Echo Foundation
Echo Foundation is listed as a private foundation based in Lynden, Washington. Its 2025 filing states that its direct charitable activity is grantmaking to assist people in need of healthcare, education, or shelter. Separately, The Echo Foundation’s website describes an education-focused organization centered in Charlotte, North Carolina. The available information does not establish whether that website and the Lynden-based filer are the same organization.
Echo Foundation at a glance
In short: Echo Foundation gave $3.0M across 23 grants in 2025 (avg $131K), mostly in Washington. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $3,002,000
- -16.8% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 23
- +9.5% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $130,522
- -24.0% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $50,000
- Total assets
- $88,570,511
- +5.6% vs 2024
- Primary geography
- Washington (79% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated October 2026.
How to apply to Echo Foundation
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds.
- Contact
Mailing address: 400 5Th St, Lynden, WA 98264
Phone: (360) 354-5545
Website: https://echofoundation.org
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Echo Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Whatcom Community Foundation ($865K). Together the top 10 received $2.3M.
Organizations only. It also paid 1 individual scholarship ($507,000), which are not listed by name.
Grant Size Distribution
78 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 41 grants of 78 (53%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, grant dollars went primarily to recipients in Washington (79%) and the District of Columbia (17%), with 3% going to Alaska. The filing also reports shares for Oregon and California of 0% each.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 23 itemized grants.
Cities
How Echo Foundation gives
- 59% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (+10%). Method
- In 2025 it paid out 75% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Foundations have until the end of the next year to meet it. Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2025). Recipient names are matched across years, so a renamed or misspelled grantee can look new; grants to individuals are left out. Methodology.
Giving History
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2021 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $305K (2021) to $3.6M (2023). In 2025 it made 23 grants totaling $3.0M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Whatcom Community Foundation Bellingham, WA | To Provide Funding for Various Charitable Project Funds | $865,000 |
| 1 individual scholarship Recipients not named | — | $507,000 |
| World Central Kitchen Washington, DC | To support providing meals in response to humanitarian, climate, and community crises | $500,000 |
| Whatcom Foodbank Network Bellingham, WA | To support programs providing food to low income families in Whatcom county | $250,000 |
| Cascade Public Media Seattle, WA | To support the mission to inform and inspire our community to make it a better, more educated place by providing quality television, trusted journalism, and memorable live events | $100,000 |
| Grace Connection Pasco, WA | To support programs to foster skills and create jobs for women survivors of trafficking, addiction, homelessness, and poverty | $100,000 |
| Jansen Arts Center Lynden, WA | To support the center's mission of providing opportunities for the community to engage with the arts | $100,000 |
| Western Washington University Bellingham, WA | To support the compass 2 campus program to increase access to higher education for low-income, black, indigenous, and students of color | $100,000 |
| Alaska Community Foundation Anchorage, AK | Funding Designated for the Alaska Flood Relief | $100,000 |
| Whatcom Land Trust Bellingham, WA | To fund the mission to preserve and protect wildlife habitat, scenic, agricultural, and open space lands in Whatcom county | $100,000 |
Ready to take the next step with Echo Foundation?
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Qualifying Distributions | Net Investment Income | Distributable Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $88,570,511 | $3,751,401 | $3,012,450 | $3,002,000 | 23 | $3,002,000 | $3,751,401 | $4,000,692 |
| 2024 | $83,839,429 | $3,075,601 | $3,617,145 | $3,608,720 | 21 | $3,608,720 | $3,075,601 | $3,670,977 |
| 2023 | $68,049,918 | $3,735,184 | $3,628,389 | $3,616,000 | 15 | $3,616,000 | $3,729,869 | $3,108,378 |
| 2022 | $52,686,954 | $2,335,825 | $2,806,700 | $2,725,000 | 16 | $2,725,000 | $2,258,365 | $3,025,498 |
| 2021 | $68,344,213 | $420,467 | $398,047 | $305,000 | 3 | $305,000 | $336,183 | $2,776,445 |
| 2020 | $51,794,876 | $50,075,004 | — | — | — | — | — | $244,606 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Echo Foundation reported a distributable amount of $4.0M for 2025 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated September 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
The Charlotte-based organization’s website states its mission is “to promote justice and inspire hope through education, service and the development of leadership for a more humane world.” Its programs include curricula and educational initiatives connecting students with global humanitarian issues and leaders.
The Lynden foundation’s 2025 filing describes its direct charitable activity as grantmaking to assist those in need of healthcare, education, or shelter. Its grants include support for education, food assistance, arts, public media, conservation, humanitarian response, and community services. For example, Bellingham Technical College Foundation says its mission is to expand access to quality education for its students; Whatcom Foodbank Network received support for programs providing food to low-income families in Whatcom County; and Whatcom Land Trust describes its mission as preserving and protecting habitat and open-space lands in Whatcom County.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, the foundation awarded 23 grants totaling $3,002,000. Grants ranged from $5,000 to $865,000, with a median of $50,000. Among the largest were $865,000 to Whatcom Community Foundation for various charitable project funds; $507,000 to Bellingham Technical College Foundation for scholarships; $500,000 to World Central Kitchen to support meals in response to humanitarian, climate, and community crises; and $250,000 to Whatcom Foodbank Network for food programs serving low-income families in Whatcom County.
Other 2025 grants included $100,000 each to Cascade Public Media, Grace Connection, Jansen Arts Center, Western Washington University, Alaska Community Foundation, and Whatcom Land Trust. The stated purposes included public media, job and skills programs for women survivors, community arts, higher-education access, Alaska flood relief, and land conservation, respectively.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Heidi Doornenbal as president, K Bradley Williamson as vice president/treasurer, and Amy Seaman as secretary.
The Charlotte-based organization’s website lists Stacey Schanzlin as president and Stephanie Ansaldo as founder and president emerita.
Echo Foundation is led by Heidi Doornenbal, President on every filing since 2020; none of the 3 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Heidi Doornenbal
President
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Amy Seaman
Secretary
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
K. Bradley Williamson
Vice President & Treasurer
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2020–2025. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.
Frequently asked questions about Echo Foundation
How much does Echo Foundation give each year?
Echo Foundation gave $3.0M across 23 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $3.6M across 21 grants.
What is Echo Foundation's typical grant size?
Echo Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $50,000, and its average grant was $130,522, across 23 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Where does Echo Foundation give grants?
Echo Foundation gives mostly in Washington: 79% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest state was District of Columbia (17%). The most frequent recipient cities were Lynden, WA (6 grants), Bellingham, WA (5 grants) and Seattle, WA (2 grants).
Does Echo Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 23 grants with a stated purpose on Echo Foundation's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support.
Who are Echo Foundation's largest grantees?
Echo Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Whatcom Community Foundation ($865,000), World Central Kitchen ($500,000) and Whatcom Foodbank Network ($250,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It also paid 1 individual scholarship ($507,000), which are not listed by name. Together they received 54% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Echo Foundation?
Echo Foundation reported $88.6M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $3.0M in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $4.0M (roughly 5% of its investment assets). Falling short in one year is not a violation: foundations have until the end of the next year to meet the minimum.
What does Echo Foundation fund?
The Charlotte-based organization’s website states its mission is “to promote justice and inspire hope through education, service and the development of leadership for a more humane world.” See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Echo Foundation?
The foundation states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Echo Foundation's EIN?
Echo Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 85-3538325. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Does Echo Foundation accept unsolicited proposals?
No, according to Grantable's research on the foundation's published guidelines. See how to apply ↑
Data last updated October 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
Data update history
(2)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS June 23, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in Echo Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Echo Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 10, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/echo-foundation-morg_d470bd0fe9f5448ead59e55e6244ebaa
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_853538325_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Echo Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/echo-foundation-morg_d470bd0fe9f5448ead59e55e6244ebaa},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-10. Data licensed CC BY 4.0}
}The figures on this page are open data under CC BY 4.0: reuse them with credit to Grantable and a link. Download the data.
Figures come from Echo Foundation's IRS filings (methodology). AI-written summaries, news items and logos are not covered by the open licence. Spot an error? Email hello@grantable.co.
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