Statement of Our Current Priorities

The Foundation’s next grant cycle will open on May 1st, 2025, and close on June 1st, 2025. Grant decisions will be announced by July 30th. The Foundation will continue to focus on our two current priorities: 1. Rural BIPOC youth; and 2. Organizations focused on climate change, biodiversity, and wildlife and habitat preservation. For those requesting support for youth programs, the Foundation will continue to focus on rural BIPOC organizations and allowing organizations to use awarded funds for general operating support. However, the Foundation is eliminating the requirement that only organizations in communities of 50,000 or less can apply. This focus does not extend to organizations focused on climate change, biodiversity and wildlife and habitat preservation.

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 and climate change, with a special emphasis on serving communities of color. Three years ago, we created a fellowship designed around researching BIPOC led organizations within our 5-state region that align with our priorities. We recognize that private funding is inequitably given to white-led organizations and we want to show our commitment to redistributing resources to non-dominant, BIPOC organizations.

We see ourselves as stewards of the resources at the Charlotte Martin Foundation. As we lean more fully into our values, we realize that we cannot do this without acknowledging why communities of color are under-served and under-resourced in this country. This is by design. We live on Indigenous land, stolen land which was gained by national genocide. Inequality is greater because of the free labor on the backs of Black bodies. We can no longer pretend that this is not the truth, and, indeed, how our country was built and created. The one thing we can do is acknowledge this history in the way we decide to do the work.

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.