Greater Tacoma Community Foundation is home to more than 450 specialized funds created to support specific projects, organizations, scholarships or programs. More than 35 of these funds actively fundraise to meet their intended goals and objectives for the community and they sincerely appreciate your support.
If you don’t see the fund you’re looking for, please choose “Other Fund” and type in the name of the fund you wish to support in the field titled “Special Notes”. Thank you for your consideration and generous gifts to our Pierce County community.
Akiko came to this country in 1955 from Japan, marrying a U.S. soldier. Just 3 years later her husband was killed in an automobile accident. She supported herself as a cleaning lady for many local families. She found great comfort in her life at Saint Francis Cabrini Church in Lakewood. Her simple and unpretentious life empowered her friends to establish a permanent fund dedicated to her memory. It has been an important resource to support City Park and Recreation projects for children, most recently to develop Springbrook Park.
Contributions to the Amateur Athletics/Tacoma Pierce County Sports Commission Operating Fund help to support the operations of Tacoma South Sound Sports. Tacoma South Sound Sports is a non-profit organization that assists in the development of amateur athletic events in Pierce County.
The Anneliese Platzer Nobles Memorial Scholarship was established in memory of Anneliese Platzer Nobles, a beloved counselor at Mt. Tahoma High School. This fund provides scholarships for underserved and disadvantaged students with college education expenses that are graduating from Mt. Tahoma High School.
He was proud to be a 2012 graduate of Lincoln High School and student at University of Washington, Tacoma. He also held a part-time job at Forever 21. Austin had a lot of school pride at Lincoln High School. He was involved in many spirit/pep and leadership activities. He helped with everything from fundraisers to organizing assemblies. He loved going to the different sporting events to cheer on his school mates and often encouraged his extended family–also Lincoln graduates– to attend as well. His community activities included photography, bowling, social media, softball, and volleyball. Austin was always happiest in the midst of family and friends. He eagerly anticipated and enjoyed our annual mountain cabin trip, summer group camp out, the Sand and Sawdust Festival at Ocean Shores and trips to see his grandparents.
He was a huge presence in all of our lives and we are all left with Austin-size holes in our hearts. We take comfort in the fact that his short life was lived well; He knew he was loved by many and we have lots of happy memories with him.
Benjamin Faigin, a gifted and passionate musician, left this world too young. Ben began his classical training in cello at age 9. He later expanded his repertoire to guitar (electric and acoustic) and piano. Ben was constantly experimenting with sound, and explored improvisation, composition, and music theory, as well as synthesizer music creation.
Ben played in orchestras from elementary to high school, including the Garfield Orchestra and the Seattle Youth Symphony. He also participated in summer music camps throughout the Northwest, located in Seattle, Bellingham, Ellensburg, and Victoria B.C. Ben was especially inspired by his time playing in a chamber music quartet at Music Northwest.
The Ben Faigin Music Opportunity Fund has been established by his family and friends to provide young musicians, like Ben, with scholarship support for classical music training.
Thank you for supporting the Ben Faigin Music Opportunity Fund.
The Bethel School District Foundation is a charitable non-profit organization that partners with staff, families, and businesses to support academic, athletics, and the arts. Our mission is to promote opportunities and educational excellence for students and staff, to identify projects that encourage, receive, and manage endowments, and to advance educational opportunities for students by providing resources as an integral part of a school.
With each contribution to the Bethel School District Foundation a higher level of academic excellence in the classroom is created for Bethel students. The Foundation works hard to expand community involvement from individuals, businesses, and civic organizations, supporting activities such as educational grants awarded to Bethel staff, our annual All Bethel Community Day and the Bethel School District Athletic Hall of Fame.
The Children’s Fund provide scholarships for Pierce County’s abused and neglected children so that they may attend or participate in programs to enhance their education, develop skills through vocational training or become involved in the performing arts and other activities.
The fund was established in 2005 to honor a retiring Pierce County Juvenile Justice system Guardian Ad litem, Dan Erker. Dan dedicated 30 years of his life to the children of Pierce County. A dedicated scholarship committee selects the recipients annually.
A native of Paris, Christophe came to the USA as a young man to obtain his training in composition and conducting at Berklee College of Music and New England Conservatory in Boston. In 1991 he accepted an invitation from Kathryn Habedank to conduct a chamber orchestra concert in Tacoma, an event that led to their co-founding The Northwest Sinfonietta and to his decision to move his life and career to the Puget Sound region.
During the next 24 years, the Northwest Sinfonietta became the region’s leading chamber orchestra under his leadership. Winner of many awards, Christophe is sought after not only as a conductor but also as a gifted composer, lecturer and educator and has a wide audience of classical music aficionados in the Puget Sound region. His devotion to his own instrument, the classical guitar, has led him to create several acclaimed works for that instrument in combination with orchestras of various sizes as well as small gypsy jazz ensembles.
About the Christophe Chagnard Music Scholarship
The scholarship was founded in 2015 by friends and admirers of Maestro Chagnard as a fitting and lasting means of honoring him in gratitude for his very significant contribution to the classical music scene in the Puget Sound region.
Contributions to the scholarship fund will be used to provide a $1,000 cash award each year to a deserving young instrumental music student of one of the professional musicians in the Northwest Sinfonietta. A student applicant’s age may not exceed 18 years, and each applicant must submit a completed application form and must perform at a live audition judged by a committee of professional musicians organized for this purpose. The prize money will be applied to the winner’s lesson fees.
The RentalAssistance Program provides emergency rentalassistance to households located within the City of Tacoma that are impacted by COVID-19 and are at risk of losing their housing. Households are eligible for one-time awards of up to $1000 to be used toward rent. Special consideration will be given to households of color who are suffering disparate impacts from COVID-19.
The Coach Haase Memorial Fund is to support scholarships for students participating in the wrestling programs at Bellermine and Stadium High Schools who wish to further their education.
Coach Steven Haase was a beloved and celebrated coach at Bellermine Prep School and Stadium High School. During his 21-years coaching at Bellermine Coach Haase’s teams won four Narrows League championships and were back-to-back sub-regional champions in 1983 and 1984. Through the yeas he sent 48 wrestlers to the state tournament and had 22 state placers, with 9 wresters receiving Puget Sound Wrestler of the Year honors. Haase was selected as Narrows League Coach of the Year five times, Regional Coach of the Year three times, and in 1989, he received the prestigious Puget Sound Coach of the Year Award.
While Coach Haase’s wrestlers accomplished stellar feats on the mat, his greatest accomplishment as a coach was helping hundreds of teenage boys grow up and become men. One of his former wrestlers described Coach Haase’s impact best in a letter he wrote to the coach more than 15 years after his graduation:
“Not a day goes by that I am non a better person having had the benefit of knowing you. There is no way you could have recognized, based on my actions and behavior at the time, that you had a positive effect on me or even that one single word was getting through. A teenager does not always know what to do with what he is given, but you gave me a lot. I learned that natural ability and strength are each potential ingredients of success, but that there are others. Through hard work, discipline, focus and technique, you extracted greatness from places I would not have thought to look… Above and beyond your coaching ability, I always admired the way you handled yourself and the way you treated others. I thank you for providing a positive example at an impressionable time in my life.”
The Dead Feminists Fund was founded by Jessica Spring and Chandler O’Leary, the artists behind the collaborative Dead Feminists letterpress broadside series and authors of the book “Dead Feminists: Historical Heroines in Living Color.
In honor of the power of women’s work, the Dead Feminists Fund supports nonprofits that empower girls and women to create change in their own communities.
The Crystal Judson Family Justice Center (CJFJC) provides comprehensive services to victims of domestic violence in times of crisis and beyond. Working together to better serve clients, staff from fourteen different agencies work on-site at the CJFJC providing a myriad of services including civil legal assistance, safety planning, spiritual support, law enforcement and prosecution assistance, housing assistance, DSHS financial and child support assistance, individual counseling, support groups and more.The Family Justice Center Foundation Fund was established in 2009 to support the programs and services of the Crystal Judson Family Justice Center in Tacoma, Washington.
The mission of the Family Justice Center Foundation Fund (FJCFF) is to develop and sustain private individual and corporate financial support for the vital programs and services provided to victims of domestic violence who are seeking help from the Crystal Judson Family Justice Center. This includes financial assistance through the CJFJC victim services fund. Clients escaping abuse may need assistance with transportation (taxi or bus) and lock changes, emergency motel stays, or bus tickets to other parts of the country. Other support such as access to counseling, support groups and assistance with family law matters can be critical to a client’s ability to leave an abusive situation to move forward to a life of safety and stability. Sometimes this assistance can literally mean the difference between life and death for a client in crisis.
Donations to the FJCFF go directly to support the Victim Services Fund of the Crystal Judson Family Justice Center.
The mission of the Fircrest Parks and Recreation Foundation is to preserve and enhance the quality of Fircrest Parks and Recreation facilities and programming with a focus on community, livability and equity.
A Gathering Place for All –
Imagine children splashing, older adults sharing meals and conversation, teenagers shooting hoops, party rentals – all in beautiful new facilities in the heart of The City of Fircrest’s park system – a venue open to all in Pierce County to enjoy. Thanks to generous community support, this vision is on track to becoming a reality. The City is building a new, much-needed Community Center and Pool, replacing the 60-year-old facility which has long served as the heart of Fircrest, but has aged out of its useful life.
By mobilizing the power and passion of women working together, the Fund for Women & Girls (FFW&G) improves the lives of Pierce County women and girls through strategic philanthropy, grants, collaboration, and advocacy.
Donate now to support the Fund’s efforts to empower and support women and girls in Pierce County!
The Gaven Seastrum Memorial Scholarship Fund was created in 2020 in memory of Gaven, a student at Graham Kapowsin High School. It provides post-secondary funding opportunities for graduating seniors from Graham Kapowsin High School who are interested in pursuing a career in civil service.
Gig Harbor Now is a nonprofit news organization working to strengthen the community and democracy by accurately, objectively and reliably reporting local news and events, and providing a forum for the people of the greater Gig Harbor area. We believe that local news is the connective tissue that binds people together in a common goal.
Gig Harbor Now is a community-supported nonprofit news organization, reliant on donations from the public we serve. Each of our stories is made possible because people like you believe in our vision to be the eyes, ears and voice of Gig Harbor.
The Gig Harbor Land Conservation Fund is to preserve natural lands in and around Gig Harbor in perpetuity. An investment in the fund today ensures that Gig Harbor will forever be known for its lush green forests, healthy salmon streams and quiet open spaces that provide habitat for wildlife and natural respites for residents.
The James H. Wiborg Memorial Fund was created in honor of James H. Wiborg, a Tacoma native and regional business leader for over five decades.
Wiborg started Western Plastics Corp. — the first plastic pipe manufacturer on the West Coast — in 1953. It became the largest of its kind on the Pacific Coast and was sold in 1981. In the 1950s, he helped create Gensco, a very successful, privately held HVAC distributor.
Wiborg was president, CEO and later chairman of Univar Corp. from 1965 until his retirement in the ?90s. During his tenure, VWR listed on NYSE and grew revenues to nearly $1.5 billion, becoming the #1 chemical distributor in North America. It also had a significant manufacturing portfolio and a separate scientific supplies business, both of which were later spun-off to separate publicly traded companies.
The fund was established by the Wiborg Family in order to continue to support the community he loved.
The Julie Grevstad Scholarship Fund supports Foss High School graduates who plan to work with at-risk youth.
Julie Grevstad grew up in Pierce County, attending Foss High School and the University of Puget Sound.
She was the Executive Director of the Tacoma Urban Network, an organization that works to promote long-term changes in the quality, coordination and success rates of how social services are provided to Tacoma’s children and youth. Julie had a deep sense of social justice and was passionate about her work.
Julie was also very athletic, playing three sports in high school and competing on the fast-pitch softball team in college. As an adult, she ran half marathons and participated in the Courage Classic Bicycle Tour.
Julie was known as being the person people would go to for positive support. She was also very family oriented and a wonderful aunt to her nieces and nephews. In 2010, Julie passed away after a battle with cancer. Her scholarship fund allows Julie’s work on behalf of our community’s youth to continue.
The Lakewood Community Foundation Fund is an endowment fund established by Lakewood citizens and businesses who desire to keep Lakewood a wonderful community in which to live, work and play. The Fund provides a way to give back to our community for the exceptional opportunities and quality of life Lakewood provides to so many residents.
The Lakewood Community Foundation Fund was formed to provide a permanently funded endowment to improve the quality of life in Lakewood and to help donors accomplish their local philanthropic goals.
Mission Statement: To provide funding to benefit the Greater Lakewood Community through a permanent endowment.
Vision: Connecting donors with causes that make Lakewood a desirable community in which to live, work and play.
The cash fund is an unrestricted operational fund to cover administrative needs and obligations, relieving other fund amounts to fully serve their intended purpose.
Lynda Parker was a lifelong teacher, having spent over 40 years in education, with more than 20 years teaching at Cedarcrest Junior High School in the Bethel School District. A graduate of South Kitsap High School and Pacific Lutheran University, she went on to teach many areas, including gifted education in English and Humanities. Additionally, for many summers she led a credit retrieval program which allowed numerous students to reclaim lost credits to graduate high school on time. She was passionate about raising the value of those around her. One of her greatest joys was to invest in the lives of her students and to create a culture of lifelong learning and dedication to excellence.
Her career brought many accolades, including two-time winner of the Bethel School District Teacher of the Year, Walmart Teacher of the Year, and 1986 Washington State recipient of the Christa McAuliffe Award for Excellence in Teacher Education.
She passed away in 2015 from ovarian cancer, but her legacy of teaching, giving, and persevering in the face of obstacles lives on in every life she touched.
The Lynda C. Parker Foundation was created to further the lives of at-risk students in the Bethel School District. Its mission is to continue the legacy Lynda Parker lived and left behind by adding value and purpose to areas that are in need, to bring hope to those who are without, and to inspire the uninspired. This is accomplished through investing in students’ lives by helping to provide school clothing, school supplies, athletic equipment, food, and countless other needs. Through this foundation, Lynda Parker’s commitment to students will continue to live on.
FWDA’s “Parks on the Foss” initiative is currently raising $11.5M for the construction of two new parks along the Thea Foss Waterway. Melanie’s Park will be a family friendly play park that will be easily accessed on foot from downtown via the 15th Street Bridge or the 11th Street Bridge elevator and stairs. This ¾ acre park is designed for all ages to offer families, visitors, residents, downtown employees and the young-at-heart to connect with the many rhythms of the Thea Foss Waterway.
– Foss Waterway Development Authority
If you would like to support the Waterway Park or the development of both parks, please donate here.
The Foss Waterway Development Authority is raising money to build two new parks along the Thea Foss Waterway in Tacoma. The Waterway Park is a four-acre park which will include a launch and storage for up to 200 “human-powered” watercraft. It will have a boathouse to store rowing shells and sculls, and a workshop and restrooms. Green space will be available for picnics and an off-leash dog park. The Melanie Dressel Park, named after the longtime Columbia Banker leader who died unexpectedly in 2017, is a 0.75-acre site where downtown workers could eat lunch amid a boardwalk, a bridge with a viewing platform over the shoreline and an elaborate playground with a tower and slide.
Tacoma’s Stadium High School’s senior class vice president Paul Frederick Healy died in an accident late on Nov. 6, 1984.
Paul was very active, participating on the student council, writing poetry and short stories, playing on the football team, participating in drama, and competing on the wrestling and track teams. A talented Bass Cello player, Paul traveled internationally with the Tacoma Youth Symphony. Football coach Don Leebrick shared, “Paul Healy lived more of life in 18 years, then some did in 75. He was an inspiration in my life and…was loved dearly by each and every person whose life he touched. The laughter, lightness, and love which Paul shared were “real gifts”, which few of us are blessed with in this life.”
The Paul Healy Scholarship Fund goes to support one graduating high school senior at Stadium High School who is in need of financial assistance and demonstrates a talent in the field of literature, poetry, and writing. Donate below to help support this scholarship fund.
Paul Healy Haiku: As the old man sits
he remembers when he was a child
and slowly passes.
The Paul Margelli Memorial Scholarship Fund was established in 1984 in memory of Paul Margelli. Paul Margelli was the Stadium High School choral director for 25 years and founded the Stadium Madrigal Singers, a widely acclaimed group that specialized in music of the Elizabethan era. Margelli died in September 1984. This fund supports senior music students at Stadium High School who plan to attend an accredited college after graduation.
Rose Murphy’s charitable instinct to promote community goodwill was instilled by her parents, Luigi and Theresa Piazza, immigrants from Italy. Years of dedication by Rose to the Interlaaken Garden Club, Lakewood Gardens and Keep Lakewood Beautiful remains the focus of this fund of improving public spaces within the City of Lakewood. This fund must reach a principal threshold balance of $500,000 before it’s income becomes annually available.
The South Sound Literacy Fund assists today’s educators in their mission to form tomorrow’s lifelong learners. South Sound Literacy Fund is a cooperative effort of The News Tribune working with local schools, to use the newspaper as an educational tool in the classroom. The Fund is dedicated to promoting literacy, increasing societal awareness and raising the level of media message comprehension among students of all ages.
This fund is intended to make positive impacts on the lifestyle and economy of the South Sound by leveraging aligned community investments and building partnership within the community.
The Thomas Eagle Michlitsch Rambo Memorial Scholarship was created in 2020 in memory of Thomas, a senior at Lakes High School. This scholarship will provide opportunities for Lakes High School students by assisting them with college education expenses.
The Family Fund supports the work of the Pierce County Family Support Partnership (FSP). The FSP includes private, public and non-profit organizations. For over 20 years, FSP has provided services through the county-wide network of Family Support Centers and partner groups.
What do we do?
The Family Fund supports programs that:
Strengthen families and children
Promote health equity
Provide evidence-based services
How can you help?
Donate below
Volunteer
Share Ideas
Get Involved
98% of all funds directly support Pierce County kids & families. All donations are tax deductible!
The South Sound Impact Media Fund is intended to provide support for community-funded journalism at The News Tribune. These journalism “labs” — or reporting teams — aim to bring awareness, understanding and solutions to the most important issues in our community.
The Xavier Cooper Everyone Learns Differently Scholarship (ELD) provides financial assistance to qualified students with learning impairment or disabilities, students who struggle in school due to social challenges, and/or students who have experienced time in the juvenile justice system who are pursuing higher education at a college, university, community or technical college in the United States.
Xavier Cooper, a successful college and professional athlete and Tacoma resident, is committed to helping students experiencing learning challenges to successfully accomplish their educational and life goals.
Benjamin Faigin, a gifted and passionate musician, left this world too young. Ben began his classical training in cello at age 9. He later expanded his repertoire to guitar (electric and acoustic) and piano. Ben was constantly experimenting with sound, and explored improvisation, composition, and music theory, as well as synthesizer music creation.
Coach Steven Haase was a beloved and celebrated coach at Bellermine Prep School and Stadium High School. During his 21-years coaching at Bellermine Coach Haase’s teams won four Narrows League championships and were back-to-back sub-regional champions in 1983 and 1984. Through the yeas he sent 48 wrestlers to the state tournament and had 22 state placers, with 9 wresters receiving Puget Sound Wrestler of the Year honors. Haase was selected as Narrows League Coach of the Year five times, Regional Coach of the Year three times, and in 1989, he received the prestigious Puget Sound Coach of the Year Award. 
at Cedarcrest Junior High School in the Bethel School District. A graduate of South Kitsap High School and Pacific Lutheran University, she went on to teach many areas, including gifted education in English and Humanities. Additionally, for many summers she led a credit retrieval program which allowed numerous students to reclaim lost credits to graduate high school on time. She was passionate about raising the value of those around her. One of her greatest joys was to invest in the lives of her students and to create a culture of lifelong learning and dedication to excellence.
