For an island with a population of roughly 70,000 people, 283 nonprofits is quite impressive.
To Nancy Conard, board president of the Whidbey Community Foundation, this number is telling of the kind of people that live on The Rock.
“It’s just overwhelming to me how many people have stepped up over the years to do this kind of work,” she said.
About a decade ago, this widespread dedication to our neighbors is what motivated Conard — the former mayor of Coupeville — and other community leaders to unite and form the Whidbey Community Foundation, a charitable organization that aims to support local nonprofits and donors with the shared goal of improving the quality of life on the island.
On National Community Foundation Week, which is celebrated Nov. 12-18, Executive Director Jessie Gunn reflected on some of the most pressing issues the island is facing, such as the lack of affordable housing and child care, the large funding gaps in K-12 education and the changing climate.
Affordable housing represents the area of greatest need, as rising costs are making it hard for individuals and families to live on the island, Gunn wrote in an email.
The housing problem is also interconnected with the local child care desert, she said, as child care centers are unable to attract and retain skilled early learning professionals because the wages can’t keep up with the cost of rent.
“In 2009, we had around 100 licensed child care providers in Island County; today, that number has dropped to roughly 30,” Gunn wrote.
Without reliable child care, parents — and in most cases women — are unable to work because they have to take care of their young children, who will then miss out on valuable early learning experiences.
Meanwhile, older children are feeling the effects of budget reductions that their districts have to make amid the rising cost of running a school and the reduced support from the state, Gunn wrote.
On top of all of this, the need to protect natural landscapes and resources continues to grow as the world experiences the effects of climate change, she wrote.
Over the past eight years, the foundation has been addressing these issues by supporting local initiatives led by subject matter experts, training nonprofits and the next generation of leaders and issuing over $2.6 million in grants since 2017, according to Gunn.
Since January 2024, she wrote, the foundation has issued almost $200,000 and stewards over $6.1 million in philanthropic assets. According to the Whidbey Community Foundation’s website, grants don’t exceed $10,000.
This year, the foundation raised over $85,000 to help over 500 households, most of which make less than 30% of the median income in Island County, according to the website. The “Essential Needs Program” helps residents pay for child care, utilities, transportation and other necessities and it’s offered in collaboration with the Goose Grocer and, starting next year, Island Thrift.
In 2023, the foundation partnered with JADE Craftsman Builders to create the “Whidbey Affordable Housing Fund,” inviting other builders to contribute and support affordable housing projects on the island, according to the website.
In collaboration with the Partners for Young Children in Island County, the foundation is coordinating resources and promoting initiatives to support families, children and providers amid the child care crisis, Gunn wrote.
The executive director is particularly proud of the foundation’s contribution to bringing Whidbey the Dolly Parton Imagination Library, which each month delivers free and age-appropriate books to children age 0 to 5, regardless of family income. Out of approximately 5,000 eligible children, 1,500 have been enrolled over the past two years, she said.
In 2023, the foundation awarded 11 grants — for a total of $57,000 — to support education. The recipients included the South Whidbey Boys & Girls Club, the Oak Harbor Educational Foundation, the South Whidbey Schools Foundation, the Community Foundation for Coupeville Public Schools, the Whidbey Island Waldorf School and more, according to the foundation’s 2023 impact report.
The Whidbey Community Foundation is also partnering with Whidbey Climate ACTION and the Whidbey Climate Fund to award grants up to $5,000 to support local projects aimed at reducing greenhouse gasses and enhancing sustainability, according to the foundation’s website.
Local nonprofits are essential to tackling these challenges. Lately, these organizations have been seeing founders and board members leaving to retire, Gunn wrote. For this reason, the foundation recently hosted a workshop to teach nonprofit members how to be ready for change and how to plan for new hires and volunteers.
The foundation hosts regular professional development workshops for nonprofits and prospective nonprofits, often bringing subject matter experts from seasoned organizations, Conard said. These free educational opportunities teach skills such as how to run an organization, how to responsibly manage funds, develop a strategic plan and more.
Community members who want to contribute can make a donation online at whidbeyfoundation.org, by using a Qualified Charitable Distribution from an IRA or a gift of securities, or by mailing a check to the Whidbey Community Foundation, PO Box 1135, Coupeville, WA 98239.
To learn more about opportunities to learn, donate and receive financial support, visit whidbeyfoundation.org.