foundation approved 27 grants worth $5.3 million in the second quarter of 2016, focused on advancing good jobs and financial capability by funding grantees whose work creates enterprise development, access to capital, workforce opportunity, and financial inclusion for low-income communities, with a special focus on those that are Native, communities of color or immigrant. In the Northwest, these grants included more than $1 million for programs in Montana, Oregon and Washington.

Nationally and regionally, our communities are dealing with the grief, frustration and anger that results from the persistence of fear, injustice and inequity. We know these issues are complicated. We also know philanthropy has an important role to play in the creation of policies and solutions to address these challenges. Many of us have been having conversations with family, friends and colleagues about the community crises we face, but we are also hearing a strong desire from you for a place to talk more formally with others in our field. While the concepts of democracy and equity have always been part of our annual conference planning, we are now focused on creating and holding space for us to step forward together through those lenses, Under One Sky in Missoula, Montana this fall. As your learning network, we are more committed than ever to addressing the real experiences of people in our communities. We hope you will join us on this journey as we continue to create opportunities to think collectively about supporting and investing in strategies to achieve our shared vision: Northwest communities have vibrant, healthy futures the honor our past, our people and our cultures.  

The fundraising platform that crashed on May 3, crippling a 24-hour online giving extravaganza for thousands of nonprofits participating in Seattle Foundation's GiveBIG, Montana Community Foundation's MTGives and 50 similar campaigns nationwide, has issued "a multi-phase plan" to make things right. Given Kimbia's latest announcement, the extended hours and employer matching funds to process, we may not know the final numbers from the giving day campaigns until June. Here are the preliminary totals, as reported on the campaign websites: