Seattle Foundation brings expertise, funding and voice to our role as a civic leader

Civic Leadership

Seattle Foundation works to make our region a stronger, more vibrant community for all. We do more than invest money in our community. We use our expertise, leadership and voice to empower people to change policies and systems to create greater racial and economic equity.

We design and lead efforts with the public, philanthropic and private sectors as well as community partners to fuel collaboration and collective impact. The cornerstone of our civic leadership is “impact strategies” that unite work across the Foundation and harness our full range of tools – expertise, research, leadership, funding and voice.

Our impact strategies focus on changing systems through community-driven, cross-sector partnerships. Each long-term strategy is informed by data indicating where stark inequities and disinvestment exist and where potential to address the root causes of persistent community challenges is the greatest.

Catalyzing Community Impact

The Catalyzing Communities Impact Strategy develops long-term strategies and partnerships like the Resilience Fund and the Regional Census Fund that empower people in the places where they live. This strategy supports lifting people’s voices and building their power to shape the policies that affect them.

Climate Justice

The Climate Justice Impact Strategy is Seattle Foundation’s comprehensive work to ensure that communities of color and low-income communities are leading and shaping efforts to reduce the disproportionate effects of climate change that they experience.

COVID-19 Response Fund

Managed by Seattle Foundation, the Fund made grants to community-based organizations working on the frontlines to support our region’s most vulnerable communities.

Fund for Inclusive Recovery

The Fund for Inclusive Recovery builds on lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic, moving from immediate response to inclusive recovery.


Additional Resources