About Becu Foundation
BECU Foundation concentrates its philanthropy on postsecondary access and affordability for Washington students, primarily funding scholarship programs and emergency student aid. Nearly all giving in this sample supports two statewide scholarship intermediaries, with an emphasis on need- and merit-based two-year scholarship packages for low- and middle-income learners. The foundation appears focused on scaling scholarship dollars rather than broad programmatic or service delivery grants.
Focus Areas
Statewide postsecondary scholarships for low- and middle-income Washington studentsTwo-year scholarship packages (structured multi-year awards)Emergency/bridge funding to prevent student dropout and sustain scholarship recipients
Who They Fund
low- and middle-income Washington studentsundergraduate baccalaureate studentscareer & technical (CTE) students
Giving Approach
Highly concentrated: very few, large grants focused on scholarship intermediaries; repeat funding to College Success Foundation and major one-off support to the Washington State Opportunity Scholarship.
About Becu Foundation
Becu Foundation’s giving is marked by a strong commitment to Washington students, especially through scholarship intermediaries that turn its dollars into direct aid. A large share of the foundation’s recent activity supports statewide postsecondary access, with awards structured as two-year scholarships for low- and middle-income learners and added emergency funds to help keep recipients enrolled. That pattern appears in its largest scholarship grants to Washington State Opportunity Scholarship and College Success Foundation, both of which received repeated support in consecutive years. The foundation also extends its philanthropy beyond education through a separate Green Equity Initiative, which connects it to environmental justice, housing stability, and community-serving organizations in Washington. Recent grants show support for groups such as Refugee Artisan Initiative and a broader set of housing-related partners, indicating that the foundation uses project-specific grants to address immediate barriers alongside longer-term educational access. Across the sample, the giving is local in scope and centered on organizations that can move resources quickly to students and community-based intermediaries.
What Becu Foundation Funds
Postsecondary access is the clearest theme in Becu Foundation’s recent giving. In one grant, Washington State Opportunity Scholarship received $123,000 to provide funds for 6 baccalaureate and 11 career & technical scholarships for students. College Success Foundation received $355,000 in 2025 and $352,500 in 2024 to issue 5 $7,000 two-year scholarships, 64 $5,000 two-year scholarships, and emergency funds for future scholarships. The foundation also supports career and technical pathways through the Washington State Opportunity Scholarship award structure. Beyond education, the Green Equity Initiative appears in grants to Refugee Artisan Initiative for 2024 and 2023, showing support for community-based work tied to environmental equity. Housing stability is another recurring cause area, with grants to organizations such as Rebuilding Together South Sound, Multi-service Center, and Solid Ground Washington for housing stability work.
How Becu Foundation Gives
Typical grant size is tightly clustered around larger awards: p25 is $10,000, median is $99,236, and p75 is $100,000. The recent record shows repeated support to the same recipients across multiple years, especially scholarship intermediaries and housing or green equity partners, which points to a recurring rather than one-off pattern. The foundation is a grantmaker, not a program-related investment funder, and it also funds individuals. The grants shown are mostly targeted, project-specific awards, including scholarship issuance and emergency funds for future scholarships.
Financial Snapshot
Annual Giving
$478K
Total Assets
$9.5M
Total Revenue
$3M
Total Expenses
$877K
Typical Grant Size
Most grants fall between $10K and $100K, with a median of $99K.
25th Percentile
$10K
Median
$99K
75th Percentile
$100K
Geographic Reach
Local4 states funded
Funding intensity
LowHigh
Headquarters
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