NEW: 2025 Foundation Board Priorities

Dear Nonprofit Colleagues and Friends,

Our goal for 2025 is to confront the destabilizing funding cuts under the current administration, given the funding priorities of the foundation as listed below.

We will increase grant making in 2025 and the total amount that we distribute. There will be two open grant cycles this year.

The Foundation’s next grant cycle will open on May 1, 2025, and close on June 1, 2025. Grant decisions will be announced by July 30. A second grant cycle will open on September 1, 2025 and close on October 1, 2025. Grant decisions will be announced by November 15.

The Foundation will continue to focus on our two current priorities:
1. Rural BIPOC youth
2. Organizations focused on climate change, biodiversity, and wildlife and habitat preservation.

The Foundation will continue to allow organizations to use awarded funds for general operating support.

Recognizing the critical role of BIPOC* organizations, the Charlotte Martin Foundation continues to make it a priority to partner with organizations doing progressive work specifically in the areas of youth education. culture, athletics and climate change, with a special emphasis on serving communities of color.

We see ourselves as stewards of the resources at the Charlotte Martin Foundation. We know we cannot do this work without acknowledging why communities of color are underserved and under-resourced in this country. This is by design. We live on Indigenous land that was stolen through national genocide. Our society experiences inequality to this day because of the labor that was stolen from Black people. We refuse to pretend that this is not the truth, and, indeed, how our country was built and created. We will never hesitate to acknowledge this history in the way we decide to do the work.

Thank you for your continued commitment to your missions and creating a society that works for all.

Sincerely,
Charlotte Martin Board of Directors

*Black, Indigenous, People of Color

Our Core Principles:

• Relevance: We continually seek information regarding significant opportunities in our region and in our focus areas to ensure that we are responding to current needs and opportunities.
• Community Engagement: We seek to foster community engagement in protecting wildlife and habitat and in engaging youth skills to build directly on community needs and strengths.
• Focus on Place: Grounded in the Northwest, we fund in urban, rural and tribal communities in Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon and Washington where people work to improve the places that they live.
• Expand Opportunity: We give special consideration in our grant making to benefit and expand opportunities for underserved populations in our region.

Increasing Opportunities for BIPOC:

Increasing racial equity and diversity for youth ages 6-18.

BIPOC led nonprofit organizations with diverse leadership and staff are the focus of our grant-making. Organizations based in rural communities are also a priority for our foundation.

Programs that create opportunities in areas of education, cultural expression and athletics. Including but not limited to:

• Increase access to and the creation of diverse cultural experiences.
• Improve school-based and out-of-school learning opportunities in areas such as science, technology, engineering, arts, and math (STEAM) and other areas.
• Increase early college awareness and access to post-secondary education.
• Increase access to sports and diversify sports programs.