Fuse Washington
Fuse Washington is a public charity based in Seattle, Washington, formed in 2007. It says its mission is to achieve progress through government, by the people and for the people in Washington state, and describes its work as helping progressives win issue and election campaigns while giving ordinary people a stronger voice in politics.
Key facts about Fuse Washington
In short: Fuse Washington gave $586K across 13 grants in 2025 (avg $45K), top state District of Columbia. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990.
- EIN
- 26-0573960
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990, 2025
- Annual giving (2025)
- $585,500
- Grants made (2025)
- 13
- Average grant
- $45,038
- Median grant
- $50,000
- Total assets
- $298,522
- Primary geography
- District of Columbia (24% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
Data from IRS Form 990, 2025; updated September 2026.
Financial Overview
From 2025 IRS Form 990 · View filing
Total Assets
$299K
-68.5% YoY
Annual Giving
$586K
+17.7% YoY
Grant Count
13
+62.5% YoY
Avg Grant Size
$45K
-27.6% YoY
How Fuse Washington gives
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990 filings (2025). Recipient names are matched across years, so a renamed or misspelled grantee can look new; grants to individuals are left out. Methodology.
Mission & Focus Areas
Fuse’s stated mission is “to achieve progress through government, by the people, and for the people, in Washington state.” Its 2024 filing describes programs that organize and engage Washington residents around progressive issues and campaigns, use communications to educate residents, and make contributions to other organizations to support partner organizations’ effectiveness and success.
Fuse’s website describes programs including a Progressive Voters Guide, legislative advocacy, communications training, campaigns to elect progressive leaders, and online and offline organizing. It also describes a Civic Voices fellowship program to cultivate leaders and mobilize young voters.
The 2025 filing identifies grassroots organizing as the purpose of its listed grants. Among the grantees, Michigan Civic Action Fund says it works on voter participation, public education, voting rights and civic leadership in Michigan. PA Alliance Action says it advocates for democracy reform in Pennsylvania, with particular attention to historically marginalized and underserved communities. In Union USA Action says it provides research on issues affecting working people and helps hold elected officials accountable. Together Wisconsin Acts says it advocates for legislation and government programs related to the common good, quality of life and social welfare in Wisconsin.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, Fuse reported 13 grants totaling $585,500. Grant amounts ranged from $7,000 to $100,000, with a median of $50,000. The filing describes the listed grants as support for grassroots organizing.
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Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
Fuse’s website describes its policy and electoral work as focused on Washington state. Its 2025 grants went to organizations in multiple states and the District of Columbia. The largest shares of grant dollars by recipient state were DC (24%), Arizona (17%), Michigan (17%), Pennsylvania (15%) and North Carolina (13%).
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 13 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2020 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $30K (2021) to $954K (2020). In 2025 it made 13 grants totaling $586K.
Grant Insights
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Michigan Civic Action Fund ($100K). Together the top 10 received $541K.
Grant Size Distribution
34 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 23 grants of 34 (68%).
Giving History
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Michigan Civic Action Fund Madison Heights, MI | to provide support to grassroots organizing | $100,000 |
| PA Alliance Action Philadelphia, PA | to provide support to grassroots organizing | $88,000 |
| Power to the Polls Washington, DC | to provide support to grassroots organizing | $65,000 |
| Our Voice Our Vote Phoenix, AZ | to provide support to grassroots organizing | $50,000 |
| Rural Arizona Action Fund Coolidge, AZ | to provide support to grassroots organizing | $50,000 |
| In Union USA Action Washington, DC | to provide support to grassroots organizing | $50,000 |
| Strategic Victory Fund Raleigh, NC | to provide support to grassroots organizing | $50,000 |
| Together Wisconsin Acts Milwaukee, WI | to provide support to grassroots organizing | $35,000 |
| NC A Philip Randolph Educational Fund Raleigh, NC | to provide support to grassroots organizing | $28,000 |
| Somos Votantes Concord, NH | to provide support to grassroots organizing | $25,000 |
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $298,522 | $1,494,525 | $1,642,380 | $585,500 |
| 2024 | $946,461 | $2,004,998 | $2,287,413 | $497,500 |
| 2023 | $1,009,970 | $1,764,437 | $1,993,598 | $413,000 |
| Metric | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Assets | $298,522 | $946,461 | $1,009,970 |
| Revenue | $1,494,525 | $2,004,998 | $1,764,437 |
| Expenses | $1,642,380 | $2,287,413 | $1,993,598 |
| Net Investment Income | — | — | $525 |
Data update history
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Added Form 990 for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 7, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Aaron Ostrom as Executive Director; Reiny Cohen as Senior Director of Communications; and Collin Jergens as National Voter Guide Director. Directors listed were Daniel Weise (Chair), Adam Glickman, Dean Nielsen, Tom Miller and Leah Snyder. Julie Robinson was listed as Treasurer, and Lyle Quasim as Vice Chair.
Fuse Washington is led by Aaron Ostrom, Executive Director on every filing since 2020; 3 of 14 officers listed in 2025 are compensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Aaron Ostrom
Executive Director
On filings since 2020
13 hrs/week
$59K (2020) → $51K (2025)
Daniel Weise
Chair
Chair → Director, 2022
Director → Chair, 2023
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Collin Jergens
National Voter Guide Director
New on the 2025 filing
19 hrs/week
$56K (2025)
Reiny Cohen
Senior Director of Communications
New on the 2025 filing
14 hrs/week
$43K (2025)
Adam Glickman
Director
Chair → Vice Chair, 2023
Vice Chair → Director, 2025
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Dean Nielsen
Director
Director → Secretary & Treasurer, 2021
Secretary & Treasurer → Director, 2022
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Tom Miller
Director
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Yazmin Mehdi
Director
On filings since 2022
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Jamielyn Wheeler
Director
On filings since 2024
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Leah Snyder
Director
On filings since 2024
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Raman Khanna
Director
On filings since 2024
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Christopher Lampkin
Director
New on the 2025 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Julie Robinson
Treasurer
Secretary & Treasurer → Director, 2024
Director → Treasurer, 2025
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Lyle Quasim
Vice Chair
Director → Vice Chair, 2025
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (9)
- Former: Ahmed Gaya (2020–2024) — Director
- Former: Jeff Hansen (2020–2024) — Director
- Former: Ruth Lipscomb (2020–2023) — Director
- Former: Sharlett Mena (2022–2023) — Director
- Former: Alexis Mercedes Rinck (2020–2022) — Director
- Former: Jeremy Barksdale (2020–2022) — Director
- Former: Julia Reed (2020–2022) — Vice Chair
- Former: Suone Cotner (2020–2022) — Director
- Former: Maria Jones (2020–2021) — Director
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.
Compensation Overview
From 2025 IRS filing
The highest reported compensation on the 2025 filing was $56K, to Collin Jergens (National Voter Guide Director). 3 officers or directors reported compensation on that filing.
Contact
Mailing address: PO Box 4897, Seattle, WA 98194
Phone: (206) 420-0133
Website: https://fusewashington.org
Frequently asked questions about Fuse Washington
How much does Fuse Washington give each year?
Fuse Washington gave $586K across 13 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990. In 2024 it gave $498K across 8 grants.
What is Fuse Washington's typical grant size?
Fuse Washington's median grant in 2025 was $50,000, and its average grant was $45,038, across 13 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990.
Where does Fuse Washington give grants?
Fuse Washington's top state is District of Columbia, with 24% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990. The next largest states were Arizona (17%) and Michigan (17%). The most frequent recipient cities were Washington, DC (3 grants), Raleigh, NC (2 grants) and Seattle, WA (2 grants).
Does Fuse Washington give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 13 grants with a stated purpose on Fuse Washington's 2025 IRS Form 990 were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "To Provide Support to Grassroots Organizing" (13 grants).
Who are Fuse Washington's largest grantees?
Fuse Washington's largest 2025 grantees include Michigan Civic Action Fund ($100,000), PA Alliance Action ($88,000) and Power to the Polls ($65,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990. Together they received 43% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Fuse Washington?
Fuse Washington reported $299K in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990. Its revenue that year was $1.5M.
What does Fuse Washington fund?
Fuse’s stated mission is “to achieve progress through government, by the people, and for the people, in Washington state.” See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Fuse Washington?
Fuse Washington has no public application process in the sources Grantable reviewed. Check fusewashington.org for current guidelines, or contact the foundation directly before submitting a request.
What is Fuse Washington's EIN?
Fuse Washington's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 26-0573960. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Data last updated September 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990 filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
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