Washington Women’s Foundation

What Washington Women’s Foundation does

Washington Women's Foundation is a nonprofit collective giving organization founded in 1995 and headquartered in Seattle, Washington. The foundation pools annual contributions from a membership of women philanthropists and redistributes the funds as unrestricted grants to Washington State nonprofits promoting racial and gender equity, supplemented by individual donations. Since founding, the organization reports having invested over $20 million in Washington nonprofits and operates a statewide reach model anchored from its Seattle office at 2100 24th Avenue S. #330.

The foundation's core offerings are its membership community, collective grants, and the Rest & Repair Awards program. Supporting programs include the Philanthropy Learning Series, Giving Guides, and the 'Joy Is Caring in Action!' Toolkit for Spring Campaign amplification. Operations are supported by Blackbaud's donor management and member portal systems, which handle membership acquisition, donations, and event registration. Distribution to grantees is direct, with no consumer-facing software product beyond the member portal; the foundation has no app, SDK, API, or public MCP surface.

Revenue is generated through recurring annual membership contributions and individual donations, with the foundation also cultivating corporate sponsorship (named sponsors include Hall-Dorana Capital, Microsoft, Brighton Jones, and Humanize Wealth). Go-to-market is community-led: membership acquisition and engagement run through the foundation's website, monthly newsletter, learning programs, member events, and blog content, while the organization is affiliated with the Philanos women's collective giving network. Tamara Wilds Lawson is identified as President & CEO.

Name

Washington Women’s Foundation

Legal name

Washington Women's Foundation

Website

https://wawomensfoundation.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1995

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Washington Women's Foundation is a Seattle-based nonprofit founded in 1995 that pools annual member contributions from women philanthropists to issue unrestricted grants to Washington State nonprofits advancing racial and gender equity, with over $20 million invested since inception.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Philanthropy and Grantmaking Services

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Public Charities & Grantmaking Intermediaries (BPAGAKAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

Community Foundations (BPAGAKAB)

Keywords

• Women's collective giving
• Philanthropic grantmaking
• Nonprofit foundation funding
• Community philanthropy
• Unrestricted grant programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Seattle

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Contributions: Washington Women's Foundation generates revenue through annual membership contributions from women philanthropists who join the collective giving organization. Members pool their resources to make significant grants to Washington State nonprofits.
2. Donations: The organization accepts donations from individuals who support its mission of promoting racial and gender equity in Washington State through unrestricted grantmaking.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Washington Women's Foundation is a nonprofit collective giving organization that pools contributions from women members to make unrestricted grants to Washington State nonprofits focused on racial and gender equity. It also operates a membership community, educational programs, and award programs such as the Rest & Repair Awards. Sponsorships and donations supplement member contributions.

Product overview

Washington Women's Foundation is a women's collective giving organization offering grantmaking programs, membership community engagement, and educational resources. The core offerings include unrestricted grantmaking to Washington nonprofits, a membership community for collective giving, and various award programs such as Rest & Repair Awards. Supporting resources include the Joy Is Caring in Action! Toolkit for campaign amplification, Giving Guides for member education, and a philanthropy learning series for ongoing engagement. The organization functions as a platform connecting donors with nonprofits across Washington State.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Grantmaking Programs (Collective Grants) Unrestricted grantmaking and awards to nonprofits, fiscally sponsored organizations, and individuals promoting racial and gender equity in Washington State. Members pool resources to support large-scale collective grants.
• Membership Community A collective giving membership community for women philanthropists that fosters a learning mindset, celebrates grantees, and pools donor resources for greater impact.
• Rest & Repair Awards Awards supporting organizations and individuals focused on rest and repair for communities in Washington State.
• Philanthropy Learning Series Educational programs and events for members to learn about philanthropy and engage with grantees, including place-based initiatives like Yakima trips.
• Giving Guides Educational resources and guides on philanthropy and giving practices available to members.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over $20 million invested in Washington nonprofits since 1995

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• PhilanoscoreOthersWashington Women's Foundation is a proud affiliate of Philanos, a network of women accelerating the power of collective giving. This affiliation connects the foundation to a broader network of women's collective giving organizations.
• Hall-Dorana CapitalminorGTM or Marketing PartnerListed as a sponsor of Washington Women's Foundation, providing financial support for organizational activities and events.
• Brighton JonesminorGTM or Marketing PartnerListed as a sponsor of Washington Women's Foundation, providing financial support for organizational activities.
• Humanize WealthminorGTM or Marketing PartnerListed as a sponsor of Washington Women's Foundation, providing financial support for organizational activities.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Impact 100: National network of women's collective giving circles that pool $100K+ member contributions to award high-impact grants. Directly comparable collective giving model and member-driven grantmaking structure.
• Northwest Women's Foundation (emeritus): Regional women's foundation that historically served the Pacific Northwest with grants to advance gender equity. Directly comparable mission, geography, and grantmaking model, even though some operations have wound down.
• Women's Foundation of Colorado: State-focused women's foundation that pools philanthropic capital and awards grants to advance gender equity and economic security. Directly comparable to WaWF in mission, collective giving model, and statewide geographic scope.
• Women's Foundation of Minnesota: Statewide women's foundation funding organizations that advance gender, racial, and economic equity. Closely matches WaWF's mission, grantmaking approach, and community-based operating model.

Others

• Philanos (Catalist): National network of women's collective giving organizations that WaWF is a proud affiliate of. Comparable as the network infrastructure enabling peer learning, shared resources, and collective impact across member foundations.
• Women's Funding Network: Global network of women's funds and foundations, including those using collective giving models. Comparable as peer infrastructure supporting member foundations, and a venue for WaWF to benchmark and amplify impact.

Broad incumbents

• Marguerite Casey Foundation: Large national foundation based in the Pacific Northwest funding equity-focused organizing and movement building. Comparable mission focus on racial and economic equity, with significantly greater assets and national reach.
• Tides Foundation: Major philanthropic intermediary and public charity that provides grantmaking infrastructure for donors and funds social justice causes. Comparable in 501(c)(3) public charity status and grantmaking intermediary role, though at a much larger scale.
• Ms. Foundation for Women: National women's foundation that funds movements and organizations advancing gender, racial, and economic justice. Overlaps in mission and grantee focus, but operates nationally rather than within a single state.

Regional players

• Seattle Foundation: Large community foundation serving the greater Seattle and Washington State region with broad grantmaking and donor services. Comparable geographic scope and community grantmaking role, though substantially larger and broader in mission.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/wawomensfdn
• Facebookfacebook.com/wawomensfoundation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/wawomensfdn

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Washington Women’s Foundation