The Community Foundation of Snohomish County has made a commitment to advance equity and social justice by transforming itself into a diverse, equitable, and inclusive foundation.
The history of racism and oppression in the United States has made prosperity fleeting for many. Unfortunately, our systems fail to meet the needs and honor the strengths and resiliency of our entire community. Racial disparities are widening. Without focused effort toward dismantling racism, inequities will continue to grow. Therefore, we have chosen to address equity through an explicitly (though not exclusively) racial framework.
Advancing Equity & Justice
Our commitment to Indigenous acknowledgement, action, relationship, liberation, healing, partnership, and reconciliation.
In 2020 the Community Foundation’s first equity team recommended that the board of directors develop a land acknowledgement statement to support the equity statement and organizational values. The 2021 board and staff began this process along with consulting support from Tulalip Tribal members Chelsea Craig, Patti Gobin and Board Member Dr. Gerry Ebalaroza-Tunnell. In Snohomish County three tribes have been federally recognized: the Sauk-Suiattle Tribe, the Stillaguamish Tribe, and the Tulalip Tribes.
A land acknowledgement is one piece of a broader focus of the Community Foundation on building relationships, acknowledging harm and creating new paths for reconciliation and healing with Indigenous communities. A statement without action is meaningless. Action without understanding and acknowledgement can be reckless and performative. This 2022 document details our start toward collective acknowledgement and action by the Community Foundation board and staff. With the start we will hold ourselves accountable and learn together toward increased commitment and action in relationship with the Indigenous community.
Community Foundations Snohomish County (CFSC) acknowledges that we currently reside on the ancestral homelands and sacred waters of the Coast Salish people, who have called this place home since time immemorial. CFSC works toward honoring the aboriginal and treaty rights passed down from generation to generation by committing to build and maintain relationships with the Tulalip Tribes and all allied bands signatory to the 1855 Point Elliott Treaty. We commit to honoring this acknowledgment through our actions by disrupting systems of oppression within ourselves and hence our organizations and offer recognition and respect to the Coast Salish peoples including the Tulalip Tribes, Sauk-Suiattle and the Stillaguamish Tribe by creating new paths for reconciliation and healing with the Indigenous people of these lands.
Racial Equity in Philanthropy
2013
Joined a funder network through the Gates Foundation focused on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) with other Community Foundations and funders.
2016
Board of directors prioritized DEI training. Commitments vary without written agreements or guidance.
2017
Began monthly DEI training with staff and board. Recognize many internal barriers to advancing the work.
Developed our first nonprofit capacity program with an equity focus, Simple Starts, which includes how to grow a white-led grassroots organization with an equity framework.
Launched first race equity grant with the Rick Steves donor fund.
2018
Board participated in race and identity retreat. For many it’s the first time being exposed to the concepts of white privilege.
Prioritized equity commitment for new board candidates. Onboarded four new members with personal commitment to race equity. Disagreements within the board emerged related to time commitments for doing equity work.
Offered first equity-focused workshop series for the nonprofit sector, Equity 101.
2019
Deepened culture shifts. Discuss tokenism norms of a White Supremacy Culture. Many individual board and staff members are stretched in their ability to discuss racism and privilege.
Initiated first shifts to trust-based grantmaking practices and increased equity and racism conversations in donor conversations.
Integrated racial equity into work with professional advisors.
2020
Convened the first Equity Team. Developed six recommendations to move CFSC from learning to action.
Developed an Equity Statement that leads with race and intersectionality of identities.
Funded a trust-based philanthropy cohort with local funders that resulted in individual learning but not wide-spread collective change in funding processes.
Attempted to integrate racial equity framework in the proposal processes for investment managers and auditors. Lack of clarity about purpose and priority ended the process.
Launched first wide-spread focus on grant funding with equity framework using pandemic resources. Partnered with key stakeholders in the BIPOC, immigrant and refugee nonprofit community.
2021
Redefined values to center equity in all CFSC work. Identified tensions and obstacles. Navigated conversations with donors who were not fully aligned with new values.
Expanded membership of the Finance Committee and incorporate the new CFSC values of race equity into budgeting and financial oversight.
2022
Developed a new Strategic Framework embedded with the organizational values and race-equity priorities.
Continued power shifts and structure changes. Added seven new board members for four-year terms 66% of our board identify as BIPOC. Developed a shared-leadership model with the Chair and Chair-Elect.
Adopted guidelines to support Community Foundation relationship and accountability work with Indigenous communities. The Beyond Acknowledgement document details our aspirations and actions.
Received the Advancing Equity award from the NAACP Snohomish County Chapter.
2023
Launched a new Investment Committee with diverse racial and gender diversity to expand community voice in how CFSC invests assets. Shift to a focus on community impact versus a priority focus on greatest rate of return. Navigated disagreements about investment goals and the board’s priority on community impact.
Created the 15-50-5 Initiative to provide $50k per year for 5 years to 15 Black, Indigenous, People of Color led/serving nonprofits.
Supported the creation of Own Your Shine program for Black women which was started via a CFSC Unite to Ignite program.
Deepened relational work with our Tribal communities. Participated in a harvesting event with the Stillaguamish Tribes, added a Tulalip member to our Investment Committee and continued to fund the Tulalip Foundation and Quilceda Elementary cultural gardens.
Adopted a new living wage minimum of $70,000 and 100% of healthcare benefits for all employees.
Provided Trans awareness and inclusion training for staff. Began on an internal action plan for outreach and relationship building in LGBTQI+ communities where we’ve lacked relationships.
2024
Implemented all six Equity Team recommendations that were created in 2020.
Received the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Beloved Community Award from Lift Every Voice Legacy.
