Bullitt Foundation

What Bullitt Foundation does

The Bullitt Foundation is a Seattle-based private nonprofit foundation founded in 1952 by Dorothy Bullitt, the Seattle media pioneer. The Foundation originally operated as a general-purpose family charitable vehicle and pivoted in 1992 under President Denis Hayes to focus on safeguarding the natural environment by promoting responsible human activities and sustainable communities in the Pacific Northwest.

Since 2016, the Foundation has concentrated its grantmaking exclusively on the Emerald Corridor, the region spanning Vancouver, BC to Portland, OR, treating it as a model for urban sustainability. Its programmatic portfolio comprises six areas: Regional Ecosystem Health, Energy/Climate/Materials, Deep Green Buildings, Resilient Cities/Healthy Communities, Environmental Fellowship, and the Bullitt Environmental Prize, an annual $100,000 award disbursed over two years to emerging environmental leaders from disadvantaged backgrounds. Grants are awarded directly to environmental nonprofits and government entities operating in the Pacific Northwest.

In 2019 the Foundation announced it would sunset its grantmaking activities by April 2024, spend down its endowment, and cease accepting new applications in 2023. To preserve its flagship program, it transferred administration of the Bullitt Prize to the Washington Conservation Action Education Fund along with an endowment intended to sustain the Prize in perpetuity. The Foundation is housed in the Bullitt Center, branded as the greenest commercial office building in the world, which also functions as a programmatic demonstration project for the Deep Green Buildings agenda.

Name

Bullitt Foundation

Legal name

The Bullitt Foundation

Website

https://bullitt.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1952

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Bullitt Foundation is a Seattle-based private nonprofit foundation, founded in 1952, that grants funds to environmental organizations across the Pacific Northwest. In 2019 it announced the sunset of grantmaking by April 2024, transferring its Bullitt Prize to Washington Conservation Action for perpetual administration.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Environmental Grantmaking Foundation

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Grantmaking and Giving Services (8132), Environment, Conservation and Wildlife Organizations (813312)

akta.pro primary industry

Environmental & Climate Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAM)

akta.pro secondary industries

Grantmaking & Philanthropic Funds (Institutional Donors) (BPADAOAB), Foundation/NGO & Philanthropic Scholarships (EDAIAOAH)

Keywords

• Environmental grantmaking
• Nonprofit foundation
• Sustainability grants
• Climate action funding
• Conservation philanthropy

Headquarters

HQ city

Seattle

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Grants and program funding, Operations, Others

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

The Bullitt Foundation is a private nonprofit foundation that makes grants to environmental organizations and leaders in the Pacific Northwest (the Emerald Corridor spanning Vancouver, BC to Portland, OR). It funds programs in regional ecosystem health, energy and climate, green buildings, and resilient cities, and awards the annual Bullitt Environmental Prize ($100,000 over two years) to emerging environmental leaders from disadvantaged backgrounds. The Foundation sunset its grantmaking by April 2024 and transferred administration of the Bullitt Prize to the Washington Conservation Action Education Fund for perpetuity.

Product overview

The Bullitt Foundation operates as a grantmaking foundation offering multiple environmental grant programs, including the Bullitt Environmental Prize ($100,000 over two years), Regional Ecosystem Health, Energy Climate and Materials, Deep Green Buildings, Resilient Cities Healthy Communities, and Environmental Fellowship programs. The foundation sunset its grantmaking at the end of 2024 but continues funding the Bullitt Prize in perpetuity through an endowment with Washington Conservation Action. These programs collectively support environmental sustainability, climate action, and conservation in the Pacific Northwest (Emerald Corridor between Vancouver BC and Portland OR).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Bullitt Environmental Prize Annual $100,000 award given over two years to promising environmental leaders from disadvantaged backgrounds, aimed at broadening and diversifying leadership in the Pacific Northwest environmental movement. Now administered by Washington Conservation Action Education Fund under a perpetuity endowment from the Foundation.
• Regional Ecosystem Health Program

Quantifiable outcome

• 17th annual Bullitt Environmental Prize awarded in 2023
• +2 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Washington Conservation Action Education FundcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Bullitt Foundation transferred responsibility for administering the Bullitt Prize to the Washington Conservation Action (WCA) Education Fund. The Foundation awarded WCA a substantial endowment to assure that the Prize will continue in perpetuity. WCA's involvement ensures the Prize continues to support prospective environmental leaders from disadvantaged backgrounds. WCA is located at 1402 Third Avenue, #1400, Seattle, WA 98101.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights2 records

Direct peers

• Wilburforce Foundation: Seattle-based foundation focused on protecting old-growth forests and conserving biological diversity in the Pacific Northwest and beyond. Directly comparable environmental grantmaking mission with regional Pacific NW emphasis.
• Resources Legacy Fund: Sacramento-based foundation funding environmental conservation, natural resource protection, and climate resilience, with significant Pacific Northwest grantmaking. Comparable environmental grantmaking scope and scale.
• Libra Foundation: Portland, ME-based family foundation funding environmental conservation, sustainable agriculture, and climate work. Comparable mid-sized environmental grantmaker with multi-decadal program history.
• Russell Family Foundation: Pierce County, WA-based foundation supporting environmental sustainability and equitable community development in the Puget Sound region. Comparable regional environmental grantmaking focus and similar program structure.
• Meyer Memorial Trust: Oregon-based private foundation funding equity, climate, and community work in the Pacific Northwest. Highly comparable as a regional PNW foundation with overlapping environmental, climate, and built-environment program areas.

Broad incumbents

• Seattle Foundation: Community foundation serving the Seattle/King County region with environmental, climate, and equity grantmaking. Comparable Pacific Northwest geography and base of operations, though with broader community rather than strictly environmental remit.
• ClimateWorks Foundation: Global climate-focused grantmaking foundation funding policy, innovation, and equitable decarbonization. Comparable environmental/climate grantmaking mission with broader, international scope.
• Schmidt Family Foundation: Family foundation funding climate, ocean health, and other environmental initiatives. Comparable environmental/climate grantmaking focus at larger scale, including Pacific Northwest activity.
• The Nature Conservancy: Largest global environmental nonprofit with extensive Pacific Northwest operations and grantmaking. Significantly larger and operationally broader but a recognized benchmark for environmental grantmaking in the same geography.

Emerging players

• Patagonia (corporate giving): Outdoor apparel company directing 1% of sales to environmental nonprofits through grants, primarily grassroots environmental activism. Comparable environmental grantmaking activity, though smaller-scale and tied to a commercial entity.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat2 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/3932898

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 Bullitt Foundation