Laird Norton Family Foundation

LNFF’s program areas include:

• Arts in Education: Supports equitable educational opportunities through arts-integrated and culturally informed instruction, including sustained professional development for public Pre-K–12 teachers. Its current priorities include serving students furthest from educational justice and supporting culturally relevant, whole-child instruction.
• Climate Change: Supports work to increase carbon sequestration by forests, coastal ecosystems, and agricultural lands, including healthy forests, blue carbon, and regenerative agriculture. The foundation says it seeks to follow the lead of communities most affected by climate change and makes grants primarily on the U.S. West Coast.
• Human Services: Supports organizations working directly with youth and young adults ages 12–25 who are experiencing or at risk of homelessness, or involved with child welfare, juvenile legal, or behavioral health systems. Current priorities include organizations in King County, Washington, that are created and led by the communities they serve and work on prevention and systems change.
• Watershed Stewardship: Listed as a program area; specific guidelines are not included in the available information.
• Sapling Fund: Gives young Laird Norton family members ages 14–20 experience in grantmaking and family philanthropy. Its grant priorities change each year, and grants support organizations and programs that involve youth.

The foundation’s 2024 grants illustrate the range of organizations it supports. For example, Arts Impact received $40,000; the organization says it engages educators, children, and youth from marginalized communities in culturally grounded, arts-integrated learning. Ecotrust received $35,000; it describes its work as advancing stewardship of lands and waters in ecologically and culturally restorative ways. The Truckee River Watershed Council received $40,000; its stated mission is to protect and improve water quality and biological resources in its watershed.