The Lorna Jordan Charitable Organization makes sizable, often unrestricted grants to nonprofit organizations—particularly in the Pacific Northwest—focused on arts and cultural institutions, social justice and legal services, community health, and environmental/sustainability initiatives. Their giving favors program- and general-support grants to community-based organizations, arts groups, and criminal-justice or youth-serving programs, with some targeted support for LGBTQ+ services and unique place-based campaigns.
Lorna Jordan Charitable Organization aka Lorna Jordan Foundation has made large recent grants across Seattle-area arts, legal aid, criminal-justice reform, and health-focused community campaigns. In 2025, it backed a mix of operating support and named initiatives, including $150,000 to Evergreen State College Foundation for the Sustainability in Prisons Project and $100,000 to Urban League of Metropolitan Seattle for an EcoDistrict fund. The pattern points to a funder that supports both institutional programs and place-based efforts tied to community wellbeing. The foundation’s recent grants also show strong support for arts organizations working in community settings. It gave $100,000 to Spectrum Dance Theater, $100,000 to Artist Trust, and $75,000 to Urban Artworks, alongside grants for projects that connect art with displacement, empathy, and public engagement. Beyond the arts, it has funded legal and civic work such as Eastside Legal Assistance Program and Community Passageways, as well as health-related campaigns at Tubman Center for Health & Freedom. The mix of unrestricted support and named funds suggests a flexible grantmaker that uses sizable awards to reinforce ongoing organizational work and specific campaigns.
In arts and culture, the foundation supported both general operations and project work. It gave $100,000 to Spectrum Dance Theater for general support, $100,000 to Artist Trust for general support, and $75,000 to European Cultural Centre-usa Inc for the “Crossing Boundaries, Empathy in a Time of Displacement” art installation fund. It also awarded $75,000 to Urban Artworks for general support. Its social-service and justice-related giving includes $100,000 to Eastside Legal Assistance Program for general support and $100,000 to Community Passageways for general support, plus $100,000 to Seattle Clemency Project for general support. In health and community wellbeing, it backed Tubman Center for Health & Freedom with $100,000 for the Campaign for Health and Freedom and another $100,000 for the AHSHAY fund. Environmental and sustainability work appears through $150,000 to Evergreen State College Foundation for the Sustainability in Prisons Project and $100,000 to Urban League of Metropolitan Seattle for an EcoDistrict fund.
$2.7M
$51.6M
$3.4M
$3.5M
Most grants fall between $10K and $50K, with a median of $25K.
25th Percentile
$10K
Median
$25K
75th Percentile
$50K
About 0% of grants go to recipients in WA.
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Concentrated, mid-to-large grants (commonly $75k–$200k) with many one-time unrestricted or program-support awards; geographically focused on Seattle/Puget Sound and nearby communities; mix of repeat support (some multi-year/recurring grantees) and a broad set of distinct grantees across arts, legal, health, and environmental causes.
Notable grantees: Spectrum Dance Theater (contemporary/performance arts), Evergreen State College Foundation — Sustainability in Prisons Project (environment + criminal justice), Seattle Clemency Project (criminal justice/clemency work), Tubman Center for Health & Freedom (community health campaign), The Trevor Project (LGBTQ+ crisis intervention and youth services)
Typical recent awards cluster at $25,000 median, with a p25 of $10,000 and a p75 of $50,000, while the top end of the listed grants reaches $150,000. The recent record shows repeated support for some recipients across years: Evergreen State College Foundation appears in both 2024 and 2025, and Community Passageways appears in both years as well. That points to some continuing relationships rather than one-time grants only. The foundation is a regular funder, not a DAF vehicle, and it does not fund individuals or make program-related investments. Grants in the sample include both general and unrestricted support and named campaign or fund support.
Grantmaking is concentrated in Washington, especially Seattle and nearby communities. Seattle appears repeatedly, with grants to Spectrum Dance Theater, Artist Trust, Tubman Center for Health & Freedom, Cardea Services, Community Passageways, Legal Counsel for Youth and Children, Food Lifeline, Doney Memorial Pet Clinic, and Urban Artworks. Outside Seattle, the list includes Olympia, Bellevue, Renton, Kent, Bainbridge Island, SeaTac, and Spokane-area regional giving is not shown in the recent grants list. The sample also reaches beyond Washington to New York, California, Hawaii, and one Los Angeles-based civic grantee, but Washington dominates the named recipients.
The recent grants point to arts and cultural organizations, legal aid and civic-engagement groups, community health initiatives, criminal-justice reform and reentry programs, and environmental or sustainability work. Examples include arts groups in Seattle, legal assistance in Bellevue, clemency and reentry work in Seattle and Kent, and sustainability-related funding in Olympia and Seattle.
Yes. Evergreen State College Foundation appears in both 2024 and 2025, with awards for the Sustainability in Prisons Project and a charitable event. Community Passageways also appears in both years, with general support in each year. That indicates some multi-year relationships in addition to one-time awards.
The listed distribution puts the 25th percentile at $10,000, the median at $25,000, and the 75th percentile at $50,000. The recent grants table also shows several larger awards at $75,000, $100,000, and a high of $150,000.
Washington is the top state by grant count, and Seattle is the most frequent city in the recent grants list. Recipients also appear in Olympia, Bellevue, Renton, Kent, Bainbridge Island, and SeaTac, with additional U.S. grants in New York, California, and Hawaii.
Yes. Many recent awards are labeled general and unrestricted or general support, including grants to Spectrum Dance Theater, Eastside Legal Assistance Program, Artist Trust, Community Passageways, and Seattle Clemency Project. The list also includes named campaign and fund support, such as the Campaign for Health and Freedom and the EcoDistrict fund.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EVERGREEN STATE COLLEGE FOUNDATION | OLYMPIA, WA | $150,000 | 2025 | Sustainability in Prisons Project |
| REHABILITATION THROUGH THE ARTS INC | PURCHASE, NY | $100,000 | 2025 | General & Unrestricted |
| LEGAL COUNSEL FOR YOUTH AND CHILDREN | SEATTLE, WA | $100,000 | 2025 | General & Unrestricted |
| ARTIST TRUST | SEATTLE, WA | $100,000 | 2025 | General & Unrestricted |
| CARDEA SERVICES | SEATTLE, WA | $100,000 | 2025 | General & Unrestricted |
| COMMUNITY PARTNERS | LOS ANGELES, CA | $100,000 | 2025 | Civics Center fund |
| SEATTLE CLEMENCY PROJECT | KENT, WA | $100,000 | 2025 | General & Unrestricted |
| RENTON REGIONAL COMMUNITY FOUNDATION | RENTON, WA | $100,000 | 2025 | General & Unrestricted |
| SPECTRUM DANCE THEATER | SEATTLE, WA | $100,000 | 2025 | General & Unrestricted |
| TUBMAN CENTER FOR HEALTH & FREEDOM | SEATTLE, WA | $100,000 | 2025 | AHSHAY fund |
| 350 SEATTLE | SEATTLE, WA | $100,000 | 2025 | SAARC Fund |
| QUEER-ART | NEW YORK, NY | $100,000 | 2025 | General & Unrestricted |
| COMMUNITY PASSAGEWAYS | SEATTLE, WA | $100,000 | 2025 | General & Unrestricted |
| FOOD LIFELINE | SEATTLE, WA | $100,000 | 2025 | General & Unrestricted |
| WASHINGTON STEM CENTER | SEATTLE, WA | $100,000 | 2025 | General & Unrestricted |
| EASTSIDE LEGAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAM | BELLEVUE, WA | $100,000 | 2025 | General & Unrestricted |
| TUBMAN CENTER FOR HEALTH & FREEDOM | SEATTLE, WA | $100,000 | 2025 | Campaign for Health and Freedom |
| URBAN LEAGUE OF METROPOLITAN SEATTLE | SEATTLE, WA | $100,000 | 2025 | EcoDistrict fund |
| DONEY MEMORIAL PET CLINIC | SEATTLE, WA | $100,000 | 2025 | General & Unrestricted |
| HELPLINE HOUSE | BAINBRIDGE IS, WA | $100,000 | 2025 | Capital Campaign fund |
| URBAN ARTWORKS | SEATTLE, WA | $75,000 | 2025 | General & Unrestricted |
| EUROPEAN CULTURAL CENTRE-USA INC | BROOKLYN, NY | $75,000 | 2025 | "Crossing Boundaries, Empathy in a Time of Displacement" art installation fund |
| ASSISTANCE DOGS OF HAWAII | MAKAWAO, HI | $75,000 | 2025 | Assistance Dogs NW fund |
| ALLIES IN ARTS | LOS ANGELES, CA | $75,000 | 2025 | General & Unrestricted |
| THE TREVOR PROJECT INC | WEST HOLLYWOOD, CA | $75,000 | 2025 | General & Unrestricted |
| FRACTURED ATLAS INC | HARTSDALE, NY | $40,000 | 2025 | Visionary Justice StoryLab fund |
| OLYMPIC COMMUNITY ACTION PROGRAMS | PORT TOWNSEND, WA | $30,000 | 2025 | Flexible unrestricted support for housing programs |
| JEFFERSON COMMUNITY COUNSELING CENTER | PORT TOWNSEND, WA | $30,000 | 2025 | Unrestricted support for Discovery Behavioral Health programs in Jefferson County |
| COMMUNITY PASSAGEWAYS | SEATTLE, WA | $10,000 | 2025 | employee wellness fund |
| ARTIST TRUST | SEATTLE, WA | $10,000 | 2025 | Employee wellness fund |
| DONEY MEMORIAL PET CLINIC | SEATTLE, WA | $10,000 | 2025 | Employee and volunteer wellness fund |
| FRACTURED ATLAS INC | HARTSDALE, NY | $10,000 | 2025 | employee wellness fund |
| EVERGREEN STATE COLLEGE FOUNDATION | OLYMPIA, WA | $10,000 | 2025 | the Sustainability in Prisons Project in support of employee wellness |
| OLYMPIC COMMUNITY ACTION PROGRAMS | PORT TOWNSEND, WA | $10,000 | 2025 | employee wellness fund |
| LEGAL COUNSEL FOR YOUTH AND CHILDREN | SEATTLE, WA | $10,000 | 2025 | employee wellness fund |
| TUBMAN CENTER FOR HEALTH & FREEDOM | SEATTLE, WA | $10,000 | 2025 | employee wellness fund |
| TUBMAN CENTER FOR HEALTH & FREEDOM | SEATTLE, WA | $10,000 | 2025 | AHSHAY employee wellness fund |
| URBAN LEAGUE OF METROPOLITAN SEATTLE | SEATTLE, WA | $10,000 | 2025 | EcoDistrict employee wellness fund |
| URBAN LEAGUE OF METROPOLITAN SEATTLE | SEATTLE, WA | $10,000 | 2025 | employee wellness fund |
| RENTON REGIONAL COMMUNITY FOUNDATION | RENTON, WA | $10,000 | 2025 | employee wellness fund |
| WASHINGTON STEM CENTER | SEATTLE, WA | $10,000 | 2025 | employee wellness fund |
| JEFFERSON COMMUNITY COUNSELING CENTER | PORT TOWNSEND, WA | $10,000 | 2025 | employee wellness fund |
| HELPLINE HOUSE | BAINBRIDGE IS, WA | $10,000 | 2025 | Employee wellness fund |
| ASSISTANCE DOGS OF HAWAII | MAKAWAO, HI | $10,000 | 2025 | Assistance Dogs NW employee wellness fund |
| FOOD LIFELINE | SEATTLE, WA | $10,000 | 2025 | Employee wellness fund |
| EASTSIDE LEGAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAM | BELLEVUE, WA | $10,000 | 2025 | employee wellness fund |
| REHABILITATION THROUGH THE ARTS INC | PURCHASE, NY | $10,000 | 2025 | employee wellness fund |
| SEATTLE CLEMENCY PROJECT | KENT, WA | $10,000 | 2025 | employee wellness fund |
| CARDEA SERVICES | SEATTLE, WA | $10,000 | 2025 | Employee wellness fund |
| EVERGREEN STATE COLLEGE FOUNDATION | OLYMPIA, WA | $60,000 | 2024 | Charitable Event |
QUEER-ART
$100,000General & Unrestricted
DONEY MEMORIAL PET CLINIC
$100,000General & Unrestricted
EUROPEAN CULTURAL CENTRE-USA INC
$75,000"Crossing Boundaries, Empathy in a Time of Displacement" art installation fund
Flexible unrestricted support for housing programs
JEFFERSON COMMUNITY COUNSELING CENTER
$30,000Unrestricted support for Discovery Behavioral Health programs in Jefferson County
DONEY MEMORIAL PET CLINIC
$10,000Employee and volunteer wellness fund
the Sustainability in Prisons Project in support of employee wellness
LEGAL COUNSEL FOR YOUTH AND CHILDREN
$10,000employee wellness fund
JEFFERSON COMMUNITY COUNSELING CENTER
$10,000employee wellness fund