Initiatives
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In addition to Medina Foundation’s standard grantmaking, the Foundation has also funded a number of special initiatives. These initiatives have been larger, targeted, often longer-term investments in specific issue areas and are based on community need and the interests of the Foundation. While these grants fall outside of Medina Foundation’s normal grantmaking process, initiatives strongly align with the Foundation’s priorities and have been a great way to deepen our impact in key areas of concern.
Medina Foundation Initiatives
Impact Initiative (2022-2026)
In 2022, to mark 75 years of giving, Medina Foundation pledged $1,000,000 over five years to five grantee partners. This pledge is over and above the Foundation’s regular grantmaking budget and will be paid out in $40,000 grants each year to each of the five organizations. There was no application process for these “surprise” grants, but the organizations that were selected are all previous Medina partners and represent diversity across the 14 counties where the Foundation funds. The hope is that support from this Initiative will allow participating programs to dream a little and offer extra support as they evolve into the next chapter of their work. The five nonprofits are Puget Sound Voyaging Society/Community Boat Project, Speak With Purpose, Grays Harbor Youth Works, Bike Works, and the Center for Inclusive Entrepreneurship.
Speaker Series (2020–current)
As COVID highlighted the challenges faced by nonprofits, Medina recognized the need to support organizations beyond the grant. Our staff has been fortunate enough to have the budget to attend conferences and events, providing opportunities to learn from experts in the field. To share these learnings, we hosted two virtual workshops for our grantees: “An Event or an Era? Scenario Planning in Uncertain Times” from the Monitor Institute by Deloitte, and “Workplace Wellbeing in the Virtual or Hybrid Workplace: Work-Life Balance Tips for Nonprofit Leader” by nonprofit thought leader Beth Kanter. Medina invited all of its grantees over the last few years to attend these workshops, and high turnout showed the demand for these learning opportunities. We continue to plan for future sessions of this ongoing speaker series, and encourage our grantees to reach out to us if there is a particular area of interest.
Professional Development Grants (2017 and 2022-current)
In honor of the Foundation's 70th Anniversary in 2017, a Request for Proposals (RFP) was sent to current and recent grantees to fund professional development work of their choice, up to $5,000 per organization. More about those professional development requests and results can be found here. Organizations used the funds to pay for many different needs including conferences, equity work, mentoring, and community-based trainings—all to help support staff, increase retention, and contribute to overall effectiveness. These grants were such an important way to support Medina’s grantees outside of the typical grants process that the Trustees approved bringing them back in 2022, allocating $100,000 for the RFP process and approving grants for 23 organizations. Knowing how important this work is and how organizations typically have very limited budgets for it, Medina plans to continue making these grants on an annual basis.
Host Homes (2016-2022)
In 2016, the Medina Foundation and the Raikes Foundation co-funded a Host Homes pilot program with the YMCA of Greater Seattle. Host Homes are now part of King County’s overall response to youth homelessness. The basic premise is that a community member with an extra room in their home allows a youth or young adult (ages 12-24) experiencing, or at risk of, homelessness to live with them for a period of time (typically six months). During that time, youth receive support and case management to help them meet their goals and move to more permanent housing. In 2018, King County saw the positive results of the program and provided multi-year support to help continue it. That same year, the program was featured on KUOW and in the South Seattle Emerald. Medina has granted $120,000 to support Host Homes since 2016, and more information about the program can be found here.
Grocery Card Program (2021)
During the Covid-19 pandemic, hunger relief systems saw the number of people in need grow exponentially. With their typical methods for food distribution disrupted and challenged, Medina’s nonprofit partners Food Lifeline and Northwest Harvest partnered with local agencies across the communities they serve to distribute gift cards from small, BIPOC-owned and -serving grocery stores. Not only did this get resources quickly into the hands of families that needed it, it allowed them to shop at their local grocer, promoted the purchase of culturally appropriate foods, and stimulated local BIPOC-owned businesses. Medina made special grants in the amount of $25,000 each to Food Lifeline and Northwest Harvest to support their grocery card programs.
Youth Development Recovery Grants (2021)
In May 2021, the Medina Foundation sent 67 “surprise” grants totaling $335,000 to the Foundation’s current youth-serving grantees. These Youth Development Recovery Grants were for $5,000 each and were meant to support agencies as they transitioned from the first phase of the COVID-19 pandemic. Recovery has looked very different for different sectors. We saw that some nonprofits—mainly those that focus on basic needs like food insecurity and housing—received high levels of government support early on, but that wasn’t true across the board. During the crisis, youth centers had to close their doors, in-person programming had to stop or go virtual, and programs that worked in schools lost that connection. When the world starting to open back up, these organizations had to determine how to bring students back, address social distancing needs, and staff up to provide programming. Besides helping to pay for a critical need, this funding was also meant as a show of support for Medina’s nonprofit partners that were struggling after an unbelievably challenging year. Trustees were thrilled to be able to make these special grants (which required no applications) and the response from the Foundation’s partners was overwhelmingly positive.
Friends of the Children—Tacoma (2018–2021)
Medina Foundation knew the impact of Friends of the Children (FotC) through its long history of supporting the Seattle chapter. FotC provides kids with a paid, professional mentor, from kindergarten through high school graduation. They focus on kids with the highest needs, often working with youth from the foster care system or other social service providers. With more than 25 affiliates across the country, FotC has been able to show the positive impact that its work has on kids and families.
In 2018, FotC offered an exciting opportunity to scale its work: Tacoma. Pierce County had roughly the same number of kids in foster care as King County, which had a population more than twice its size. In talking with local partners in Pierce County, the potential benefit of an FotC affiliate was clear. Medina made a catalytic investment of $500,000 over three years to launch FotC–Tacoma. After additional fundraising, the affiliate began serving kids in 2020, taking a two-generation approach by focusing on meeting the needs of the children and the adults in the family. FotC–Tacoma continues to add a new cohort of kindergarteners each year, growing the organization and expanding its reach.
Rapid Response Funds (2020)
One of the immediate ways Medina responded to the COVID-19 crisis in March 2020 was by committing $100,000 to be divided among the rapid response funds that were launching across our fourteen-county region. From Snohomish County (which saw the U.S.’s first confirmed case of the new coronavirus) to Grays Harbor and the San Juan Islands, communities came together to pool money to respond to the health and economic crisis of COVID-19. Typically hosted by a local community foundation or United Way, these rapid response funds were designed to get money out quickly to the organizations that needed it most. The decision-making process varied by fund, but relied on the input of local leaders with insights on immediate needs. Each community had different priorities, but hunger, homelessness, basic needs, childcare, and emergency financial assistance were some of the main focus areas for these funds. Medina is proud to have supported these funds and their ongoing work to help meet the needs of the community throughout this crisis. More information on the wide range of response funds established in the region can be found here.
Foster Youth Supports (2019)
In 2019, Washington’s foster care system served approximately 10,000 young people and the largest youth-serving organization in Washington was the network of Boys & Girls Clubs. Combined, the Clubs served 79,000 young people annually. There were fifteen affiliates in Washington, and Medina supported the nine in our geographic region. In discussions with the Washington State Association of Boys & Girls Clubs, we learned that the Clubs wanted to be more intentional in their support of foster youth. Some Clubs had already invested in this work, while others were newer to it. The King County chapter had a project called “Follow the Child,” ensuring that foster youth had seamless transitions and were well-supported and cared for, regardless of which Club they belonged to in the County. Medina funded educational summits and implementation grants to share this work across other affiliates. The State Association hosted the first summit of their Serving Foster Youth initiative with the chapters in April 2019. It was an opportunity for the Clubs to learn more about the foster care experience in Washington, to review their current practices in serving foster youth, and to share best practices—all with the goal of ensuring that all Clubs are friendly, welcoming, and inclusive to youth in foster care.
Coordinated DV Helpline (2018)
For people experiencing domestic violence, a call to a domestic violence helpline is often the entry point to housing, legal assistance, support groups, and other critical services. In King County, each organization helping domestic violence survivors operated their own helpline, resulting in inefficiencies and extra costs. In 2018, Medina was approached by one of its grantees, New Beginnings, who, along with 16 other local organizations addressing domestic violence, were exploring the idea of a coordinated helpline that would streamline and enhance King County’s response to domestic violence. Medina provided funding—through the Coalition Ending Gender-Based Violence—to hire a consultant and develop a comprehensive plan. After conducting focus groups and consulting with other domestic violence helpline programs across the country, the new DVHopeline was launched—a centralized 24-hour King County helpline for domestic violence survivors. Previous helplines offered through New Beginnings and LifeWire were merged in the July 2021 launch, and the hope is for more organizations to join in the future. The DVHopeline saves participating programs money, creates efficiencies and—most importantly—means that survivors now only need to call one number to receive life-saving referrals and support in their area.
Pacific County Youth Development (2012-2018)
Recognizing that Pacific County was underrepresented in Medina’s grantmaking, the Foundation decided to make a deeper investment in this county. We held listening sessions with community members, who identified youth success as the area’s greatest need. Together with the Ben B. Cheney Foundation, we helped fund a new, community-led group- the Pacific County Youth Alliance (PCYA). The PCYA works with existing youth-serving organizations in Pacific County to identify needs and gaps in services to strengthen the impact of the programs that currently exist, helping to increase youth success across the county.
Download: Pacific County Youth Initiative
Express Advantage (2009-2017)
Medina helped launch Express Advantage (EA) in 2009 to provide fair and affordable banking options and alternatives to payday loans for low-income people—critical services to help people lift themselves out of poverty. In a unique partnership with Express Credit Union, BECU, and Medina, EA was established as the nonprofit arm of the enterprise—to provide the programs to help low-income people gain access to those much-needed financial services (financial education, payday loan alternatives, community tellers, microloans, and financial coaching). Through its products that alleviate onerous fees and encourage savings, Express estimates that it saves its members nearly $1 million per year. In 2016, EA expanded its work into Thurston, Pierce, Skagit, and Whatcom Counties, among others, with the goal of helping over 60,000 low-income people. In 2017, EA was renamed the National Council for Financial Opportunities and now works with credit unions in 30 states through its affiliated partner, CU Strategic Planning.
Domestic Violence Stable Housing (2011-2015)
The Domestic Violence Stable Housing Initiative demonstrated that flexible funding and a focus on survivor-driven solutions can immediately and positively impact the stability of survivors and their families. The impact is often greater and more cost-effective than would be possible with traditional, restrictive funding.
Download: Domestic Violence Stable Housing Initiative and Update
Youth Homeless Prevention (2012-2014)
Every year, more than 5,000 youth and young adults experience homelessness in King County. In response, King County created a Comprehensive Plan to Prevent and End Youth and Young Adult Homelessness. Between 2012 and 2014, Medina helped Cocoon House and YouthCare, two leading organizations providing services to homeless youth, establish homelessness prevention and family reunification efforts in King County. Medina continues to meet with private and government funders to support the community efforts around this important issue.
Rural Capacity Building (2011-2012)
The Rural Capacity Building Initiative was based on a desire to deepen the Foundation’s investment in several of the rural counties we serve. The goal was to provide capacity building funding related to topics grantees identified themselves. The RFP was open to organizations in Whatcom and Skagit Counties, and was designed to be intentionally flexible. Organizations were encouraged to do an organizational assessment (we referred them to several tools) to prioritize their greatest areas of need.
Download: Rural Capacity Building Report
Medina Foundation Initiatives
Impact Initiative (2022-2026)
In 2022, to mark 75 years of giving, Medina Foundation pledged $1,000,000 over five years to five grantee partners. This pledge is over and above the Foundation’s regular grantmaking budget and will be paid out in $40,000 grants each year to each of the five organizations. There was no application process for these “surprise” grants, but the organizations that were selected are all previous Medina partners and represent diversity across the 14 counties where the Foundation funds. The hope is that support from this Initiative will allow participating programs to dream a little and offer extra support as they evolve into the next chapter of their work. The five nonprofits are Puget Sound Voyaging Society/Community Boat Project, Speak With Purpose, Grays Harbor Youth Works, Bike Works, and the Center for Inclusive Entrepreneurship.
Speaker Series (2020–current)
As COVID highlighted the challenges faced by nonprofits, Medina recognized the need to support organizations beyond the grant. Our staff has been fortunate enough to have the budget to attend conferences and events, providing opportunities to learn from experts in the field. To share these learnings, we hosted two virtual workshops for our grantees: “An Event or an Era? Scenario Planning in Uncertain Times” from the Monitor Institute by Deloitte, and “Workplace Wellbeing in the Virtual or Hybrid Workplace: Work-Life Balance Tips for Nonprofit Leader” by nonprofit thought leader Beth Kanter. Medina invited all of its grantees over the last few years to attend these workshops, and high turnout showed the demand for these learning opportunities. We continue to plan for future sessions of this ongoing speaker series, and encourage our grantees to reach out to us if there is a particular area of interest.
Professional Development Grants (2017 and 2022-current)
In honor of the Foundation's 70th Anniversary in 2017, a Request for Proposals (RFP) was sent to current and recent grantees to fund professional development work of their choice, up to $5,000 per organization. More about those professional development requests and results can be found here. Organizations used the funds to pay for many different needs including conferences, equity work, mentoring, and community-based trainings—all to help support staff, increase retention, and contribute to overall effectiveness. These grants were such an important way to support Medina’s grantees outside of the typical grants process that the Trustees approved bringing them back in 2022, allocating $100,000 for the RFP process and approving grants for 23 organizations. Knowing how important this work is and how organizations typically have very limited budgets for it, Medina plans to continue making these grants on an annual basis.
Host Homes (2016-2022)
In 2016, the Medina Foundation and the Raikes Foundation co-funded a Host Homes pilot program with the YMCA of Greater Seattle. Host Homes are now part of King County’s overall response to youth homelessness. The basic premise is that a community member with an extra room in their home allows a youth or young adult (ages 12-24) experiencing, or at risk of, homelessness to live with them for a period of time (typically six months). During that time, youth receive support and case management to help them meet their goals and move to more permanent housing. In 2018, King County saw the positive results of the program and provided multi-year support to help continue it. That same year, the program was featured on KUOW and in the South Seattle Emerald. Medina has granted $120,000 to support Host Homes since 2016, and more information about the program can be found here.
Grocery Card Program (2021)
During the Covid-19 pandemic, hunger relief systems saw the number of people in need grow exponentially. With their typical methods for food distribution disrupted and challenged, Medina’s nonprofit partners Food Lifeline and Northwest Harvest partnered with local agencies across the communities they serve to distribute gift cards from small, BIPOC-owned and -serving grocery stores. Not only did this get resources quickly into the hands of families that needed it, it allowed them to shop at their local grocer, promoted the purchase of culturally appropriate foods, and stimulated local BIPOC-owned businesses. Medina made special grants in the amount of $25,000 each to Food Lifeline and Northwest Harvest to support their grocery card programs.
Youth Development Recovery Grants (2021)
In May 2021, the Medina Foundation sent 67 “surprise” grants totaling $335,000 to the Foundation’s current youth-serving grantees. These Youth Development Recovery Grants were for $5,000 each and were meant to support agencies as they transitioned from the first phase of the COVID-19 pandemic. Recovery has looked very different for different sectors. We saw that some nonprofits—mainly those that focus on basic needs like food insecurity and housing—received high levels of government support early on, but that wasn’t true across the board. During the crisis, youth centers had to close their doors, in-person programming had to stop or go virtual, and programs that worked in schools lost that connection. When the world starting to open back up, these organizations had to determine how to bring students back, address social distancing needs, and staff up to provide programming. Besides helping to pay for a critical need, this funding was also meant as a show of support for Medina’s nonprofit partners that were struggling after an unbelievably challenging year. Trustees were thrilled to be able to make these special grants (which required no applications) and the response from the Foundation’s partners was overwhelmingly positive.
Friends of the Children—Tacoma (2018–2021)
Medina Foundation knew the impact of Friends of the Children (FotC) through its long history of supporting the Seattle chapter. FotC provides kids with a paid, professional mentor, from kindergarten through high school graduation. They focus on kids with the highest needs, often working with youth from the foster care system or other social service providers. With more than 25 affiliates across the country, FotC has been able to show the positive impact that its work has on kids and families.
In 2018, FotC offered an exciting opportunity to scale its work: Tacoma. Pierce County had roughly the same number of kids in foster care as King County, which had a population more than twice its size. In talking with local partners in Pierce County, the potential benefit of an FotC affiliate was clear. Medina made a catalytic investment of $500,000 over three years to launch FotC–Tacoma. After additional fundraising, the affiliate began serving kids in 2020, taking a two-generation approach by focusing on meeting the needs of the children and the adults in the family. FotC–Tacoma continues to add a new cohort of kindergarteners each year, growing the organization and expanding its reach.
Rapid Response Funds (2020)
One of the immediate ways Medina responded to the COVID-19 crisis in March 2020 was by committing $100,000 to be divided among the rapid response funds that were launching across our fourteen-county region. From Snohomish County (which saw the U.S.’s first confirmed case of the new coronavirus) to Grays Harbor and the San Juan Islands, communities came together to pool money to respond to the health and economic crisis of COVID-19. Typically hosted by a local community foundation or United Way, these rapid response funds were designed to get money out quickly to the organizations that needed it most. The decision-making process varied by fund, but relied on the input of local leaders with insights on immediate needs. Each community had different priorities, but hunger, homelessness, basic needs, childcare, and emergency financial assistance were some of the main focus areas for these funds. Medina is proud to have supported these funds and their ongoing work to help meet the needs of the community throughout this crisis. More information on the wide range of response funds established in the region can be found here.
Foster Youth Supports (2019)
In 2019, Washington’s foster care system served approximately 10,000 young people and the largest youth-serving organization in Washington was the network of Boys & Girls Clubs. Combined, the Clubs served 79,000 young people annually. There were fifteen affiliates in Washington, and Medina supported the nine in our geographic region. In discussions with the Washington State Association of Boys & Girls Clubs, we learned that the Clubs wanted to be more intentional in their support of foster youth. Some Clubs had already invested in this work, while others were newer to it. The King County chapter had a project called “Follow the Child,” ensuring that foster youth had seamless transitions and were well-supported and cared for, regardless of which Club they belonged to in the County. Medina funded educational summits and implementation grants to share this work across other affiliates. The State Association hosted the first summit of their Serving Foster Youth initiative with the chapters in April 2019. It was an opportunity for the Clubs to learn more about the foster care experience in Washington, to review their current practices in serving foster youth, and to share best practices—all with the goal of ensuring that all Clubs are friendly, welcoming, and inclusive to youth in foster care.
Coordinated DV Helpline (2018)
For people experiencing domestic violence, a call to a domestic violence helpline is often the entry point to housing, legal assistance, support groups, and other critical services. In King County, each organization helping domestic violence survivors operated their own helpline, resulting in inefficiencies and extra costs. In 2018, Medina was approached by one of its grantees, New Beginnings, who, along with 16 other local organizations addressing domestic violence, were exploring the idea of a coordinated helpline that would streamline and enhance King County’s response to domestic violence. Medina provided funding—through the Coalition Ending Gender-Based Violence—to hire a consultant and develop a comprehensive plan. After conducting focus groups and consulting with other domestic violence helpline programs across the country, the new DVHopeline was launched—a centralized 24-hour King County helpline for domestic violence survivors. Previous helplines offered through New Beginnings and LifeWire were merged in the July 2021 launch, and the hope is for more organizations to join in the future. The DVHopeline saves participating programs money, creates efficiencies and—most importantly—means that survivors now only need to call one number to receive life-saving referrals and support in their area.
Pacific County Youth Development (2012-2018)
Recognizing that Pacific County was underrepresented in Medina’s grantmaking, the Foundation decided to make a deeper investment in this county. We held listening sessions with community members, who identified youth success as the area’s greatest need. Together with the Ben B. Cheney Foundation, we helped fund a new, community-led group- the Pacific County Youth Alliance (PCYA). The PCYA works with existing youth-serving organizations in Pacific County to identify needs and gaps in services to strengthen the impact of the programs that currently exist, helping to increase youth success across the county.
Download: Pacific County Youth Initiative
Express Advantage (2009-2017)
Medina helped launch Express Advantage (EA) in 2009 to provide fair and affordable banking options and alternatives to payday loans for low-income people—critical services to help people lift themselves out of poverty. In a unique partnership with Express Credit Union, BECU, and Medina, EA was established as the nonprofit arm of the enterprise—to provide the programs to help low-income people gain access to those much-needed financial services (financial education, payday loan alternatives, community tellers, microloans, and financial coaching). Through its products that alleviate onerous fees and encourage savings, Express estimates that it saves its members nearly $1 million per year. In 2016, EA expanded its work into Thurston, Pierce, Skagit, and Whatcom Counties, among others, with the goal of helping over 60,000 low-income people. In 2017, EA was renamed the National Council for Financial Opportunities and now works with credit unions in 30 states through its affiliated partner, CU Strategic Planning.
Domestic Violence Stable Housing (2011-2015)
The Domestic Violence Stable Housing Initiative demonstrated that flexible funding and a focus on survivor-driven solutions can immediately and positively impact the stability of survivors and their families. The impact is often greater and more cost-effective than would be possible with traditional, restrictive funding.
Download: Domestic Violence Stable Housing Initiative and Update
Youth Homeless Prevention (2012-2014)
Every year, more than 5,000 youth and young adults experience homelessness in King County. In response, King County created a Comprehensive Plan to Prevent and End Youth and Young Adult Homelessness. Between 2012 and 2014, Medina helped Cocoon House and YouthCare, two leading organizations providing services to homeless youth, establish homelessness prevention and family reunification efforts in King County. Medina continues to meet with private and government funders to support the community efforts around this important issue.
Rural Capacity Building (2011-2012)
The Rural Capacity Building Initiative was based on a desire to deepen the Foundation’s investment in several of the rural counties we serve. The goal was to provide capacity building funding related to topics grantees identified themselves. The RFP was open to organizations in Whatcom and Skagit Counties, and was designed to be intentionally flexible. Organizations were encouraged to do an organizational assessment (we referred them to several tools) to prioritize their greatest areas of need.
Download: Rural Capacity Building Report
