The Arakawa Foundation concentrates its giving in Washington State with a strong emphasis on educational equity and youth opportunity — funding K–12 supports, college access and scholarships, and workforce training for young adults. It favors organizations that combine direct student services (after-school programs, youth education at cultural institutions) with systems-level work to expand college and career pathways. Grants include both program-specific and operating support, with repeated, sizable commitments to a small number of local partners.
A pair of $150,000 general operating grants to Denise Louie Education Center in 2023 and 2024 points to the Arakawa Foundation’s pattern of repeated, sizable support for local education organizations. The foundation’s giving centers on Washington State and focuses on educational equity and youth opportunity, with grants that support K–12 enrichment, college access, scholarships, workforce training, and youth education at cultural institutions. It also backs organizations that connect direct student services with longer pathway-building work, such as college and career readiness. Recent awards include $100,000 to College Success Foundation for operating support and scholarships, $100,000 to Farestart for youth and young adult job training and education, and $100,000 to Equity in Education Coalition for TechConnect WA. Smaller grants widen the picture further: School’s Out Washington, Child Care Resources, Book-It Repertory Theatre, Wing Luke Museum, Rainier Scholars, and Education First all received support tied to youth programming, operating needs, or scholarship assistance. The overall pattern is a small set of recurring partners, mostly in Washington, with grantmaking that mixes unrestricted funding and program-specific support.
Educational equity is central to the foundation’s recent grants. In Washington, it gave $150,000 to Denise Louie Education Center for general operating support in 2024, following a $150,000 grant in 2023. College access and scholarships are another clear theme: College Success Foundation received $100,000 for operating support and scholarships in 2023 and another $100,000 in 2024 for general operations and Leadership 1000 scholarships. Youth workforce development appears in a $100,000 grant to Farestart for youth and young adult job training and education. The foundation also funds technology-related pathway work, including $100,000 to Equity in Education Coalition for TechConnect WA, which sits alongside its broader interest in student access and advancement.
Typical grants cluster around a mid-to-large range, with a p25 of $25,000, a median of $50,000, and a p75 of $100,000. The pattern includes repeated awards to the same organizations across multiple years, especially Denise Louie Education Center and College Success Foundation, which both appear in 2023 and 2024. The foundation is a regular funder, not a DAF, and it funds individuals as well as organizations. Recent awards include both unrestricted support and program-specific support, with recurring operating grants suggesting ongoing relationships rather than one-off transactions.
$490K
$8.7M
$364K
$547K
Most grants fall between $25K and $100K, with a median of $50K.
25th Percentile
$25K
Median
$50K
75th Percentile
$100K
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Concentrated, regional giving with a few large awards rather than many small grants; several repeat multi-grant relationships and a mix of program-specific and operating/support for intermediary organizations.
Notable grantees: Denise Louie Education Center, College Success Foundation, FareStart, Equity in Education Coalition, Wing Luke Museum
Grantmaking is heavily concentrated in Washington, which accounts for 76% of grants and is also the top state by grant count. Seattle appears most often among recipients, including Denise Louie Education Center, Equity in Education Coalition, Child Care Resources, Book-It Repertory Theatre, Wing Luke Museum, Rainier Scholars, Belong Partners, and Education First. Bellevue and Tukwila also appear among Washington recipients. Outside Washington, the foundation has funded Boston, Massachusetts, and two Hawaii locations: Kailua Kona and Honolulu.
Recent grants point to Washington-based organizations working on K–12 enrichment, college access and scholarships, youth workforce training, STEM and technology access, and youth education through cultural institutions. Recipients include School’s Out Washington, College Success Foundation, Farestart, Equity in Education Coalition, Wing Luke Museum, and Book-It Repertory Theatre.
The foundation’s grant-size distribution is p25 $25,000, median $50,000, and p75 $100,000. Recent awards also show repeated larger grants, including $150,000 to Denise Louie Education Center and $100,000 to several partners.
Yes. Denise Louie Education Center received $150,000 in both 2023 and 2024, and College Success Foundation received $100,000 in 2023 and another $100,000 in 2024. That pattern suggests ongoing relationships with selected partners.
Washington receives the clear majority of grants, with 76% of grants going to recipients in the state. Seattle is the most common city among recent recipients, followed by Bellevue and Tukwila.
2024
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2024.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DENISE LOUIE EDUCATION CENTER | SEATTLE, WA | $150,000 | 2024 | GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT |
| COLLEGE SUCCESS FOUNDATION | BELLEVUE, WA | $100,000 | 2024 | GENERAL OPERATIONS AND LEADERSHIP 1000 SCHOLARSHIPS |
| YEAR UP INC | BOSTON, MA | $50,000 | 2024 | GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT |
| SCHOOL'S OUT WASHINGTON | TUKWILA, WA | $50,000 | 2024 | GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT |
| WING LUKE MUSEUM | SEATTLE, WA | $50,000 | 2024 | YOUTH EDUCATION PROGRAMS |
| RAINIER SCHOLARS | SEATTLE, WA | $31,118 | 2024 | GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT |
| BELONG PARTNERS | SEATTLE, WA | $25,000 | 2024 | GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT |
| EDUCATION FIRST | SEATTLE, WA | $13,600 | 2024 | SCHOLARSHIP AND SCHOLAR SUPPORT |
| JIM SAUNDERS FUND | KAILUA KONA, HI | $10,000 | 2024 | GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT |
| KUKIO HOOMANA FUND | KAILUA KONA, HI | $10,000 | 2024 | SCHOLARSHIPS AND COMMUNITY PROGRAMS |
| DENISE LOUIE EDUCATION CENTER | SEATTLE, WA | $150,000 | 2023 | GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT |
| FARESTART | SEATTLE, WA | $100,000 | 2023 | SUPPORT OF YOUTH & YOUNG ADULT JOB TRAINING & EDUCATION PROGRAM |
| COLLEGE SUCCESS FOUNDATION | BELLEVUE, WA | $100,000 | 2023 | OPERATING SUPPORT AND SCHOLARSHIPS |
| EQUITY IN EDUCATION COALITION | SEATTLE, WA | $100,000 | 2023 | SUPPORT OF TECHCONNECT WA |
| BOOK-IT REPERTORY THEATRE | SEATTLE, WA | $50,000 | 2023 | GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT |
| CHILD CARE RESOURCES | SEATTLE, WA | $50,000 | 2023 | GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT |
| KUKI'O COMMUNITY FOUNDATION | HONOLULU, HI | $10,000 | 2023 | GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT |
DENISE LOUIE EDUCATION CENTER
$150,000GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT
COLLEGE SUCCESS FOUNDATION
$100,000GENERAL OPERATIONS AND LEADERSHIP 1000 SCHOLARSHIPS
YEAR UP INC
$50,000GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT
SCHOOL'S OUT WASHINGTON
$50,000GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT
WING LUKE MUSEUM
$50,000YOUTH EDUCATION PROGRAMS
RAINIER SCHOLARS
$31,118GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT
BELONG PARTNERS
$25,000GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT
EDUCATION FIRST
$13,600SCHOLARSHIP AND SCHOLAR SUPPORT
JIM SAUNDERS FUND
$10,000GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT
KUKIO HOOMANA FUND
$10,000SCHOLARSHIPS AND COMMUNITY PROGRAMS
DENISE LOUIE EDUCATION CENTER
$150,000GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT
FARESTART
$100,000SUPPORT OF YOUTH & YOUNG ADULT JOB TRAINING & EDUCATION PROGRAM
COLLEGE SUCCESS FOUNDATION
$100,000OPERATING SUPPORT AND SCHOLARSHIPS
EQUITY IN EDUCATION COALITION
$100,000SUPPORT OF TECHCONNECT WA
BOOK-IT REPERTORY THEATRE
$50,000GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT
CHILD CARE RESOURCES
$50,000GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT
KUKI'O COMMUNITY FOUNDATION
$10,000GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT