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Alejandra Silva Hernandez wears her white coat while standing in front of a University of Washington Medical Center sign.

Stories + Testimonials

Scholar Breaks Through Barriers to Achieve Her Dream

A community partner wearing a yellow shirt walks through Esther Short Park with senior philanthropic advisor Anne Digenis (right).

Tips + Resources

Five Questions to Help Donors Give with More Confidence

SW Washington LULAC Council #47013 president Andy Lara, left, stands arm-in-arm with Washington state governor Bob Ferguson and board vice president Eduardo Torres as cameras capture the moment.

Stories + Testimonials

SW Washington LULAC: Strengthening the Foundation of Liberty and Justice

Deborah and Paul Speer, left, stand with nominator Deena Pierott and Community Foundation chief development officer Bridget McKay after receiving the 2026 Philanthropists of the Year Award.

Stories + Testimonials

Paul B. and Deborah D. Speer: Building a Beloved Community

Program Officer, Esra Khalil, stands between two nonprofit partners at Ashby Family LEAD & Engagement Services and the Clark County Food Bank

Stories + Testimonials

As Funding Shrinks, Local Partnerships Expand Food Security

A person holding the Finding New Ways Forward report

Tips + Resources

Finding New Ways Forward: How Philanthropy Can Lead Alongside Nonprofits

A Black woman talking with two female Latine OneAmerica volunteers about voting

Stories + Testimonials

OneAmerica: Bringing immigrants together

Shon-Lueiss Harris

A photo taken at the Timberland Legal Aid office that says "Justice grows here"

Stories + Testimonials

Timberland Legal Aid: Making the case for legal aid

Shon-Lueiss Harris

Lisa Ovando-Arreola, Deanna Green and Helios Ovando-Arreola smiling at the camera

Stories + Testimonials

Ovando-Arreola Scholarship Nurtures a Tradition of Caregiving

NAACP Act-SO Recipients collaged together in a photo

Stories + Testimonials

The NAACP Vancouver Branch ACT-SO Scholarship Fund: Recognizing Black excellence and history

Young man writing in a notebook on an outdoor bench

Tips + Resources

How to Write Scholarship Applications that Stand Out

A person signing a Community Foundation intake form on a wood desk.

Tips + Resources

Smart Charitable Giving Strategies to Prepare for 2026 Tax Changes

Portrait of a retired man with glasses smiling and sitting in the kitchen of his home

Tips + Resources

How an IRA Charitable Rollover or QCD Can Benefit You and SW Washington

Three women standing close to each other, smiling brightly at the camera.

Tips + Resources

Estate Planning is about Meaning, not just Money

Various plants representing the different communities to consider when thinking about Targeted Universalism

Applying Universal Goals and Targeted Strategies for Effective Grantmaking

Thrive2Survive's Dewey House

Innovative Partnership Helps Vancouver Nonprofits Thrive

A farmer measuring a seedling in the sunlight

Establishing Priority Populations to Advance Equitable Outcomes

Ursula Arlauskas

Gayle Rothrock standing in front of a historic house in Fort Vancouver Wa

Stories + Testimonials

Gayle's Gifts Charitable Fund: Simply Making An Impact

Ian Thompson, founder of Lower Columbia School Gardens, stands in front of a green shrub smiling at the camera while holding out his Archetype for Community Contribution card: The Seed.

Stories + Testimonials

Lessons in Stewardship: Our 2025 Philanthropy Award Honorees

Cristhian Canseco Juarez speaking on stage at the 2025 Annual Luncheon

Stories + Testimonials

A Timeless Message: Reflections from My First Annual Luncheon

A tan hand with long red nails holing a postcard that says, "Join us in supporting Native Advocacy in Action. NAYA Action Fund" taken by Cree Bort

Stories + Testimonials

Five Indigenous Organizations Serving Southwest Washington

Five people sitting over a gorge full of green trees in the pacific northwest.

Tips + Resources

Planning Your Giving is an Act of Love

Jeff and Lola Stark outside with a river and trees behind their smiling faces

Stories + Testimonials

Jeff and Lola Stark Create a Beacon for Aspiring Teachers

A person holding a phone with several AI apps on screen with a cup of coffee in the background

Tips + Resources

How to Use AI for Writing Scholarship Essays: Insider Tips from Reviewers

2024: Celebrating 40 years of local giving. Photos from the Community Foundation events in 2024, including Common Cause, Shine On!, Giving Elevated, UnCharitable and a staff haunted walking tour

A Historic Year, A Bright Future

Ed and Dollie Lynch smiling at the camera

Ed and Dollie Lynch Grew Community with Care

David and Patricia Nierenberg

David and Patricia Nierenberg Give to Build a Shining Community

The south-facing side of the White House, featuring the large green yard and fountains.

A Strong Foundation for Navigating Divisive Times

Lester Griffin from the Foundation smiling with a friend at the camera

Community Foundation grants address disparities in Clark County communities hit worst by war on drugs

UnCharitable movie image

Five Reasons Everyone Should Attend UnCharitable

Grant and Kathi Wiley dancing

Kathi Joy Wiley: A Servant’s Heart

Esra and Ursula, an Indian woman and a Black woman, sitting together at a table reviewing notes together

Listening and Learning: The Path to a Thriving Nonprofit Ecosystem

Paul Christensen standing over a group of young schoolchildren with a teacher in a school library

Paul Christensen: Patron of the Arts, Champion for Education

A collage of photos from I Have A Dream class of 2003 featuring Elizabeth Najera

I Have A Dream Scholarship

Our New Look

Four women holding a plaque and smiling at the camera

Vancouver Women’s Foundation: First Giving Circle

Three people holding an oversized check made out to the Community Foundation

Community Giving Fund: First Grants

Carl and Myrtle Butler standing next to each other on a river shore smiling at the camera

Carl Butler: First Bequest Gift Received

E.W. and Mary Firstenburg sitting next to each other smiling

E.W. and Mary Firstenburg: First Fund Established

Margaret Pulliam and scholarship recipient Stephanie Burroz sitting next to each other smiling at the camera

Dr. Robert and Margaret Pulliam: First Scholarship Fund

Bill and Catharine Byrd standing in front of their house smiling at the camera

Bill and Catharine Byrd: First Donor Advised Fund

Mary Granger shaking hands with a tall man in a suit with glasses

Mary Granger: Our Fearless Founder

Never stop talking about mental health to others.

Tips + Resources

Student Mental Health: Tips from A Local Expert

Year-End Giving Tips to Calm the Chaos in 2023

Tips + Resources

Year-End Giving Tips to Calm the Chaos in 2023

Girl excited with doodle lightbulb next to her

Tips + Resources

How to Write Strong Responses for the Insight Resume

2023 year in review thumbnail

2023 Year in Review: Strengthening Our Roots to Reach Even Higher

Greg and Betsy Donor Thumbnail

Greg and Betsy Hatton Plan A Lasting Legacy

Expanding the Ken and Dean Kirn Scholarship

Stories + Testimonials

Expanding the Ken and Dean Kirn Scholarship

Nonprofit Thumbnail

Stories + Testimonials

NAACP Vancouver Grows ACT-SO Achievement Program

National Scholarship Month: Celebrating Local Achievements Thumbnail

National Scholarship Month: Celebrating Local Achievements

Inclusion & Equity Thumbnail

Participatory Grantmaking Advances Inclusion & Equity

LatinxCSO Thumbnail Image

Stories + Testimonials

Five Latinx Nonprofits Making an Impact in Southwest Washington

CSOs Blog Feature Thumbnail

Culturally Specific Organizations Provide Targeted Impact

Marshall Park Thumbnail

Stories + Testimonials

Starting A Movement of Inclusive Play at Marshall Park

CFSWW Team Growth Thumbnail

Fostering Growth Within Our Team

Planning A Framework for Our Future Thumbnail

Community Guided: Planning A Framework for Our Future

Pen on notebook

Tips + Resources

5 Ways to Give During Uncertain Times

Matt Morton Image Thumbnail

Welcoming Our Next President, Matt Morton

T. Randall Grove

A Zoom screenshot of four Latino men and one Latino woman during a Voces del Noroeste session

Stories + Testimonials

Supporting Social Justice and Resiliency: Comunidades

Lilian Ongelungel

Stories + Testimonials

Philanthropy Award Recipients Also Give Inspiration

Somali youth and families celebrating at a school event thumbnail

Stories + Testimonials

Celebrating and Supporting Our Black Communities: Odyssey World International Education Services

Lilian Ongelungel

A gathering of people around candles with Stop Asian Hate signs honoring the lives lost during 2021

Tips + Resources

Asian American Allyship: Resources to Cultivate Belonging and Security

Two AAPI women hugging during a SWEC Town Hall

Stories + Testimonials

A Coalition Advancing Equity Comes Full Circle

Two students of color and an adult looking at something together at iUrban Teen in Vancouver, Washington

Stories + Testimonials

Celebrating and Supporting Our Black Communities: iUrban Teen

Lilian Ongelungel

A student wearing a face mask standing outside

Tips + Resources

Students Succeed During COVID-19 With Self-Care and Supports

A woman stretching and laughing with her daughter

Tips + Resources

Students Share Tips for Thriving in COVID-19 Classes

Young person sitting on a bed surrounded by books, a planner and a laptop

Equitable Scholarship Awards Support Extraordinary Students

Heart drawn on cardboard listing the names of Black people killed in the USA: George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Tony McDade, Rayshard Brooks and Ahmaud Arbery

A Call to Stand Against Racism

Jennifer Rhoads

Empty classroom in a school with a chalkboard, chairs and desks

Tips + Resources

Pay for College: Best Practices for Stacking Financial Aid

Blurred picture of a meeting with a laptop in view

A Year-in-Review: Grant Program Highlights and Hopes

Diverse students around a table taking notes

Why Scholarships Are An Important Source of Financial Aid

A graduate in a cap and many leis standing next to a man and a woman

Scholarships Open Opportunities for Local Students

A Black woman laughing with the words "Because: giving more brings meaning and joy"

Tips + Resources

How to Save More for Giving More to Charity

Person with money in their hands

Tips + Resources

7 Asset Building Efforts in Southwest Washington

An elderly couple smiling at the camera

Stories + Testimonials

Of Honor and Privilege

A diverse group of people sitting around a table at a housing forum in Vancouver, Washington

Fixing Housing and Homelessness: A Must Do

Jennifer Rhoads

Happy people in a group at a conference

Record Year of Granting in SW Washington

Shona Carter, MBA

A man, presumably homeless, sitting next to a grocery cart full of garbage bags

Interrupting Poverty through Effective Grantmaking

Shona Carter, MBA

An elderly man and woman next to their crops

Stories + Testimonials

Gleaning Impact from Experience

Bob and Sharon Lewis

Stories + Testimonials

Going Beyond Giving

Someone looking through a tower viewer

Tips + Resources

Top 5 Tips for Your Scholarship Search

A mockup of our office building on Esther Street near Esther Short Park in Vancouver, Washington

Our Move to a New Address Inside an Old Roost

A painting of a woman picking apples from a tree

Stories + Testimonials

Seeding A Heritage

An elderly couple, a man and woman, surrounded by tropical plants smiling at the camera, next to an image of an industrial district near a river

Stories + Testimonials

Educators Teach Compassion

Three small children in matching coats with a smiling blonde woman and a smiling dark haired man

Stories + Testimonials

Give Flight to Dreams

An old photograph of an old professor reading notes by a chalkboard

Stories + Testimonials

“Paddy” Hough Planted Seeds

Betsy Ross smiling next to a swimming pool

Stories + Testimonials

Betsy Ross' Ripple Effect

George Propstra in a kitchen making sauce with a blender

Stories + Testimonials

Service: Propstra's Secret Sauce

Rick Wollenberg, a white-haired man, next to a blonde woman and a dark-haired man at an Annual Celebration Event

Stories + Testimonials

Strong Community Roots

Welch Family of three women and one man smiling and laughing

Tips + Resources

What a Community Foundation Offers Donors

The Malmquist couple, a woman smiling brightly and a man smiling behind her, and an old photograph of a house on a dirt road

Stories + Testimonials

Planned Giving Upholds Charitable and Family Legacies