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Community Leadership
In addition to awarding grants to nonprofit organizations that are effectively working to improve the health of our community, The Seattle Foundation is engaged in the community as a philanthropic leader and convenor.
The Foundation seeks opportunities to collaborate with other philanthropic organizations in support of activities that lead to healthy community outcomes for King County residents. From initiating a private-public initiative to fund supportive housing for chronically homeless adults to leading the Neighbor to Neighbor Fund, the Foundation offers its expertise and support to strengthen these collaborations. Our participation also keeps our staff current on the latest thinking, new initiatives and community needs.
The Foundation hosts regular community conversations where we convene nonprofit staff, community leaders, Foundation donors and other experts in the field to build a greater understanding of issues impacting local quality of life and a stronger community network. These events explore innovative solutions and identify gaps in local services and support. The gatherings also provide an opportunity to discuss barriers to achieving a Healthy Community.
The Foundation continually gathers and shares information about the community's needs. Our more than 400 annual site visits to local nonprofit organizations, community conversations and other community collaborations inform the Foundation's grantmaking and the work we do to match donors' interests with the needs of our community. Sharing our collective knowledge with donors and the community is paramount, and led to the creation of our Healthy Community framework.
Our 96-page report on the needs of our community, A Healthy Community: What You Need to Know to Give Strategically, helps donors give more strategically—and has sparked conversations throughout the community about how we can make King County a more vital place to live. The response to the report has been tremendous. Since its release, many organizations—from nonprofits to retirement communities to entire towns—have adopted the seven-element framework for a healthy community and are using it in their own planning. The Seattle Times called the "information-rich guidance...a tremendous and welcome contribution." This is just one outcome of our community leadership work. |
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