When the Community Foundation of South Puget Sound was established in 1994, it held about $200,000 in assets and a simple mission: help local donors make a bigger impact together than they could alone. Thirty years later, it manages over $50 million and has granted more than $30 million to organizations across Thurston, Mason, and Lewis counties.
It's one of the most important institutions in the region that most people have never heard of.
"Community foundations are the connective tissue between people who want to help and the organizations doing the work," says CEO Mindie Reule. "We're not flashy. We're not supposed to be. We're supposed to be reliable."
That reliability has translated into tangible impact. The Foundation's grants have funded everything from scholarships for first-generation college students to emergency housing assistance, from arts programs in rural schools to mental health services for veterans. During COVID, the Foundation distributed over $2 million in emergency relief within the first three months — faster than almost any government program.
What makes community foundations different from typical nonprofits is their endowment model. Donors create named funds — sometimes with as little as $10,000 — that generate income in perpetuity. The Foundation invests the principal and distributes the earnings. A fund created in 2000 is still granting money today, often to organizations the original donor never imagined.
The growth from $200,000 to $50 million reflects both smart stewardship and a region that takes care of its own. South Puget Sound has a deep tradition of civic engagement — voter turnout in Thurston County consistently ranks among the highest in the state — and the Foundation has channeled that energy into lasting infrastructure.
As Reule looks ahead, the focus is on equity. "For the first 20 years, community foundations served the donors who found us. For the next 30, we need to find the communities that need us." That means more outreach to underserved populations, more grants to organizations led by people of color, and more investment in rural communities that have been left behind by the region's economic growth.
Thirty years in, the Community Foundation of South Puget Sound isn't just a financial institution. It's proof that small, consistent investments in community — by people who believe in a place — can change everything.