San Juan Island Community Foundation

What San Juan Island Community Foundation does

San Juan Island Community Foundation (SJICF) is a 501(c)(3) public charity (EIN 91-1648730) headquartered in Friday Harbor, Washington, serving the San Juan Island community since 1994 with active grantmaking since 2008. The foundation operates three core programmatic lines: donor services (donor-advised funds, endowments, and planned legacy giving), nonprofit grant cycles (bi-annual general grants plus the SJI Cares County Fair Giving Campaign and a Resiliency Fund for emergency needs), and student scholarships (Inskeep Legacy, Michael Scott Kramer Memorial, Volk–Geyman, and the general SJICF Scholarship). It also partners with attorneys, financial planners, and tax advisors to position itself as the default philanthropic vehicle for the island.

The business model is non-commercial: SJICF does not charge fees to nonprofits applying for grants or to scholarship applicants, and donor services are offered at no direct cost. Operating inflows come from donor contributions and investment returns on a managed endowment pool, with the foundation distributing capital via bi-annual grant cycles, year-round donor-advised fund recommendations, and direct-to-institution scholarship payments. Cumulative outputs since 2008 include $2.8 million in scholarships to 251 students and instrumental projects such as the development of Peace Island Medical Center (24-hour emergency, family medicine, oncology, imaging, lab, surgery). Distribution channels include the sjicf.org website, an Impact Stories blog, email newsletter, organic social media, community events, and professional advisor referral partnerships.

The organization is lean, with a 1–10 employee footprint led by Executive Director Amy Saxe-Eyler (since March 2024), Relationship Manager Carrie Unpingco, and Program and Administrative Manager Katie Stringer, under Board Chair John Moalli (since June 2024). Customer and grantee concentration is low: the nonprofit portfolio spans human services, healthcare, agriculture, arts and culture, education, mental health, and food security, providing natural diversification against single-cause funding risk.

Name

San Juan Island Community Foundation

Legal name

San Juan Island Community Foundation

Website

https://sjicf.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

San Juan Island Community Foundation is a 501(c)(3) community foundation in Friday Harbor, Washington, providing donor-advised funds, endowments, bi-annual nonprofit grants, and need-based scholarships to support San Juan Island residents, nonprofits, and students.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Foundation Philanthropic Services

NAICS

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

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Community Foundations (BPAGAKAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Scholarship & Fellowship Foundations and Trusts (EDADAHAC), Grantmaking & Philanthropic Funds (Institutional Donors) (BPADAOAB)

Keywords

• Community foundation services
• Donor-advised funds
• Nonprofit grantmaking
• Charitable giving administration
• Scholarship fund management

Headquarters

HQ city

Friday Harbor

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Donor Contributions and Gifts: The foundation receives charitable contributions from donors who establish donor-advised funds, endowed funds, and planned legacy gifts. These contributions form the primary capital base for grantmaking and scholarship disbursements.
2. Investment Income from Endowments: Returns on invested endowment funds support ongoing grantmaking and scholarship programs. The foundation manages a General Endowment and various designated funds.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

San Juan Island Community Foundation is a 501(c)(3) public charity that administers philanthropic giving vehicles (donor-advised funds, endowments, and planned legacy gifts), distributes grants to local nonprofits through bi-annual grant cycles and emergency Resiliency Fund awards, and awards need-based scholarships to San Juan Island residents pursuing higher education and vocational training.

Product overview

San Juan Island Community Foundation is a public charity offering a portfolio of philanthropic programs centered on three core service areas: donor services (including donor-advised funds, endowments, and planned giving), nonprofit grant programs (with two annual grant cycles and a resiliency fund), and professional advisor partnerships. The foundation also administers multiple scholarship programs including the Inskeep Legacy Scholarship, Volk-Geyman Scholarship, SJICF Scholarship, and Michael Scott Kramer Memorial Scholarship. Supporting programs include a Volunteer Directory, Nonprofit Event Calendar, and an Impact Stories blog that showcases community projects.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Inskeep Legacy Scholarship: Need-based scholarship for Friday Harbor High School seniors attending four-year colleges/universities, established through Jerry Inskeep's estate gift.
• Michael Scott Kramer Memorial Scholarship
• Volk – Geyman Scholarship
• SJICF Scholarship

Products and services

• Donor Services Helps individual donors and families fulfill life-long charitable giving goals through donor-advised funds, endowments, and planned legacy giving, including acceptance of diverse asset types such as stock, retirement plan investments, life insurance, and real estate.
• Nonprofit Grant Programs Provides expertise and financial support to nonprofit organizations on San Juan Island, awarding grant funding two times per year through regular bi-annual grant cycles and the SJI Cares County Fair Giving Campaign.
• Professional Advisor Services Partnership program that works with attorneys, financial planners, and tax advisors to help their clients achieve long-term philanthropic goals and maximize the tax advantages of charitable giving.
• Scholarship Programs Need-based scholarships awarded to San Juan Islanders of all ages for higher education and career training at community colleges, four-year universities, graduate programs, and vocational schools. Administered via named scholarship funds listed on the foundation's student page.
• Resiliency Fund Grants Emergency funding for urgent or time-sensitive nonprofit needs in health and human services during periods of disruption or community stress on San Juan Island.
• Inskeep Legacy Scholarship Need-based scholarship for Friday Harbor High School seniors attending four-year colleges or universities, established through Jerry Inskeep's estate gift.
• Volk-Geyman Scholarship Named scholarship for students pursuing careers blending aviation and medicine to support community health and well-being, honoring John Volk and Dr. John Geyman.
• Michael Scott Kramer Memorial Scholarship One-time $2,000 scholarship for post-secondary students seeking education in recreation, adventure tourism, forestry, marine trades, or related earth sciences.

Quantifiable outcome

• 158 high school graduates helped achieve higher education goals with $1.98M in need-based financial aid since 2008
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• Inland Northwest Community Foundation: Regional community foundation serving eastern Washington and northern Idaho. Comparable in operating model (donor-advised funds, scholarships, nonprofit grants) and asset scale; serves a multi-county inland geography.
• Kitsap Community Foundation: Regional community foundation serving Kitsap County, Washington. Comparable in scale and operating model (donor-advised funds, grant cycles, scholarships) but operates across a larger mainland county geography rather than a single island.
• Whatcom Community Foundation: Community foundation serving Whatcom County in northwest Washington. Similar grantmaking and scholarship model with comparable asset size; serves a broader county geography rather than a single island community.
• Skagit Community Foundation: Community foundation serving Skagit County, Washington. Comparable small-to-mid-scale Pacific Northwest community foundation with scholarship programs and nonprofit grantmaking cycles.

Direct peers

• Coastal Community Foundation: Community foundation serving coastal South Carolina. Comparable small-to-mid-scale community foundation with donor-advised funds, grant cycles, and scholarship administration focused on a defined geographic community.
• Bainbridge Community Foundation: Community foundation serving Bainbridge Island, Washington. Closely comparable Pacific Northwest island community foundation with donor-advised funds, nonprofit grants, and scholarship programs serving a similar affluent island demographic.
• Community Foundation for San Benito County: Small-to-mid-scale county-focused community foundation with grantmaking and scholarship programs. Directly comparable in operating model and asset scale to SJICF as a rural community foundation.
• Orcas Island Community Foundation: Community foundation serving Orcas Island in San Juan County, Washington. Directly comparable to SJICF in mission (community grantmaking and scholarships), geography (adjacent island in same county), and operating model (donor-advised funds, local nonprofit grants).
• Maui Community Foundation: Island-based community foundation serving Maui County, Hawaii. Closely comparable model — island geography, donor-advised funds, scholarship programs, and emergency resiliency grantmaking (notably active following the 2023 wildfires) — making it a strong functional peer to SJICF.

Broad incumbents

• Seattle Foundation: Largest community foundation in Washington State, serving the greater Puget Sound region. Comparable operating model (donor-advised funds, grant cycles, scholarships) but at materially greater scale and geographic reach; provides a competitive alternative for donors and nonprofits in the broader region.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/sjicf
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/san-juan-island-community-foundation
• Instagraminstagram.com/sjicf

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about San Juan Island Community Foundation