FundersWashington

The Russell Family Foundation

Gig Harbor, WA · EIN 91-1663336. Reported 562 grants totalling $8,427,538 to 299 organizations across tax years 2021-2024. This foundation did not tell the IRS it funds only preselected organizations.

Yesaccepts unsolicited requests
$5,000median grant
$8,427,538granted, 2021-2024
299organizations funded
42%of grantees funded again the next year
$76.6Massets, latest filing

Does this foundation accept applications?

Yes -- on its own tax return. Form 990-PF asks every private foundation whether it makes grants only to organizations it selects itself. Of the 91,758 foundations in our data that made a grant and answered, 78% said yes -- and applying to those is wasted effort. The Russell Family Foundation did not check that box on its most recent filing, which puts it in the minority that is at least open to being approached.

This is the foundation's own statement to the IRS, not our judgement, and it says nothing about whether they have a form, a deadline, or an appetite for new grantees. Treat it as the reason this foundation is worth your research time, not as an invitation. Many small foundations of this kind have no website and no application process -- a letter of inquiry is the normal first step.

How big are its grants?

The median grant is $5,000. Half of everything it gave fell between $2,500 and $24,000; the smallest was $25 and the largest $600,000. If you are asking for materially more than the top of that range, you are asking the wrong foundation.

Under $1,000
72 grants
$1,000 - $5,000
132 grants
$5,000 - $10,000
116 grants
$10,000 - $25,000
104 grants
$25,000 - $50,000
100 grants
$50,000 - $100,000
35 grants
$100,000 and Up
3 grants

Every organization it funded

All 299 recipients appear in its filings; the 250 largest are listed here. Years funded is the number of separate tax years in which this organization received money -- the clearest signal of who this foundation actually has a relationship with.

OrganizationLocationTotal receivedGrantsYears fundedLast
Puyallup Watershed InitiativeTacoma, WA$600,000112021
Foss Waterway SeaportTacoma, WA$240,000442024
Puget Soundkeeper AllianceSeattle, WA$184,000642024
Communities in Schools of PeninsulaVaughn, WA$180,000542024
Gig Harbor Peninsula FishGig Harbor, WA$175,000442024
Stewardship PartnersSeattle, WA$160,000222022
Washington Environmental CouncilSeattle, WA$160,000222022
Confluence PhilanthropyNew York, NY$120,000542024
University of Washington Foundation (mount Rainier Institute)Eatonville, WA$115,000442024
YMCA of Greater Seattle - Camp & Outdoor LeadershipSeattle, WA$110,000332023
Great Peninsula ConservancyBremerton, WA$109,000442024
YMCA of Pierce and Kitsap CountiesTacoma, WA$102,000642024
American RiversWashington, DC$100,000222022
Re Sources for Sustainable CommunitiesBellingham, WA$100,000222022
Seattle Economic Development Fund Dba Business Impact NwSeattle, WA$100,000112021
Vc Include a Project of Tides CenterLos Angeles, CA$100,000222024
World Relief SeattleKent, WA$97,500442024
Wild SocietyKingston, WA$93,000442024
Environmental Science CenterBurien, WA$92,500442024
Viva FarmsMount Vernon, WA$90,800522024
Pacific Education InstituteOlympia, WA$87,120332024
Vashon Nature CenterVashon, WA$86,000442024
Port Townsend Marine Science CenterPort Townsend, WA$84,000442024
Museum of GlassTacoma, WA$80,000222022
Na'ah Illahee FundSeattle, WA$80,000112021
Northwest Straits Marine Conservation FoundationBellingham, WA$80,000222022
Nourish Pierce CountyTacoma, WA$80,000422022
The Trust for Public LandSeattle, WA$76,012632023
The Nature ConservancyArlington, VA$76,000222023
Community Boat Project at Puget Sound Voyaging SocietyNordland, WA$75,000332023
Community to Community Development (C2C) Fs Institute for Washingtons FuturBellingham, WA$75,000112024
Degrees of ChangeTacoma, WA$75,000222022
Pierce Conservation DistrictPuyallup, WA$75,000112024
Puget Sound Restoration FundBainbridge Island, WA$75,000112024
Restaurant 2 Garden (fiscal Sponsor Seattle Parks Foundation)Seattle, WA$75,000112024
Washington Maritime BlueSeattle, WA$75,000212024
Summer SearchTukwila, WA$72,500332024
Greater Tacoma Community FoundationTacoma, WA$71,500442024
As You SowBerkeley, CA$70,000432024
Friends of North Creek ForestBothell, WA$70,000332023
Kulshan Carbon TrustBellingham, WA$70,000112024
Washington Trails AssociationSeattle, WA$70,000332023
Waya Outdoor InstituteTumwater, WA$67,500332024
Audubon WashingtonSeattle, WA$66,000212021
Emergency Food Network of Tacoma and Pierce CountyLakewood, WA$65,000322022
Community Foundation of South Puget SoundOlympia, WA$60,000112022
Ecoss Environmental Coalition of South SeattleSeattle, WA$60,000112021
Foundation for Tacoma StudentsTacoma, WA$60,000432023
Harbor WildwatchGig Harbor, WA$60,000222024
Sun Valley Writers' ConferenceKetchum, ID$60,000442024
Washington Water TrustSeattle, WA$60,000112024
Garden Raised Bounty (grub)Olympia, WA$57,500432024
Northwest Youth CorpsEugene, OR$56,000332024
Sea Potential (fiscal Sponsor Sustainable Seattle)Seattle, WA$56,000332024
College Success FoundationTacoma, WA$50,150322022
EcochallengeorgPortland, OR$50,000332024
Harvest Against HungerSeattle, WA$50,000112022
IslandwoodBainbridge Island, WA$50,000222023
R Merle Palmer Minority Scholarship FoundationTacoma, WA$50,000222022
The Coffee OasisBremerton, WA$50,000222022
The Reach Center (fiscally Sponsored By Tacoma Community House)Tacoma, WA$50,000222022
Western Washington University FoundationBellingham, WA$50,000222023
Woods Hole Oceanographic InstitutionWoods Hole, MA$50,000222024
Affiliated Tribes of Northwest IndiansPortland, OR$45,000212024
Clean Energy Transition InstituteSeattle, WA$45,000212024
Climate Interactive Fiscally Sponsored By New Venture FundWashington, DC$45,000212024
Deep Green Wilderness Fiscally Sponsored By Ocean FoundationSeattle, WA$45,000222022
Emerald Cities CollaborativeWashington, DC$45,000212024
Forgotten Children's FundSeattle, WA$45,000222022
Nisqually Reach Nature CenterOlympia, WA$45,000222024
Spark NorthwestSeattle, WA$45,000212024
Trout UnlimitedArlington, VA$42,200222023
Washington Outdoor School Consortium (fiscal Sponsor Washington School PriOlympia, WA$41,000222024
Deschutes Estuary Restoration TeamOlympia, WA$40,000112021
Northwest Maritime CenterPort Townsend, WA$40,000112021
Oceans InitiativeSeattle, WA$40,000112021
South Sound Estuary AssociationOlympia, WA$39,730332024
Northwest Natural Resource GroupSeattle, WA$37,500332024
Food Backpacks 4 KidsGig Harbor, WA$36,500522024
Braided SeedsTukwila, WA$36,000332024
Comprehensive Life ResourcesTacoma, WA$35,000112021
Nw Furniture BankTacoma, WA$35,000222022
The Mustard Seed Project of Key PeninsulaVaughn, WA$35,000332024
The Tracking Project IncCorrales, NM$35,000442024
University of Washington Foundation (uw Botanic Gardens)Seattle, WA$34,000222024
Hilltop Artists in ResidenceTacoma, WA$32,283732023
Mason Conservation DistrictShelton, WA$30,000222024
Oxbow Farm & Conservation CenterCarnation, WA$30,000112021
Thurston County Food BankOlympia, WA$30,000112022
Washington FFA FoundationPuyallup, WA$30,000112021
Covenant Youth of AlaskaAnchorage, AK$29,500742024
American Leadership ForumTacoma, WA$29,131842024
Lindquist Dental Clinic for ChildrenTacoma, WA$27,500222022
Washington State University Kitsap County ExtensionBremerton, WA$26,000112024
Hawaii Community FoundationHonolulu, HI$25,750312023
Aipace WashingtonSeattle, WA$25,000112022
Duwamish River Cleanup Coalitiontechnical Advisory Group (drcctag)Seattle, WA$25,000112021
Mountains to Sound Greenway TrustSeattle, WA$25,000112021
National Wildlife Federation - Seattle OfficeSeattle, WA$25,000112021
North Kohala Community Resource CenterHawi, HI$25,000112021
Shift Zero (fiscal Sponsor Nw Energy Coalition)Seattle, WA$25,000112024
Sustainable Ambassadors (sustainable Seattle Fiscal Sponsor)Seattle, WA$25,000112021
University District Food BankSeattle, WA$25,000442024
Washington Outdoor School ConsortiumOlympia, WA$24,000112022
Second Cycle Community Bike ShopTacoma, WA$21,092432023
A Way Home Washington (fiscally Sponsored By Tsne Mission Works)Seattle, WA$20,000112021
Camp Fire Central Puget SoundSeattle, WA$20,000112022
Nisqually Indian TribeOlympia, WA$20,000112021
Tacoma Community Boat BuildersTacoma, WA$20,000222022
University of Washington (uw Botanic Gardens)Seattle, WA$20,000112023
Washington Association of Land TrustsSeattle, WA$20,000112021
Puget Sound Voyaging Society (dba Community Boat Project)Nordland, WA$17,500112024
The Foundation for Wwu and AlumniBellingham, WA$17,500112024
Chapel Hill Presbyterian ChurchGig Harbor, WA$16,500742024
Tilth AllianceSeattle, WA$16,500532024
Camp Solomon SchechterSeattle, WA$15,000222023
Ecochallenge OrgPortland, OR$15,000112021
Greenhouse ScholarsBoulder, CO$15,000322024
Kitsap Conservation DistrictPoulsbo, WA$15,000112022
L'arche Tahoma HopeTacoma, WA$15,000332023
Lakewold GardensLakewood, WA$15,000112024
North Star FundNew York, NY$15,000112021
Pacific Marine ResearchSeattle, WA$15,000112021
The Foodbank at St MarysSeattle, WA$15,000332024
Food LifelineSeattle, WA$12,500112024
Northwest Harvest E M MSeattle, WA$12,500112024
Atlantic Council of the U S IncWashington, DC$10,000112021
Food ConnectsBrattleboro, VT$10,000112023
Lighthouse Storehouse Food CenterFife, WA$10,000112022
Multicare Health FoundationTacoma, WA$10,000222022
Northwest Agriculture Business CenterMount Vernon, WA$10,000212022
Pacific Shellfish InstituteOlympia, WA$10,000112021
Plant Based Food Share Fiscally Sponsored By NarnSeattle, WA$10,000112022
Providence Regina HouseSeattle, WA$10,000222022
Step By Step Family Support CenterPuyallup, WA$10,000222024
Tewa Women UnitedSanta Cruz, NM$10,000112021
Western Environmental Law CenterEugene, OR$10,000112021
Western Landowners AllianceSanta Fe, NM$10,000112021
Seattle Parks FoundationSeattle, WA$9,000332023
St Charles Borromeo ParishTacoma, WA$8,7001242024
Achiya ClemonsTacoma, WA$8,500312023
Andrea HaugTacoma, WA$8,500112024
Anesia SmithTacoma, WA$8,500112024
Carmen AdamsTacoma, WA$8,500112024
Christina QiaoLakewood, WA$8,500312023
Clarence Mitchell JRTacoma, WA$8,500112024
Coreale ForrestOlympia, WA$8,500112024
Cyril D WalrondTacoma, WA$8,500312023
David ThompsonTacoma, WA$8,500112024
Davida Sharpe-HaygoodPuyallup, WA$8,500312023
Deborah MartinezTacoma, WA$8,500112024
Erin SarvisTacoma, WA$8,500112024
Jake NauTacoma, WA$8,500312023
Jaquette EasterlinTacoma, WA$8,500312023
John Gustav LabayenTacoma, WA$8,500112024
Jose Miguel RojasPuyallup, WA$8,500112024
Kelsey LongriePort Orchard, WA$8,500312023
Luis a GarciaTacoma, WA$8,500312023
Maira MariscalTacoma, WA$8,500312023
Mary CurryTacoma, WA$8,500312023
Melo HoganTacoma, WA$8,500312023
Moses CarterLakewood, WA$8,500112024
Nicole JordanTacoma, WA$8,500112024
Nicollette Combs-RoeTacoma, WA$8,500112024
Spirit Ta'an'pe'tu MiskaTacoma, WA$8,500312023
Toby Joseph JRPuyallup, WA$8,500312023
Travis PopeTacoma, WA$8,500312023
Vannra UokTacoma, WA$8,500112024
Venalin AguilarTacoma, WA$8,500312023
Washington Farmland TrustSeattle, WA$8,500222024
Willie NoblesTacoma, WA$8,500112024
Rocky Mountain Land LibraryDenver, CO$8,000112022
Multicare Behavioral Health FoundationTacoma, WA$7,675222024
King Conservation DistrictRenton, WA$7,500112021
Sellwood Community HousePortland, OR$7,500222023
Asian Counseling and Referral Service (acrs)Seattle, WA$6,500222022
Copper Canyon PressPort Townsend, WA$6,000112022
ShadowRenton, WA$6,000222024
University of Washington Tacoma - Milgard School of Business ClsrTacoma, WA$6,000222024
Chelsea McelroyTacoma, WA$5,500112022
Daniel AkamineTacoma, WA$5,500112022
Horacio Perez-MoralesTacoma, WA$5,500112022
Imari RomeoUniversity Place, WA$5,500112022
Juan-Carlos DesantiagoTacoma, WA$5,500112022
Kim EllefsonTacoma, WA$5,500112022
Kristi MartinezBonney Lake, WA$5,500112022
Kristin PoolGraham, WA$5,500112022
Lakecia FarmerTacoma, WA$5,500112022
Lorraine StoneParkland, WA$5,500112022
Thierry RubonekaTacoma, WA$5,500112022
Toby Joseph SRTacoma, WA$5,500112022
Yvette DondeTacoma, WA$5,500112022
10000 Years InstituteForks, WA$5,000112024
Bluff Lake Nature CenterDenver, CO$5,000112024
Camp GallagherSeattle, WA$5,000112023
Children's Home Society of WashingtonSeattle, WA$5,000112022
Community Credit LabSeattle, WA$5,000112021
Community Food Co-Op's Farm Fund Fiscally Sponsored By Whatcom Land TrustBellingham, WA$5,000112023
Crisis ConnectionsSeattle, WA$5,000112023
Dbt - Linehan Board of CertificationSeattle, WA$5,000112022
Foothills Rails to Trails CoalitionPuyallup, WA$5,000112021
Goodwill of the Olympics and Rainier RegionTacoma, WA$5,000112022
Highline Area Food BankBurien, WA$5,000112021
Hood Canal Salmon Enhancement GroupBelfair, WA$5,000112024
Hunger Intervention ProgramSeattle, WA$5,000112023
Lucky Paws RescueTacoma, WA$5,000112024
Nonprofit Finance FundNew York, NY$5,000332024
Paicines Ranch Learning CenterPaicines, CA$5,000112022
Port of SkagitBurlington, WA$5,000112022
Prince William Sound Science & Technology InstituteCordova, AK$5,000112024
Rainier Valley Food BankSeattle, WA$5,000112021
Redefining You FoundationPuyallup, WA$5,000112024
South Puget Sound Salmon Enhancement GroupOlympia, WA$5,000112023
Step By Step Family Support CenerPuyallup, WA$5,000112021
Sustainable ConnectionsBellingham, WA$5,000112023
Tacoma Refugee ChoirTacoma, WA$5,000112022
The Merwin ConservancyHaiku, HI$5,000112021
Tra Medical Imaging FoundationTacoma, WA$5,000112024
TreehouseSeattle, WA$5,000112022
University of Washington Foundation - Milgard School of Business FinancialSeattle, WA$5,000112023
Washington State University Foundation - BreadlabBurlington, WA$5,000112022
West Seattle Food BankSeattle, WA$5,000112021
University of Washington Foundation - HarborviewSeattle, WA$4,000112021
Toy Rescue MissionTacoma, WA$3,750112024
Urban Grace ChurchTacoma, WA$3,547112021
Asia Pacific Cultural CenterTacoma, WA$3,500222024
Common Good TacomaTacoma, WA$3,500112024
Black Farmers CollectiveSeattle, WA$3,000112024
Catholic Community Services of Western WashingtonTacoma, WA$3,000112024
Shadow Lake Nature PreserveRenton, WA$3,000112022
Stanley Ann Dunham Scholarship FundMercer Island, WA$3,000332023
YWCA Pierce CountyTacoma, WA$3,000112024
Ascend Leadership Through AthleticsArlington, VA$2,500112023
Renewable Energy Alaska ProjectAnchorage, AK$2,500222024
Kitsap Humane SocietySilverdale, WA$2,097432023
African Community Housing & DevelopmentSeatac, WA$2,000112024
Defensores De La Naturaleza Fiscally Sponsored By Conservation AlliesWashington, DC$2,000112024
Elevate Mason County (fs Power)Shelton, WA$2,000112024
Hilltop Action CoalitionTacoma, WA$2,000222024
Metropolitan Development CouncilTacoma, WA$2,000112024
Tacoma Housing Development GroupTacoma, WA$2,000112024
Tides FoundationLos Angeles, CA$2,000212024
Young Life - University Placenorth TacomaPrescott, AZ$1,800332023
1 for the PlanetBurlington, VT$1,534112022
Atni TribesPortland, OR$1,500112022
Key Peninsula Civic Center AssociationVaughn, WA$1,500112023
Oasis Youth Center (fiscally Sponsored By Pierce County AIDS Foundation)Tacoma, WA$1,500112023
Tahcoma Indian CenterTacoma, WA$1,500112024
University Child Development SchoolSeattle, WA$1,500222022
Young Women Empowered (y-We)Seattle, WA$1,500112022

98 of 299 (33%) received money in more than one year over the 4 years we hold.

Measured the way we measure every foundation -- what share of one year's grantees are funded again the next -- this one retains 42%, across 3 year-to-year transitions. The median foundation retains about 67%, so this one is less consistent than most. A high number means its list is close to settled and a newcomer has to displace someone; a low one means it is still moving money around, which is where an opening is.

Plus 13 grants to individuals totalling $39,000 -- scholarships, hardship and emergency assistance. We deliberately do not publish the names of people who received them, even though the filings do.

What the money was for

Taken verbatim from the purpose field of its filings. This is the closest thing to a statement of what this foundation cares about, in its own words.

What kind of organizations it funds

By the recipient's own IRS classification, for the 308 grants where we could identify the organization. These are assigned categories, not our guesses.

Environment
80 grants
Education
46 grants
Human Services
37 grants
Philanthropy & Grantmaking
24 grants
Food & Nutrition
22 grants
Animal Welfare
13 grants
Arts & Culture
12 grants
Science & Technology
11 grants

Giving by year

Tax yearGrantsTotalMedian grant
2021136$3,018,416$10,000
2022159$2,220,273$5,500
2023139$1,237,599$3,000
2024128$1,951,250$8,500

Tax years, not calendar years, and the most recent year is usually incomplete -- filings arrive about a year late, so a low final year means late paperwork rather than a foundation winding down.

Already committed for future years

Form 990-PF has a separate schedule for grants approved but not yet paid. The Russell Family Foundation has 118 of them, worth $2,276,284. This is the one part of the filing that looks forward rather than back -- and it also tells you how much of the next year's budget is already spoken for.

OrganizationLocationApproved
Communities in Schools of PeninsulaVaughn, WA$100,000
Community to Community Development (C2C) Fs Institute for Washingtons FuturBellingham, WA$75,000
Pierce Conservation DistrictPuyallup, WA$75,000
Puget Sound Restoration FundBainbridge Island, WA$75,000
Restaurant 2 Garden (fiscal Sponsor Seattle Parks Foundation)Seattle, WA$75,000
Viva FarmsMount Vernon, WA$75,000
Stewardship PartnersSeattle, WA$75,000
Washington Environmental CouncilSeattle, WA$75,000
Kulshan Carbon TrustBellingham, WA$70,000
Washington Water TrustSeattle, WA$60,000
Communities in Schools of PeninsulaVaughn, WA$50,000
Washington Maritime BlueSeattle, WA$50,000
Gig Harbor Peninsula FishGig Harbor, WA$50,000
Puget Soundkeeper AllianceSeattle, WA$50,000
Re Sources for Sustainable CommunitiesBellingham, WA$50,000

Where its money goes

Foundations concentrate geographically far more than their mission statements suggest. 87% of this one's giving went to organizations in Washington. If you are outside its footprint, that matters more than how well your programme fits.

Washington
$7.3M
District of Columbia
$203K
Oregon
$185K
California
$182K
New York
$140K
Virginia
$122K
Idaho
$60K
Hawaii
$56K

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Funders that support the same organizations

These funders gave to organizations this one also funded -- some private foundations, some community foundations and other grantmaking charities. Shared grantees are the strongest available signal that two funders have overlapping priorities, and a funder already backing your peers is a far warmer prospect than one that merely lists your cause.

Fidelity Investments Charitable Gift Fund119 shared recipientsDonor Advised Charitable Giving Inc111 shared recipientsAmerican Online Giving Foundation Inc108 shared recipientsSeattle Foundation89 shared recipientsVanguard Charitable Endowment Program70 shared recipientsThe Norcliffe Foundation60 shared recipients

How to approach this foundation

  1. Check you are its size. The median grant is $5,000. Asking for ten times that is the most common way small organizations waste a submission.
  2. Check you are in its geography. Its giving is concentrated in Washington.
  3. Read the recipient list above for organizations like yours. If nothing on it resembles your work, that is a real answer, and a cheap one to get.
  4. Look up the current filing before writing. The 990-PF names the foundation's officers and, where one exists, its application procedure. We link it below.

Where these numbers come from

Everything above is taken from The Russell Family Foundation's own Form 990-PF filings, which the IRS publishes in bulk. We used 4 returns (tax years 2021-2024). Nothing here is scraped, inferred, or estimated.

Address of record on the latest return: Po Box 2567, Gig Harbor, WA, 98335. This is the address the foundation gave the IRS; many small foundations file through an accountant or a bank trust department, so it may not be where post to a programme officer should go.

EIN 91-1663336 · See the original filings on ProPublica · How we build this

This is history, not an open call. Foundation returns are published about a year after the tax year ends. Nothing on this page is a deadline. It is a record of who this foundation has actually funded, which is the best available predictor of who it will fund next -- and a much better basis for deciding whether to write to them than a mission statement.

Is something here wrong about your foundation? Email hello@funderscope.com and we will correct it.