Sapling Fund

Goals and Strategies

The Laird Norton family continually promotes the advancement of intellectual growth, business experience, and philanthropic focus in order to ensure the excellence of its youngest generations. Through the Sapling Fund, young Laird Norton family members (ages 14–21) come together to learn about grantmaking, the nonprofit sector, and family philanthropy. The Sapling Fund provides young family members a chance to identify and support causes that resonate with them, and endows future family leaders with a sense of fiscal and social responsibility.

Approach

Sapling Fund grants are guided by a “for kids, from kids” philosophy. Grants support programs and organizations that cater specifically to youth and specific priorities change each year as new cohorts of Sapling members collectively identify shared priorities for the year’s grantmaking.

Why Take This Approach?

Sapling Fund committee members gain valuable experience by organizing an annual campaign to raise money for their grantmaking activities through contributions from Laird Norton family members. The annual budget supports three to five grant awards each year and an all-family service project organized by members of the committee.

2019 Sapling Fund Grants

Caring for Cambodia

Caring for Cambodia (Austin, TX) $7,000
​For general operating support. Caring for Cambodia's (CFC) provides a high-quality education for 6,600 students at 21 schools in Cambodia, from preschool to 12th grade. CFC schools train teachers, provide clean and modern classrooms, as well as the essentials for students' health and welfare (clean water, two meals each day, school uniforms, personal hygiene supplies, and bicycles for transportation).

Friends of the Children

Friends of the Children (Tacoma, WA) $4,000
To support program expansion to Tacoma, WA. Friends of the Children is a proven, professional mentoring program for youth that in or are at great risk of entering the foster care system. Children receive 14-16 hours of one-on-one support each month from a salaried, full-time, professional mentor called a Friend, creating an intentional, stable relationship with a caring adult.

House of Ruth

House of Ruth (Washington, DC) $6,000
To support a Homework Club for school-aged children in the House of Ruth's family programs. House of Ruth empowers women, children and families to rebuild their lives and heal from trauma, abuse and homelessness through a continuum of housing programs, counseling, education, life skills support, and case management.  

Post 58

Post 58 (Portland, OR) $4,000
For general operating support. Post 58 offers Portland-area teenagers the opportunity to engage in outdoor adventures under the guidance of experienced adults. Their mission is provide an arena for personal growth and social interaction by creating diverse experiences that foster responsibility, respect, and a passion for the outdoors. Post 58 also coordinates youth-led trips and activities for underserved teens in partnership with local organizations.

Safe Place for Youth (SPY)

Safe Place for Youth (SPY) (Venice, CA) $6,000
For general operating support. Safe Place for Youth's (SPY) mission is to inspire, nurture, and empower the resilient human spirit of homeless youth by providing immediate and lasting solutions, one young person at a time. This year, more than 1,500 youth received services across SPY's programs and continuum of care.

SMYAL

SMYAL (Washington, DC) $6,000
To support SMYAL's Youth Leadership Development program. SMYAL's goal is to create opportunities for LGBTQ youth to build self-confidence, develop critical life skills, and engage their peers through service and advocacy. Committed to social change, SMYAL builds, sustains, and advocates for programs, policies, and services that LGBTQ youth need as they grow into adulthood.

TEDDY BEAR CANCER FOUNDATION

Teddy Bear Cancer Foundation (Santa Barbara, CA) $7,000
To support a Counseling Group for Children and School Support programs. Teddy Bear Cancer Foundation empowers families living in Santa Barbara, Ventura, and San Luis Obispo counties that have a child with cancer by providing financial, educational, and emotional support.

The Greater Seattle Bureau of Fearless Ideas (BFI)

The Greater Seattle Bureau of Fearless Ideas (BFI)
(Seattle, WA) $4,000
To support BFI's Youth Advisory Board program. BFI empowers students to improve their writing skills, develop the confidence to share their ideas, and reach their academic goals. Programs are free and open to the public, but BFI focuses on underserved and under resourced communities and schools.

Treehouse

Treehouse (Seattle, WA) $6,000
To support Treehouse's Graduation Success program. Treehouse envisions – and strives to create – a world where every child that has experienced foster care has the opportunities and support they need to pursue their dreams and launch successfully into adulthood.