Sherwood Trust
Sherwood Trust is a private, place-based nonprofit foundation established in 1991 in Walla Walla, WA that distributes grants and leadership training to nonprofits and public agencies across the Walla Walla Valley, having invested over $41.7 million across 159 recipients.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1991
- HeadquartersWalla Walla, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Sherwood Trust does
Sherwood Trust is a private, place-based nonprofit foundation established in 1991 by Donald and Virginia Sherwood in Walla Walla, Washington. The foundation catalyzes community building in the Walla Walla Valley — spanning Walla Walla County, Columbia County (Washington), and Milton-Freewater (Oregon) — by distributing grants to 501(c)(3) nonprofits and public agencies through four programs: an annual competitive Core Grant program (awarding $881,500 to 11 organizations in 2026 out of 40 qualified LOIs), Impact Grants, Legacy Grants, and Directive Grants, totaling over $41.7 million invested across 159 recipients since inception. Grants fund three project types — Community (neighborhood connection and belonging), Capacity (staffing, strategic planning, systems improvements), and Capital (buildings, equipment, accessibility) — with 2026 awards ranging from $10,000 to $250,000 and covering healthcare, food security, youth development, reproductive health, rural health, and creative education.
The Trust also operates Leadership Classes that provide practical training and peer learning for nonprofit professionals across the region. Operations are lean (1–10 employees, with CEO Brian Hunt and Office Administrator Maria Corona supported by a seven-person board), and the foundation invests in digital transparency through an Impact Stories blog, grant partner pages, and a newsletter on sherwoodtrust.org. Because Sherwood Trust is a grantmaking foundation rather than a commercial enterprise, it has no product pricing or GTM sales motion; its "distribution" is a competitive annual solicitation, and its annual grantmaking has remained in a $1.17M–$1.44M band over 2021–2025.
Sherwood Trust firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Sherwood Trust
- Legal name
- Sherwood Trust
- Website
- https://sherwoodtrust.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1991
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Sherwood Trust is a private, place-based nonprofit foundation established in 1991 in Walla Walla, WA that distributes grants and leadership training to nonprofits and public agencies across the Walla Walla Valley, having invested over $41.7 million across 159 recipients.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Sherwood Trust industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Community Foundation / Philanthropic Grantmaking
- NAICS
- Grantmaking Foundations (813211)
- SIC
- Services-Social Services (8300)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Private Foundations (BPAGAKAA)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Community Foundations (BPAGAKAB)
Keywords
Where Sherwood Trust is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Walla Walla
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Sherwood Trust business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Others, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels4 records
Sherwood Trust product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Sherwood Trust is a private, place-based nonprofit foundation that distributes grants to eligible 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations and public agencies in the Walla Walla Valley through its Core Grants, Impact Grants, Legacy Grants, and Directive Grants programs, supporting community-building, capacity, and capital projects. The foundation also offers Leadership Classes providing practical training, shared learning, and peer connections for nonprofit professionals across the region.
Product overview
Sherwood Trust operates as a private, place-based nonprofit foundation established in 1991. The organization offers a portfolio of grant programs including Core Grants (annual competitive grants for community, capacity, and capital projects), Impact Grants, Legacy Grants, and Directive Grants. Additionally, the Trust provides leadership development classes for nonprofit professionals. All programs are focused on strengthening connection, belonging, and well-being in the Walla Walla Valley region.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Core Grants Program
Quantifiable outcome
- Over $41 million invested in the Walla Walla Valley since 1991
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Sherwood Trust
Customer profileNamed customers11 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Sherwood Trust technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Sherwood Trust partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators10 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights3 records
Sherwood Trust competitors and assessment
Company assessmentRegional players
- Rasmuson Foundation: Alaska-based private foundation supporting community, arts, and capacity-building across a geographically dispersed state. Comparable as a place-based private foundation focused on rural community development in a non-contiguous region.
- Innovia Foundation (formerly Inland Northwest Community Foundation): Eastern Washington and northern Idaho community foundation with broader geographic scope but a similar mission of building community vitality through grants and capacity support across rural Inland Northwest communities.
Broad incumbents
- The Seattle Foundation: Largest community foundation in Washington state with significantly greater assets and broader program scope. Comparable as a Washington-based community foundation but operates at much larger scale and urban focus than Sherwood Trust.
- Ford Foundation: One of the largest US private foundations with a long history of place-based grantmaking and capacity-building initiatives. Comparable in mission and grantmaking-plus-capacity philosophy but operates globally at far greater scale.
- Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation: Washington-state-based private foundation with global scope and multibillion-dollar endowment. Comparable as a private philanthropic foundation operating in Washington but at vastly different scale, geography, and program areas.
Direct peers
- Blue Mountain Community Foundation: Place-based community foundation serving northeastern Oregon including Pendleton and surrounding rural counties. Directly comparable as a similarly-sized rural regional foundation distributing competitive grants to local nonprofits.
- Yakima Valley Community Foundation: Community foundation serving the Yakima Valley in Washington, focused on rural health, education, and community-building grants. Comparable mission, geographic scale, and grantmaking model to Sherwood Trust.
- Community Foundation for Southeast Washington: Community foundation serving the Tri-Cities region (Benton, Franklin, Walla Walla, Columbia, Garfield counties) in southeast Washington. Directly overlaps with Sherwood Trust's geography and serves a comparable rural/small-metro nonprofit ecosystem.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses3 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Sherwood Trust social profiles
Digital presenceSherwood Trust financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Sherwood Trust leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles9 records
Sherwood Trust funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Sherwood Trust M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Sherwood Trust
What does Sherwood Trust do?
Sherwood Trust is a private, place-based nonprofit foundation that distributes grants to eligible 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations and public agencies in the Walla Walla Valley through its Core Grants, Impact Grants, Legacy Grants, and Directive Grants programs, supporting community-building, capacity, and capital projects. The foundation also offers Leadership Classes providing practical training, shared learning, and peer connections for nonprofit professionals across the region.
Is Sherwood Trust a public or private company?
Sherwood Trust is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Sherwood Trust founded?
Sherwood Trust was founded in 1991. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Sherwood Trust based?
Sherwood Trust is headquartered in Walla Walla, United States, in the North America region.
Who are Sherwood Trust's main competitors?
Regional players on record are Rasmuson Foundation and Innovia Foundation (formerly Inland Northwest Community Foundation). Broad incumbents are The Seattle Foundation, Ford Foundation and Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Direct peers are Blue Mountain Community Foundation, Yakima Valley Community Foundation and Community Foundation for Southeast Washington.
Does Sherwood Trust have an API?
No public API is recorded for Sherwood Trust.
What industry is Sherwood Trust in?
Sherwood Trust's product category is Community Foundation / Philanthropic Grantmaking. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAGAKAA, Private Foundations, with a secondary code of BPAGAKAB, Community Foundations. Its NAICS code is 813211 and its SIC code is 8300.