What Tulalip Foundation does

The Tulalip Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit charitable organization established in 2007 by the Tulalip Tribes Board of Directors to solicit, accept, and disperse charitable gifts, donations, and grants for the public benefit of the Tulalip Tribes and the surrounding community in Snohomish County, Washington. The Foundation operates as the unified fundraising entity for three programmatic verticals: Culture (Hibulb Cultural Center, Lushootseed Language Program), Education (Betty J. Taylor Early Learning Academy, TERO Vocational Training Center), and Justice (Tulalip Office of Civil Legal Aid, Healing to Wellness Court, Criminal Conflict Counsel Program, Legacy of Healing Survivor Fund). It runs a 100% donation model in which all public donations flow directly to designated projects, with the Tulalip Tribes covering 100% of operational costs.

The Foundation's revenue model is donations and grant funding rather than commercial sales; there is no product pricing. Disclosed grant inflows total approximately $1,004,355 across 2010–2014 from the Bureau of Justice Assistance (Tribal Civil and Criminal Legal Assistance Program Categories 1 and 2), the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction, and the Marysville School District. Individual donations are collected via the Foundation's website, direct mail, and community events including the annual Salmon Bake fundraiser at the Hibulb Cultural Center. Geographic reach is limited to the Tulalip Reservation, Snohomish County, and Washington State.

The Foundation has no proprietary technology platform, no AI/ML capabilities, and no app or API. It partners with Renton Technical College, South Seattle Community College, the Washington State Apprenticeship and Training Council, Marysville School District, and the University of Washington Tribal Court Public Defense Clinic to extend its programmatic reach. Leadership comprises an Executive Director (Nicole Sieminski, appointed 2015) and a six-member Board of Trustees drawn from Tulalip Tribes membership, including Chairman Melvin R. Sheldon Jr.

Name

Tulalip Foundation

Legal name

The Tulalip Foundation

Website

https://tulalipfoundation.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2007

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Tulalip Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit created in 2007 by the Tulalip Tribes to fundraise for Culture, Justice, and Education programs serving the Tulalip Reservation and surrounding Snohomish County community, operating a 100% donation pass-through model.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Foundation Services

NAICS

Grantmaking and Giving Services (8132)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Community Foundations (BPAGAKAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Trust Funds & Multi-Donor Pooled Funds (BPADAOAE), Donor Coordination & Aid Effectiveness (BPADAOAA)

Keywords

• Nonprofit fundraising
• Tribal cultural preservation
• Community foundation services
• Tribal legal aid
• Indigenous education programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Tulalip

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Gifts: The foundation solicits, accepts, and disperses charitable gifts, donations, and grants for the public benefit of the Tulalip Tribes and surrounding community. Donors can make general donations or designate to specific areas (Culture, Education, Justice). The foundation operates on a 100% model where 100% of donations go directly to the intended project.
2. Grant Funding: The foundation receives grant funding from government agencies and foundations including Bureau of Justice Assistance grants, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction grants.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

The Tulalip Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit charitable organization that solicits, accepts, and disperses charitable gifts, donations, and grants to support three program areas—Culture, Justice, and Education—for the Tulalip Tribes and surrounding community. It operates on a 100% model where 100% of public donations go directly to designated projects, with all operational costs covered by the Tulalip Tribes.

Product overview

The Tulalip Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit charitable organization that operates as a unified fundraising entity supporting three primary program areas: Culture, Justice, and Education. The Foundation does not offer a technology product or software platform. Its programs include the Hibulb Cultural Center (a 23,000 sq ft museum and 42-acre natural preserve), Betty J. Taylor Early Learning Academy (early childhood education), TERO Vocational Training Center (construction trade apprenticeships), Tulalip Office of Civil Legal Aid (TOCLA), Healing to Wellness Court, Criminal Conflict Counsel Program, Legacy of Healing Survivor Fund (domestic violence support), and the Lushootseed Language Program. The Foundation operates on a 100% model where all donations go directly to designated projects, with operational costs covered by the Tulalip Tribes.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Hibulb Cultural Center A 23,000-square-foot cultural center with a 42-acre natural history preserve that preserves and protects the history of the Tulalip Tribes, featuring a main exhibit, temporary exhibit, two classrooms, a longhouse, a research library, and a gift shop.
• Betty J. Taylor Early Learning Academy

Quantifiable outcome

• Hibulb Cultural Center opened August 19, 2011 - 23,000 sq ft facility with 42-acre natural history preserve
• +1 more outcomes

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Marysville School DistrictcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2011Educational partnership to support Tulalip students. Marysville School District donated $10,000 for software development to track Tulalip students and collaborates on the Memorandum of Understanding with Tulalip Tribes, Tulalip Foundation, and Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction to increase academic achievement and graduation rates.
• Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2011Washington State agency partnered through a $40,000 Bill and Melinda Gates Grant MOU to create a plan to increase mutual awareness and understanding, collaboration to help raise academic achievement, improve academic assessment scores, and increase graduation rates of high-risk students.
• Renton Technical CollegecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAccreditation partner for TERO Vocational Training Center, providing pathway for students to earn college credits while in vocational training programs.
• South Seattle Community CollegecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAccreditation partner for TERO Vocational Training Center, providing pathway for students to earn college credits while in vocational training programs.
• Washington State Apprenticeship and Training Council (WSATC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFormally recognizes TERO Vocational Training Center as an apprenticeship preparation program, enabling preferential and direct entry into registered apprenticeship programs for graduates.
• TERO Vocational Training CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerA training organization under Tulalip Tribes Tribal Employment Rights Office (TERO) that the Foundation supports through fundraising to train Native Americans in construction trades.
• University of Washington Tribal Court Public Defense Clinic (TCPDC)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvides public defense representation for low-income defendants in Tulalip Tribal Court. When TCPDC is unable to represent a defendant due to conflicts, the Criminal Conflict Counsel Program steps in.
• Hibulb Cultural CentercoreStrategic or Co-development Partner23,000 square foot cultural center with 42-acre natural history preserve that the Foundation helped fund through a three-phase capital campaign. The center preserves and protects the history of the Tulalip Tribes and features a main exhibit, temporary exhibit, classrooms, longhouse, research library, and gift shop.
• Tulalip TribescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe tribal government entity that created the Tulalip Foundation in 2007. The Tribes support 100% of the Foundation's operational costs and are the primary beneficiary of Foundation fundraising efforts.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• First Nations Development Institute: National Native-led nonprofit providing grants, technical assistance, and programming for tribal communities. Comparable grantmaking model and cultural/educational mission alignment with Tulalip Foundation.
• American Indian College Fund: National Native-led nonprofit funding scholarships and tribal college education — closely aligned with Tulalip Foundation's Education pillar and TERO vocational pathway work.
• Muckleshoot Indian Tribe Charitable Fund: Sovereign tribal charitable fund serving a Pacific Northwest federally recognized tribe. Highly comparable structure: tribal-government-backed, community-focused grantmaking entity in the same geography.
• Native American Rights Fund: National Native American legal organization funding tribal court representation and justice initiatives — directly comparable to Tulalip's TOCLA and Criminal Conflict Counsel programs.
• Seventh Generation Fund for Indigenous Peoples: Indigenous-led foundation providing grants and technical assistance to Native American community projects across culture, environment, and justice — directly parallel to Tulalip Foundation's three-pillar mission.
• Puyallup Tribe Foundation: Charitable arm of another Washington State federally recognized tribe, supporting culture, education, and community programs for tribal members. Near-perfect structural and geographic parallel.
• Potlatch Fund: Native-led community foundation serving Pacific Northwest tribal communities with grantmaking and capacity-building programs. Highly comparable as a regional Indigenous-focused foundation pooling and distributing charitable resources.
• Notah Begay III Foundation: Native-led national foundation funding Native American youth health, education, and cultural programs. Comparable grantmaking structure and beneficiary focus.

Broad incumbents

• Hibulb Cultural Center: Although the Foundation supports Hibulb, the cultural center itself is a peer/operating entity. It is comparable as another tribal cultural institution sustaining Coast Salish heritage through museum programming.

Regional players

• Snohomish County Community Foundation: Regional community foundation serving the same Snohomish County geography as Tulalip Foundation. Comparable community-foundation structure but operating at county rather than tribal scale.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/tulalip-foundation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Tulalip Foundation