Powered by a network of credit unions and their allies, we harness and deliver resources that strengthen the financial lives of people and communities throughout the region, creating an environment where people achieve financial prosperity and communities thrive.
A $141,000 multi-year initiative for Urban League in Portland stands out in Gowest Foundation’s recent giving, because it shows a pattern of backing organizations that can carry regional financial well-being work over several years. The foundation funds credit union-led and partner-led projects tied to workforce housing, rural access to financial services, small business support, disaster relief, financial education, and asset building. Its recent grants also show direct support for implementation, planning, and reserve-style financing rather than only short-term program checks. The foundation’s portfolio includes larger awards for housing and rural access, along with smaller operating and general support grants to education and financial-capability organizations. In one year, it supported Nuvista FCU in Montrose, Colorado, with a $100,000 workforce housing grant, while also funding East Idaho Credit Union Char Foundation in Idaho Falls, Idaho, for a rural access project grant. A separate set of grants to Maps Community Foundation in Salem, Oregon, and National Credit Union Foundation in Washington, DC, indicates recurring disaster-relief and loan-loss-reserve support. Financial education also appears through grants to Financial Beginnings Washington in Tukwila and Financial Beginnings Oregon in Portland.
Workforce housing is one of the clearest themes in Gowest Foundation’s recent grants. It gave $100,000 to Nuvista FCU for a workforce housing grant, and later funded Vantage West in Tucson, Leap Charities in Boise, and Mid Oregon FCU in Bend with $20,000 workforce housing plan grants each. The structure of those awards suggests support for both planning and implementation. Rural access to financial services is another recurring area. The foundation awarded $50,000 to East Idaho Credit Union Char Foundation in Idaho Falls for a rural access project grant and $45,000 to Clarity Credit Union in Nampa for a rural access program. It also supported community-based financial capability work: Financial Beginnings Washington in Tukwila and Financial Beginnings Oregon in Portland each received $7,500 general support grants in separate years. Disaster relief appears through grants such as $37,500 to Maps Community Foundation in Salem for wildfire relief and $10,000 to National Credit Union Foundation for CU Aid support related to Hurricane Helene.
$316K
$11.8M
$13.5M
$12.9M
Most grants fall between $8K and $30K, with a median of $14K.
25th Percentile
$8K
Median
$14K
75th Percentile
$30K
About 10% of grants go to recipients in OR.
JENNIFER HUGGARD
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Typical grant size centers on a median of $13,500, with the 25th percentile at $7,500 and the 75th percentile at $30,272. Recent awards range from small general-support checks to six-figure project funding, showing a mix of operating support and implementation-oriented grants. The grant list also includes repeated recipients across multiple years, including Urban League, Maps Community Foundation, National Credit Union Foundation, Worldwide Foundation for Credit Unions, and Financial Beginnings organizations, which points to recurring rather than one-time support in several cases. Gowest Foundation is an independent foundation led by Jennifer Huggard, and it makes grants rather than funding individuals or PRIs. Some programs accept unsolicited applications, including disaster relief, professional development scholarships, financial reality fair grants, workforce housing, and small business support.
Most grants land in the Pacific Northwest and Intermountain West, with Oregon appearing most often. Portland, Salem, and Bend recur in the recipient list, alongside Seattle-area Tukwila and Spokane in Washington. Idaho is another frequent destination, including Idaho Falls, Nampa, and Boise. Colorado recipients include Montrose and Tucson appears in Arizona through a workforce housing grant. All recorded grants in the dataset are to U.S. recipients, and 15% of grants go to organizations in Washington, where the foundation is headquartered.
Recent grants cluster around workforce housing, rural access to financial services, small business support, disaster relief, and financial education. The largest listed awards include $141,000 and $136,000 to Urban League in Portland, plus $100,000 to Nuvista FCU for workforce housing and $50,000 to East Idaho Credit Union Char Foundation for rural access.
Yes. Several organizations appear in multiple years, including Urban League in Portland, Maps Community Foundation in Salem, National Credit Union Foundation in Washington, DC, Worldwide Foundation for Credit Unions in Madison, and Financial Beginnings in Washington and Oregon. That pattern suggests ongoing relationships rather than isolated grants.
The grant-size distribution centers on a p25 of $7,500, a median of $13,500, and a p75 of $30,272. The recent list includes both small general-support grants at $7,500 and larger project awards such as $100,000 and $141,000.
Yes. Several active programs accept unsolicited applications, including disaster relief, professional development scholarships, financial reality fair kit grants, workforce housing grants, and small business support grants. The small business resiliency loan pilot is listed as not accepting unsolicited applications.
By recipient count, Oregon is the top state for grants. Washington recipients account for 15% of grants, and the recipient list also includes organizations in Idaho, Colorado, Arizona, and other U.S. locations.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
Current and upcoming funding from Gowest Foundation that your nonprofit may be able to apply for.
Who can apply: GoWest Credit Union Association member credit unions developing or implementing projects that address rural financial services needs and improve access to financial options in rural communities.
Deadline: Applications accepted on a rolling basis with no application deadline.
Who can apply: GoWest Credit Union Association member credit unions interested in implementing initiatives that address small business needs and improve access to capital for small businesses and entrepreneurs.
Deadline: Applications accepted on a rolling basis with no application deadline.
Who can apply: Applicants must be aligned with the GoWest Foundation mission and be an affiliated credit union in Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Oregon, Washington, or Wyoming; an affiliated credit union organization or credit union development group in those states; or a community-based organization/nonprofit currently in direct partnership with an affiliated credit union or able to demonstrate a robust partnership plan. Grants are generally awarded directly to credit unions, with rare exceptions, and are not pass-through funds for charitable donations.
Deadline: Applications accepted throughout the year; there is no application deadline.
Who can apply: GoWest Credit Union Association member credit unions with projects addressing workforce housing needs in their communities. Eligible approaches may include alternative housing finance, local landlord financing, down payment assistance, multifamily or mixed-income development financing, rural rehabilitation financing, and rental security deposit loans.
Deadline: Applications accepted on a rolling basis with no application deadline.
Who can apply: All GoWest Credit Union Association members are invited to submit an application to host a financial reality fair in their community. Applicants should describe anticipated student reach and community impact.
Deadline: Recommended application timing is six to eight weeks before the planned fair date.
Who can apply: Typically available to organizations that are documenting community impact from a GoWest Foundation grant or project; limited funds and subject to program guidelines.
Deadline: Rolling / limited funds.
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Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| URBAN LEAGUE | PORTLAND, OR | $136,000 | 2025 | URBAN LEAGUE 4 YEAR INITIATIVE |
| CLARITY CREDIT UNION | NAMPA, ID | $45,000 | 2025 | RURAL ACCESS PROGRAM |
| MAPS COMMUNITY FOUNDATION | SALEM, OR | $37,500 | 2025 | WILDFIRE RELIEF |
| MID OREGON FCU | BEND, OR | $20,000 | 2025 | WORKFORCE HOUSING PLAN GRANT |
| VANTAGE WEST | TUCSON, AZ | $20,000 | 2025 | WORKFORCE HOUSING PLAN GRANT |
| LEAP CHARITIES | BOISE, ID | $20,000 | 2025 | WORKFORCE HOUSING PLAN GRANT |
| NATIONAL CREDIT UNION FOUNDATION | WASHINGTON, DC | $15,000 | 2025 | ANNUAL CONTRIBUTION |
| WORLDWIDE FOUNDATION FOR CREDIT UNIONS | MADISON, WI | $12,000 | 2025 | ANNUAL CONTRIBUTION |
| NATIONAL CREDIT UNION FOUNDATION | WASHINGTON, DC | $10,000 | 2025 | CU AID SUPPORT - HURRICANE HELENE |
| URBAN LEAGUE | PORTLAND, OR | $141,000 | 2024 | 3-YEAR INITIATIVE |
| NUVISTA FCU | MONTROSE, CO | $100,000 | 2024 | WORKFORCE HOUSING GRANT |
| CU WEST | GLENDALE, AZ | $45,000 | 2024 | SMALL BUSINESS INITIATIVE-IMPLEMENTATION GRANT |
| MAPS COMMUNITY FOUNDATION | SALEM, OR | $37,500 | 2024 | GRANT FUND LOAN LOSS RESERVE |
| MAPS COMMUNITY FOUNDATION | SALEM, OR | $27,863 | 2024 | GRANT FUND LOAN LOSS RESERVE |
| WORLDWIDE FOUNDATION FOR CREDIT UNIONS | MADISON, WI | $15,000 | 2024 | ANNUAL CONTRIBUTION |
| NATIONAL CREDIT UNION FOUNDATION | WASHINGTON, DC | $15,000 | 2024 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| NATIONAL CREDIT UNION FOUNDATION | WASHINGTON, DC | $10,000 | 2024 | DISASTER RELIEF |
| FINANCIAL BEGINNINGS WASHINGTON | TUKWILA, WA | $7,500 | 2024 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| FINANCIAL BEGINNINGS OREGON | PORTLAND, OR | $7,500 | 2024 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| EAST IDAHO CREDIT UNION CHAR FOUNDATION | IDAHO FALLS, ID | $50,000 | 2023 | RURAL ACCESS PROJECT GRANT |
| SPOKANE LOW INCOME HOUSING CONSORTIUM | SPOKANE, WA | $20,000 | 2023 | FEASIBILITY ASSESSMENTS FOR LAND ACQUISITION |
| NATIONAL CREDIT UNION FOUNDATION | WASHINGTON DC, DC | $15,000 | 2023 | DISASTER RELIEF |
| WORLDWIDE FOUNDATION FOR CREDIT UNIONS | MADISON, WI | $12,000 | 2023 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| WORLDWIDE FOUNDATION FOR CREDIT UNIONS | MADISON, WI | $10,000 | 2023 | UKRANIAN CU DISPLACEMENT FUND |
| MAPS COMMUNITY FOUNDATION | SALEM, OR | $10,000 | 2023 | DISASTER RESILIENCE GRANT |
| FINANCIAL BEGINNINGS OREGON | PORTLAND, OR | $7,500 | 2023 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| FINANCIAL BEGINNINGS WASHINGTON | TUKWILA, WA | $7,500 | 2023 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| JUNIOR ACHIEVEMEN OF OR & SW WA | PORLAND, OR | $7,500 | 2023 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| WYHY FCU | CHEYENNE, WY | $6,000 | 2023 | STUDENT HIGHSCHOOL PARTNERSHIP FINANCIAL LITERACY |
CLARITY CREDIT UNION
$45,000RURAL ACCESS PROGRAM
MAPS COMMUNITY FOUNDATION
$37,500WILDFIRE RELIEF
MID OREGON FCU
$20,000WORKFORCE HOUSING PLAN GRANT
VANTAGE WEST
$20,000WORKFORCE HOUSING PLAN GRANT
WORKFORCE HOUSING PLAN GRANT
NUVISTA FCU
$100,000WORKFORCE HOUSING GRANT
CU WEST
$45,000SMALL BUSINESS INITIATIVE-IMPLEMENTATION GRANT
MAPS COMMUNITY FOUNDATION
$37,500GRANT FUND LOAN LOSS RESERVE
MAPS COMMUNITY FOUNDATION
$27,863GRANT FUND LOAN LOSS RESERVE
FINANCIAL BEGINNINGS WASHINGTON
$7,500GENERAL SUPPORT
EAST IDAHO CREDIT UNION CHAR FOUNDATION
$50,000RURAL ACCESS PROJECT GRANT
SPOKANE LOW INCOME HOUSING CONSORTIUM
$20,000FEASIBILITY ASSESSMENTS FOR LAND ACQUISITION
MAPS COMMUNITY FOUNDATION
$10,000DISASTER RESILIENCE GRANT
FINANCIAL BEGINNINGS WASHINGTON
$7,500GENERAL SUPPORT
WYHY FCU
$6,000STUDENT HIGHSCHOOL PARTNERSHIP FINANCIAL LITERACY