8 survey respondents
Location: 1904 3rd Ave Ste 615, Seattle, 98101 WA
EIN: 23-7134880
100%
0%
11 hours
Median
100%
0%
94%
6%
2017 Deadlines:
Types of Grants Awarded:
Geographic Focus:
For Fiscal Year
Total Assets:
Total Grants:
Change in Assets FY :
Amount of Grants to Minnesota Nonprofits:
Largest Grant:
Smallest Grant:
Average Grant:
Grant Applicant - applied in 2020
NW Fund has some of the most informed and inquisitive program managers and trustees of any of our Foundation funders. Be ready to answer tough questions throughout the process but it is worth it to have them as partners in your work.
Positive leader in the field, Insightful, Builds relationships, "Gets" nonprofits and issues, Responsive
Washington
Current or former grantee
Funded for amount requested
2020
Good
Good
Keep up the good work!
Inquire and understand the work you are doing.
10
Grant Applicant - applied in 2020
The staff at NWFE are highly knowledgeable of the issues and the people in the region they serve. They are also very open to questions and discussions. I'd recommend being clear about your interest and curious to hear responses and recommendations.
Positive leader in the field, Gives more than money, Risk taker, Culturally sensitive, Insightful, Friendly, Builds relationships, Likes site visits, "Gets" nonprofits and issues, Openminded, Responsive
Washington
Current or former grantee
Funded for lesser amount
2020
Good
Like many of us, they are very busy but always open to questions, hearing updates and especially sharing in success. Super helpful staff!
Good
Open, honest and understanding of the many challenges grantees are trying to overcome with their projects.
5
Grant Applicant - applied in 2020
Northwest Fund has a deep grasp of our regional conservation issues and challenges, and are always receptive to a solid pitch to move the needle.
Culturally sensitive, Insightful, Friendly, Builds relationships, "Gets" nonprofits and issues, Responsive
Washington
Current or former grantee
Funded for amount requested
2020
Good
Good
Keep it up!
Takes the time to deeply understand the role of your campaign in the regional conservation landscape.
10
Grant Applicant - applied in 2020
Know your stuff, and know it well (especially the policy nuance) because the NWFE program staff do their homework and due diligence on each and every project better than any other funders I know!
Positive leader in the field, Culturally sensitive, Insightful, Friendly, Builds relationships, "Gets" nonprofits and issues, Openminded, Responsive
Washington
Current or former grantee
Funded for lesser amount
2020
Good
Good
The new streamlined granting process is enormously helpful, giving us more time to do the funded work. I especially appreciated the reduced reporting load for a Rapid Response grant, where I was able to channel virtually all of my time toward supporting our partners in the project.
They deliver advice with humility. The also always center the grantee's needs, as well as the needs of the partners of that prospective grantee.
10 to 15 hours
Reviewer 7323 - Grant Applicant - applied in 2020
We found the process to be smooth and easy to follow. It did take us more time to complete the application because we wanted to be as current and accurate as possible. Thanks for the great experience and the funding. It has made all the difference and we believe helped us with other granting organizations.
Washington
Current or former grantee
Funded for amount requested
2020
Good
Good
20
Grant Applicant - applied in 2020
Seem to prefer discrete projects with measurable impact over broader initiatives with potentially farther reaching, but less measurable impact.
Washington
Current or former grantee
Funded for lesser amount
2020
Good
Average
Consider more multi-year investments to intensify partnerships between NWFE and grantees, to provide more certainty for grantees that they can see their projects through to fruition, and to save NWFE and organization time in annual application processes.
Learns and is genuinely interested in details of projects.
16
Grant Applicant - applied in 2020
Program officers are accessible, helpful, and friendly. Grant application and reporting process is pretty straightforward and easy to understand. Solid partners in the work who care about the issues they are funding. I would suggest two improvements. First, it would be helpful to switch to an annual funding cycle as the 18-month cycle is awkward and makes annual budgeting harder. Second, increase gift amounts. This is an issue I encounter often with foundation funders. If a foundation was making $25,000 annual grant awards in 2001 and is still making $25,000 grant awards in 2021, then the actual grant value has decreased over time. Inflation, rising overhead costs, rising salaries, etc. all mean that every year it becomes more expensive to operate a nonprofit organization. It would seem to make sense then that foundation grant amounts should also increase over time to reflect the increased costs of operation. Furthermore, as the stock market continues to perform exceptionally well, it would stand to reason that grant awards would increase as the foundation's investments generate more money.
Washington
Current or former grantee
Funded for amount requested
2020
Good
Good
10
Reviewer 9689 - Grant Applicant - applied in 2019
NW Fund program officers are so open and helpful and really appreciate feedback and have done several surveys on how the grant process is for grantees. I would reach out directly to the program officers by email after reviewing the grant guidelines on their website.
Positive leader in the field, Gives more than money, Insightful, Friendly, Builds relationships, "Gets" nonprofits and issues, Responsive
California
Current or former grantee
Funded for amount requested
2019
Good
Very successful.
Good
NW Fund is constantly evolving its processes to be responsive to grantee concerns to the point that now they don't require a written report, just a phone call to report on the grant period. They have moved their applications to electronic submissions which really eases the submission process.
NW Fund really wants a dialogue with its grantees and works hard to understand what its grantees are working on and how it can support the work.
15
