Community Foundation of South Puget Sound

What Community Foundation of South Puget Sound does

The Community Foundation of South Puget Sound is a 501(c)(3) public charity (EIN 94-3121390) founded in 1989 in Olympia, Washington, that manages charitable gifts from individual donors, families, businesses, and nonprofits to generate grants and scholarships across Lewis, Mason, and Thurston counties. It administers $50 million in assets across 148 separate funds spanning six charitable fund types (Community, Field of Interest, Donor Advised, Scholarship, Agency, and Designated), and has cumulatively awarded more than $32 million in grants and scholarships over its 35+ year history.

Its core products include a Community Grants program (~$444,500 annually to ~110 nonprofits), more than 20 distinct scholarship funds ($310,500 to 84 students in 2026 across 28 schools), the Capital City Marathon Endowment Fund ($89,950 cumulative since 2015), the newly launched Youth Mental Health Learning Cohort (2025, 13 partner organizations), Project Connect Grants (2025), and the annual Give Local campaign (raised a record $1.18M from 2,168 donors in 2024). Supporting offerings include the Legacy Circle planned-giving program, Community Conversations events, an annual Photo Contest, and free Nonprofit Trainings.

The foundation operates with a lean 1-10 person staff under President & CEO Mindie Reule (since 2019) and runs on third-party technology platforms rather than proprietary systems: FCSuite powers the Fund Advisor Portal for online donor and fund management, Grant Interface handles grant and scholarship applications, and FreeWill supports planned giving. Revenue mechanics are typical of a community foundation—contributions and bequests flow into permanent and expendable funds, generating investment returns that, combined with ongoing donations, fund annual grantmaking. The foundation holds National Standards for U.S. Community Foundations accreditation (since 2008) and has received two grants from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation for regional poverty alleviation work.

Name

Community Foundation of South Puget Sound

Legal name

Community Foundation of South Puget Sound

Website

https://thecommunityfoundation.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1989

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Community Foundation of South Puget Sound is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1989 that manages $50 million across 148 charitable funds, awarding grants and scholarships to strengthen Lewis, Mason, and Thurston counties in Washington State.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Foundation and Philanthropic Services

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Community Foundations (BPAGAKAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Public Charities & Grantmaking Intermediaries (BPAGAKAE), Philanthropic & Charitable Trust Services (FSAAANAI), Fundraising & Annual Giving (EDALAOAB)

Keywords

• Community foundation services
• Charitable fund management
• Grantmaking and scholarships
• Donor advised funds
• Regional philanthropy

Headquarters

HQ city

Olympia

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Charitable Fund Management: Manages charitable gifts from individual donors, families, businesses, and nonprofits. The proceeds generate grants and scholarships today while preserving resources for tomorrow's community priorities. Manages 148 separate funds across various fund types including donor advised, designated, field of interest, scholarship, and agency funds.
2. Donor Contributions: Receives charitable contributions from donors who establish funds for causes they care about, including planned gifts through wills/trusts, direct cash donations, securities, real estate, and other assets.
3. Planned Giving: Partnership with FreeWill provides free online estate planning tools. Donors can leave planned gifts through wills, trusts, retirement account beneficiary designations, or life insurance policies. Legacy Circle recognizes members who have included the foundation in estate plans.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

The Community Foundation of South Puget Sound manages charitable gifts from individual donors, families, businesses, and nonprofits across six fund types (Community, Field of Interest, Donor Advised, Scholarship, Agency, and Designated), stewarding $50 million in 148 separate funds. Proceeds generate grants to local nonprofits and scholarships to students while preserving resources for future community priorities across Lewis, Mason, and Thurston counties. It also operates annual giving campaigns (Give Local), planned giving programs (Legacy Circle), nonprofit trainings, and Community Conversations.

Product overview

The Community Foundation of South Puget Sound is a philanthropic organization offering a comprehensive suite of charitable giving and grantmaking services. Its core offerings include six types of charitable funds (Community Funds, Field of Interest Funds, Donor Advised Funds, Scholarship Funds, Agency Funds, and Designated Funds) managed across 148 separate funds. The Foundation delivers grant programs including Community Grants (~$400,000 annually), Youth Mental Health Learning Cohort ($10,000 grants per organization), Capital City Marathon grants, and Project Connect Grants. Its scholarship program distributes over $310,500 annually to approximately 84 students through more than 20 distinct scholarship funds. Supporting services include Give Local (annual giving campaign raising over $1.18M in 2024), Legacy Circle (planned giving recognition), Nonprofit Trainings, and Community Conversations. The Foundation connects donors with community needs across Lewis, Mason, and Thurston counties.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Community Grants Program Broad, flexible funding program supporting a wide range of nonprofit organizations contributing to the region's social, health, and environmental well-being. Awards range from $1,500-$7,500 with approximately $400,000 distributed annually across Lewis, Mason, and Thurston counties.
• Youth Mental Health Learning Cohort Year-long cohort program bringing together 10-15 youth-serving organizations for shared training on trauma-informed care, ACEs, resilience-building, and peer learning. Each organization receives $10,000 grant with additional collaborative grants of up to $10,000 available at year-end.
• Scholarship Programs Comprehensive scholarship program offering awards to graduating seniors across the South Sound region. Includes over 20 distinct scholarship funds with amounts ranging from $500 to $12,500, supporting students pursuing 4-year universities, trade schools, and vocational programs. In Class of 2026, 84 students received $310,500 in awards.
• Capital City Marathon Endowment Fund Grants Grant program distributing proceeds from the Capital City Marathon to local nonprofit organizations supporting community health and well-being. Since 2015, the fund has awarded $89,950 to nonprofits, with $13,000 awarded to eight organizations in 2026.
• Project Connect Grants Grant program supporting projects that bring people together in meaningful ways to strengthen civic life, connection, and belonging across the South Sound communities.
• Planned Giving / Legacy Circle Planned giving program allowing donors to include the Community Foundation in their will or estate plan, supported by a free online estate planning tool through the FreeWill partnership. The Legacy Circle recognizes members who make such commitments, offering benefits including event invitations and public recognition.
• Give Local Annual online giving campaign (November 9-20) increasing community philanthropy through coordinated giving to local nonprofits. In 2024, the 8th annual Give Local raised a record $1.18 million from 2,168 donors.
• Charitable Fund Establishment (Six Fund Types) Six distinct charitable fund types for donors: Community Funds (discretionary), Field of Interest Funds (cause-specific), Donor Advised Funds (charitable giving accounts), Scholarship Funds, Agency Funds (for nonprofits), and Designated Funds (for specific charities). The Foundation manages 148 separate funds.
• Nonprofit Trainings Free workshops and training opportunities for local nonprofits, including succession planning workshops and sessions with the Nonprofit Association of Washington (NAWA), supporting organizational capacity building.
• Community Conversations Community engagement events bringing together local residents, leaders, and organizations to discuss important community topics and strengthen civic participation across the South Puget Sound region.

Quantifiable outcome

• $32 million in grants and scholarships awarded since 1989
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Community Heart & SoulcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 28 April 2026Programmatic partnership expanding Community Heart & Soul's community engagement model to South Puget Sound. The nonprofit organization will bring tools and resources to help residents identify shared priorities and create action plans. Community Heart & Soul currently trains and supports a nationwide network of certified coaches serving over 140 communities.
• Greater Worcester Community FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 28 April 2026One of four community foundations partnering with Community Heart & Soul for programmatic expansion. Located in Massachusetts.
• Chautauqua Region Community FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 28 April 2026One of four community foundations partnering with Community Heart & Soul for programmatic expansion. Located in New York.
• Community Foundation of Monroe CountyminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 28 April 2026One of four community foundations partnering with Community Heart & Soul for programmatic expansion. Located in Michigan.
• FreeWillcoreTechnology or IntegrationPartnership provides free, secure online estate planning tools for donors. FreeWill helps create or update wills in about 20 minutes at no cost. Partnership enables planned giving accessibility for South Sound community members. Donors can also plan beneficiaries for retirement accounts and life insurance.
• Community Resilience Initiative (CRI)coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerNationally recognized leader in trauma-informed care providing training for Youth Mental Health Learning Cohort. CRI's Master Trainer Rick Griffin led monthly training sessions on topics including Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), trauma-informed care, racial equity and inclusion, and youth empowerment.
• Capital City Marathon AssociationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartners to operate the Capital City Marathon Endowment Fund. Race proceeds are transformed into grants supporting community health and well-being. Since 2015, the fund has awarded $89,950 to nonprofits across the South Sound, including $13,000 in 2026 grants to eight organizations.
• Nonprofit Association of Washington (NAWA)minorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerPartnership providing free workshops for nonprofits on topics including succession planning. Foundation co-hosts workshops with NAWA to support nonprofit capacity building.
• Community Foundation Awareness InitiativeminorGTM or Marketing PartnerNational partnership of 160+ community foundations working to educate the public about community foundation impact. Includes nearly all 50 states.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• The Seattle Foundation: Largest community foundation in Washington State, serving the greater Seattle/King County region. Same community-foundation model (donor advised, designated, scholarship funds) with substantially larger AUM (multi-billion), serving as the scale benchmark for CF South Puget Sound.
• Whatcom Community Foundation: Regional community foundation serving Whatcom County in northwest Washington. Operates the same community-foundation model with charitable funds, scholarships, and competitive grant cycles for local nonprofits.
• Kitsap Community Foundation: Regional community foundation serving Kitsap County, WA. Comparably sized peer with similar six-fund-type structure, scholarship programs, and grantmaking focus on a single-county Washington geography.
• Greater Tacoma Community Foundation: Regional community foundation in Pierce County, WA. Was the original asset-management partner for CF South Puget Sound until 1999. Operates a similar model managing charitable funds and distributing grants across a contiguous Washington county footprint.
• Community Foundation of Monroe County: Michigan-based community foundation and one of four peer partners in the Community Heart & Soul coalition. Operates the same community-foundation model with donor funds, scholarships, and local grant cycles.
• Chautauqua Region Community Foundation: New York-based community foundation and a designated peer partner in the Community Heart & Soul coalition. Comparable regional foundation with similar fund management and grantmaking functions.
• Snohomish County Community Foundation: Washington State community foundation serving Snohomish County. Same operating model and proximity makes it a directly relevant geographic peer for donor and nonprofit ecosystem comparison.
• Greater Worcester Community Foundation: Massachusetts-based community foundation and one of four peer foundations partnering with Community Heart & Soul on programmatic expansion. Operates the same collective-giving model managing donor funds and distributing regional grants.

Others

• FreeWill: Technology partner that provides free online estate-planning tools integrated with the Foundation's planned-giving program. An enabling platform whose partnership model is being adopted across the community-foundation sector.

Broad incumbents

• Fidelity Charitable: Largest U.S. sponsor of donor-advised funds (national, multi-billion-AUM). Represents the dominant incumbent alternative to community-foundation donor-advised funds, competing for the same donor dollars with technology-led, lower-friction giving vehicles.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/tcfsps
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-community-foundation-of-south-puget-sound/posts/?feedView=all
• Instagraminstagram.com/tcfsps
• Xx.com/tcfsps

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Community Foundation of South Puget Sound