The Donald Family Foundation concentrates most of its giving on Seattle-area higher and post-secondary education—primarily sizable support to Seattle Colleges/Foundation—while also funding targeted marine and coastal science and conservation through SeaDoc/UC Davis. Grants are few but large, often repeat awards to the same education recipient, indicating a preference for deep, focused investments rather than broad, small grants.
Concentrated giving: a small number of relatively large grants with repeat funding to core grantees (notably Seattle Colleges Foundation) and targeted multi-year-style support for specialized environmental partners.
Donald Family Foundation C/o James & Laura Donald gives in a concentrated pattern, with repeated large awards to Seattle Colleges Foundation and a parallel set of grants for marine and coastal science through SeaDoc Society and UC Davis. The education side includes $110,000 in both 2023 and 2024, followed by a $100,000 grant in 2025 to Seattle Colleges Foundation, showing sustained support for Seattle-area community and technical colleges. Environmental funding is also substantial: SeaDoc Society received $50,000 in 2023, while UC Davis-related environmental work appears in 2024 and 2025. Beyond those anchors, the foundation has backed housing, recovery services, community land trusts, youth services, arts institutions, and university-linked health programs, but the overall pattern remains focused and selective rather than broad. Grants are typically few in number and often recur to the same organizations over multiple years, especially in education and conservation. The recent record also shows support for local institutions such as Plymouth Housing, Recovery Cafe, and Opal Community Land Trust, indicating interest in community-level services alongside its higher-education and environmental priorities.
Higher education is the clearest funding theme. The foundation gave $100,000 in 2025 to Seattle Colleges Foundation for education, following $110,000 awards in both 2023 and 2024 to the same recipient. Environmental grantmaking is tied to marine and coastal science: it awarded $50,000 in 2023 to SeaDoc Society for environment work, then supported UC Davis-related environmental efforts with $38,000 in 2024 and $35,500 in 2025. Community support appears through housing and recovery services, including $26,000 to Plymouth Housing in 2023 and $25,000 to Recovery Cafe in 2024 and 2025. The foundation also funded local land and community initiatives, such as $20,000 to Opal Community Land Trust in 2023.
Typical grants are modest to mid-sized, with a p25 of $500, a median of $1,000, and a p75 of $5,000, even though the recent record also includes larger institutional awards. The grant history shows repeated support to the same organizations across multiple years, especially Seattle Colleges Foundation, Plymouth Housing, Recovery Cafe, and San Juan Preservation Trust, which points to ongoing relationships rather than one-time gifts. The foundation is a family foundation, and its giving is program- and project-oriented rather than individual-focused. It does not make program-related investments, and the data provided does not indicate an unsolicited application process.
$135K
$384K
$23K
$147K
Most grants fall between $500 and $5K, with a median of $1K.
25th Percentile
$500
Median
$1K
75th Percentile
$5K
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Notable grantees: Seattle Colleges Foundation, SeaDoc Society, University of California, Davis (SeaDoc/UC Davis environmental programs)
Giving is overwhelmingly local: 89% of grants go to recipients in Washington, and all recorded recipient countries are in the United States. Seattle is the main city in the recent grant list, with additional awards in Eastsound, Friday Harbor, Renton, and other Washington locations. Outside Washington, the grant record reaches Davis, California, through UC Davis-linked environmental work, and Tampa, Florida, through Seniors in Service of Tampa Bay. The top state by grant count is Washington, separate from the Seattle headquarters.
The recent record centers on Seattle Colleges Foundation for higher and post-secondary education and on marine and coastal science through SeaDoc Society and UC Davis-related environmental work. It also funds housing, recovery services, community land trusts, youth services, arts organizations, and university-affiliated health programs.
The typical grant distribution is small on paper but includes some larger awards: p25 is $500, median is $1,000, and p75 is $5,000. Recent grants also include larger, repeated commitments such as $110,000 awards to Seattle Colleges Foundation and $50,000 to SeaDoc Society.
Yes. Washington is the top state by grant count, and 89% of grants go to recipients in the HQ state of Washington. The recent list is heavily Seattle-centered, with additional Washington recipients in Eastsound, Friday Harbor, and Renton.
Yes. Seattle Colleges Foundation received $110,000 in 2023 and 2024 and $100,000 in 2025. Recovery Cafe appears in 2023, 2024, and 2025; Plymouth Housing appears in 2023, 2024, and 2025; and San Juan Preservation Trust appears in 2023, 2024, and 2025.
No. The foundation does not fund individuals and does not make program-related investments. Its pattern is grant-based support to organizations, with a mix of education, environmental, and community-service recipients.
2026
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2026.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SEADOC SOCIETY | EASTSOUND, WA | $25,500 | 2026 | ENVIRONMENT |
| FUNHOUSE COMMONS | EASTSOUND, WA | $25,000 | 2026 | YOUTH & HUMAN SERVICES |
| RECOVERY CAFE | SEATTLE, WA | $25,000 | 2026 | HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES |
| UW MEDICINE ADVANCEMENT | SEATTLE, WA | $10,000 | 2026 | HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES |
| SEADOC SOCIETY | EASTSOUND, WA | $10,000 | 2026 | ENVIRONMENT |
| SAN JUAN PRESERVATION TRUST | FRIDAY HARBOR, WA | $7,000 | 2026 | ENVIRONMENT |
| UPLIFT | SEATTLE, WA | $5,000 | 2026 | HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES |
| OPAL COMMUNITY LAND TRUST | EASTSOUND, WA | $5,000 | 2026 | HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES |
| A GIVING HEART | CHICAGO, IL | $2,500 | 2026 | HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES |
| ORCAS ISLAND COMMUNITY FOUNDATION | EASTSOUND, WA | $2,500 | 2026 | HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES/YOUTH SERVICES |
| OVERFLOW 912 | RANCHO MIRAGE, CA | $2,000 | 2026 | HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES |
| DESERT COMMUNITY FOUNDATION | PALM DESERT, CA | $1,000 | 2026 | HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES |
| LAKESIDE SCHOOL | SEATTLE, WA | $1,000 | 2026 | EDUCATION |
| FRED HUTCH CANCER CENTER | SEATTLE, WA | $1,000 | 2026 | HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES |
| STEVE RESCH MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP FUND | MONROE, WA | $1,000 | 2026 | EDUCATION |
| PRINCETON ROWING | WEST WINDSOR, NJ | $1,000 | 2026 | EDUCATION |
| RAINIER SCHOLARS | SEATTLE, WA | $1,000 | 2026 | EDUCATION |
| KCSARC | RENTON, WA | $1,000 | 2026 | HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES |
| PLYMOUTH HOUSING | SEATTLE, WA | $1,000 | 2026 | HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES |
| ORCAS SENIOR CENTER | EASTSOUND, WA | $1,000 | 2026 | YOUTH & HUMAN SERVICES |
| SEATTLE ACADEMY | SEATTLE, WA | $1,000 | 2026 | EDUCATION |
| ORCAS ISLAND FILM FESTIVAL | EASTSOUND, WA | $1,000 | 2026 | ARTS |
| ORCAS COMMUNITY RESOURCE CENTER | EASTSOUND, WA | $1,000 | 2026 | HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES |
| GAGE ACADEMY OF ARTS | SEATTLE, WA | $500 | 2026 | ARTS |
| TREE HOUSE | SEATTLE, WA | $500 | 2026 | YOUTH & HUMAN SERVICES |
| JUBILEE WOMENS CENTER | SEATTLE, WA | $500 | 2026 | HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES |
| SEATTLE CHILDREN'S | SEATTLE, WA | $500 | 2026 | HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES/YOUTH SERVICES |
| ALLIANCE FOR GUN RESPONSIBILITY | SEATTLE, WA | $500 | 2026 | HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES |
| KUOW | SEATTLE, WA | $250 | 2026 | ARTS |
| SOLDIERS SECRET SANTA | ATLANTA, GA | $250 | 2026 | YOUTH & HUMAN SERVICES |
| PATH WITH ART | SEATTLE, WA | $250 | 2026 | ARTS |
| SEATTLE PUBLIC LIBRARY | SEATTLE, WA | $250 | 2026 | EDUCATION |
| MUSIC ADVOCACY GROUP | EASTSOUND, WA | $250 | 2026 | EDUCATION |
| ORCAS ISLAND BOOSTER CLUB | EASTSOUND, WA | $100 | 2026 | YOUTH & HUMAN SERVICES |
| SEATTLE COLLEGES FOUNDATON | SEATTLE, WA | $100,000 | 2025 | EDUCATION |
| UC DAVIS (SEADOC SOCIETY) | DAVIS, CA | $35,500 | 2025 | ENVIRONMENT |
| PLYMOUTH HOUSING | SEATTLE, WA | $25,000 | 2025 | HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES |
| RECOVERY CAFE | SEATTLE, WA | $25,000 | 2025 | HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES |
| OPAL COMMUNITY LAND TRUST | EASTSOUND, WA | $17,500 | 2025 | HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES |
| FUNHOUSE COMMONS | EASTSOUND, WA | $10,000 | 2025 | YOUTH & HUMAN SERVICES |
| UNIVERISTY OF WASHINGTON FND (AIRLIFT NW) | SEATTLE, WA | $10,000 | 2025 | HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES |
| SAN JUAN PRESERVATION TRUST | FRIDAY HARBOR, WA | $6,000 | 2025 | ENVIRONMENT |
| ORCAS ISLAND COMMUNITY FOUNDATION | EASTSOUND, WA | $5,000 | 2025 | HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES/YOUTH SERVICES |
| ORCAS ISLAND FILM FESTIVAL | EASTSOUND, WA | $2,000 | 2025 | ARTS |
| OVERFLOW 9 12 | RANCHO MIRAGE, CA | $2,000 | 2025 | HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES |
| PRINCETON ROWING | WEST WINDSOR, NJ | $1,500 | 2025 | EDUCATION |
| RAINIER SCHOLARS | SEATTLE, WA | $1,000 | 2025 | EDUCATION |
| THE EXCHANGE | EASTSOUND, WA | $1,000 | 2025 | ENVIRONMENT |
| ORCAS ISLAND COMMUNITY RESOURCE CENTER | EASTSOUND, WA | $1,000 | 2025 | HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES |
| LAKESIDE SCHOOL | SEATTLE, WA | $1,000 | 2025 | EDUCATION |
SEADOC SOCIETY
$25,500ENVIRONMENT
FUNHOUSE COMMONS
$25,000YOUTH & HUMAN SERVICES
UW MEDICINE ADVANCEMENT
$10,000HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES
SEADOC SOCIETY
$10,000ENVIRONMENT
ENVIRONMENT
UPLIFT
$5,000HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES
A GIVING HEART
$2,500HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES
OVERFLOW 912
$2,000HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES
FRED HUTCH CANCER CENTER
$1,000HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES
STEVE RESCH MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP FUND
$1,000EDUCATION
PRINCETON ROWING
$1,000EDUCATION
KCSARC
$1,000HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES
PLYMOUTH HOUSING
$1,000HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES
ORCAS SENIOR CENTER
$1,000YOUTH & HUMAN SERVICES
SEATTLE ACADEMY
$1,000EDUCATION
TREE HOUSE
$500YOUTH & HUMAN SERVICES
SEATTLE CHILDREN'S
$500HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES/YOUTH SERVICES
KUOW
$250ARTS
SOLDIERS SECRET SANTA
$250YOUTH & HUMAN SERVICES
SEATTLE PUBLIC LIBRARY
$250EDUCATION
MUSIC ADVOCACY GROUP
$250EDUCATION
ORCAS ISLAND BOOSTER CLUB
$100YOUTH & HUMAN SERVICES
UC DAVIS (SEADOC SOCIETY)
$35,500ENVIRONMENT
PLYMOUTH HOUSING
$25,000HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES
FUNHOUSE COMMONS
$10,000YOUTH & HUMAN SERVICES
UNIVERISTY OF WASHINGTON FND (AIRLIFT NW)
$10,000HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES
OVERFLOW 9 12
$2,000HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES
PRINCETON ROWING
$1,500EDUCATION
THE EXCHANGE
$1,000ENVIRONMENT
ORCAS ISLAND COMMUNITY RESOURCE CENTER
$1,000HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES