Satterberg Foundation

Quick Stats

Annual Giving: $45.5 million (2023)
Total Assets: $443 million (2024)
Grant Range: $500 - $2,700,000
Median Grant: $100,000
Geographic Focus: Washington State and California (primary), Arizona (emerging)
Application Process: No public application process - invitation only

Contact Details

Website: https://satterberg.org/
Location: Seattle, WA
EIN: 91-1501066

Overview

The Satterberg Foundation is a Seattle-based family foundation established in 1991 to honor Elmer and Ruth Satterberg. Since its founding, the foundation has provided over $300 million in grants to nonprofit organizations. The foundation experienced transformative growth between 2012 and 2015, when the endowment increased from $4 million to $400 million following the passing of a family elder. Today, with assets exceeding $443 million, Satterberg strengthens communities by promoting a just society and a sustainable environment.

In recent years, the foundation has undergone a significant strategic shift, moving away from traditional application-based grantmaking toward trust-based philanthropy. In summer 2020, Satterberg made a pivotal commitment to center its grantmaking on Black- and Indigenous-led organizations, pledging an additional $50 million over ten years through its Reparative Action Fund. The foundation now focuses on deepening relationships with 300+ existing nonprofit partners rather than accepting new applications, embodying what Executive Director Sarah Walczyk describes as shifting "from grantmaking to retention."

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

Core Support Grants

Supports over 200 organizations with multi-year, unrestricted general operating funding
Provides deep, relationship-based support
Partners primarily operate in Washington State and California
Must be closely aligned with Satterberg's mission and priorities
No applications accepted - invitation only

Reparative Action Fund (RAF)

$50 million minimum commitment over ten years (2020-2030)
Prioritizes Black- and Indigenous-led organizations
101 RAF grantee partners receiving general operating support
$37 million already committed; remaining funds will be granted 2025-2030
Geographic focus: Washington, California, Arizona, New Mexico, Georgia, Louisiana
Includes $5 million over ten years to the Movement for Black Lives
Supports movement ecosystems, regional/national coalitions, and place-based organizing
No applications accepted - invitation only

Community Partnerships/Collaborations

Multi-year, large-scale grant partnerships with trusted intermediary institutions
Partners support nonprofits through regranting, capacity building, and policy/advocacy work
Emphasizes BIPOC-led staff and racial equity commitment
No applications accepted - invitation only

Invitational Grants & Family Awards

Distributed at discretion of Board and family members
Represents small portion of total funding
No applications accepted - invitation only

Priority Areas

Just Society:

Organizations serving communities most impacted by historical and systemic racism
BIPOC-led and serving organizations
Racial justice and equity initiatives
Gender-based violence prevention
Anti-poverty work
Movement building and organizing

Sustainable Environment:

Environmental conservation and protection
Natural resource stewardship
Pollution prevention and reduction
Environmental education and advocacy
Climate and environmental justice (centered on communities most impacted by environmental destruction)

Additional Areas:

Life-long learning initiatives
Moral courage
Family interconnection
Documentary filmmaking (through partnerships like the SIFF Grant for Courageous Documentary Filmmaking)

What They Don't Fund

While the foundation does not publish a detailed exclusions list, the following restrictions apply:

Organizations that are not 501(c)(3) tax-exempt or fiscally sponsored
Organizations with discriminatory policies
Evangelical work
Organizations outside their geographic focus areas (primarily Washington and California, with selective funding in Arizona and other states)
Most significantly: The foundation does not accept unsolicited applications from any organization not already in their partner network

Governance and Leadership

Staff Team

Sarah Walczyk (she/her) - Executive Director
Mary McNair (she/her) - Senior Grants Officer
Rosa Peralta (she/her) - Senior Program Officer for Equity Impact
Caroline Miceli (she/her) - Director of Operations and Special Interest Grants
Monserrat Padilla (she/her) - Program Officer
LaShanda Robertson (she/her) - Program Officer
Juliet Le (she/her) - Program Officer
Kendra Walker (she/her) - Metropole Community Steward

The foundation has grown from having just one staff member (Sarah Walczyk) to a team of seven professionals.

Board of Trustees

The foundation is governed by a volunteer Board of Trustees, including family members who hold positions such as President, Treasurer, and Secretary. Known board members include Ben Lazarus. The founding board was comprised of the children of Virginia (Ginny) Satterberg Pigott Helsell and Bill Helsell, who brought together their blended family to create the foundation to ensure family connection into the future.

Leadership Philosophy

Sarah Walczyk serves on the executive committee for the Trust Based Philanthropy Project, a funder-to-funder advocacy initiative focused on community-centric grantmaking. She has articulated the foundation's philosophy: "At the core of our work is trust: trusting our grantee partners to know what's best for their communities. That means giving them unrestricted funds and freeing them from burdensome paperwork and reporting. And it means sticking with organizations by providing multi-year commitments."

Application Process & Timeline

How to Apply

The Satterberg Foundation does not have a public application process. The foundation no longer accepts unsolicited grant applications, letters of interest, or proposals. As of their strategic shift beginning in 2016 and accelerating in 2020, Satterberg has moved away from application-based grantmaking entirely.

Instead, the foundation identifies and invites organizations into partnership through:

Existing relationships with their 300+ partner organizations
Staff and board member identification of organizations aligned with their mission
Deep relationship-building over time
Referrals from trusted community partners and intermediary organizations

All grants—including Core Support, Reparative Action Fund, Community Partnerships, and Invitational Grants—are by invitation only.

Eligibility Requirements

Organizations invited into partnership must:

Be 501(c)(3) tax-exempt nonprofits or fiscally sponsored
Have nondiscriminatory policies
Be nonevangelical in their work
Primarily operate in Washington State, California, or (more recently) Arizona
Demonstrate alignment with Satterberg's mission and values

Getting on Their Radar

Note: The Satterberg Foundation has explicitly stated they are focusing on deepening relationships with existing partners (300+ organizations) rather than seeking new partners. However, the following foundation-specific approaches are documented:

Strategic Initiatives Providing Access: The Metropole Building Initiative represents one tangible way organizations can connect with Satterberg. In June 2019, the foundation purchased the historic Metropole complex in downtown Seattle and renovated it to provide over 25,000 square feet of below-market office space specifically for nonprofits primarily serving or led by communities of color. The building includes a childcare center, community kitchen, conference and event center, arts and culture space, and nonprofit office space. Office rates are approximately $30 per square foot or less—20-25% below market rate. Organizations can inquire about tenancy opportunities, and current tenants include the Seattle Black Panther Party's Legacy Interpretive Center, the Chief Seattle Club, and Families of Color Seattle.

Community Partnerships and Intermediary Organizations: Satterberg works with "trusted intermediary institutions" through their Community Partnerships program. These intermediaries support nonprofits through regranting, capacity building, and policy/advocacy work. Connecting with these intermediary partners may provide indirect pathways to Satterberg's awareness.

Funder Collaboratives: Satterberg participates in funder collaboratives and co-funding arrangements. Organizations already supported by aligned funders practicing trust-based philanthropy may be more likely to come to Satterberg's attention.

Decision Timeline

Not applicable - the foundation operates on an invitation-only basis with relationship-driven timelines rather than application cycles.

Success Rates

Not applicable - without a public application process, traditional success rate metrics are not relevant.

Reapplication Policy

Not applicable - the foundation does not accept applications or reapplications.

Application Success Factors

Since the Satterberg Foundation operates exclusively through invitation-only grantmaking, traditional application success factors do not apply. However, understanding what Satterberg values in their partners is instructive:

What Satterberg Looks for in Partners

1. Trust-Based Relationship Readiness

Sarah Walczyk emphasizes that the foundation wants to "listen, to witness, to be in authentic relationship with our grantee partners." They seek organizations ready for partnership rather than transactional funding relationships. As Walczyk explains: "Through multi-year general operating support we're embodying trust right out the gate. It sends a clear message that we want to invest in organizations as a whole, not just a program. It allows us to be in relationship with grantees rather than just doing transactional grantmaking."

2. BIPOC Leadership and Centering

The foundation prioritizes partners with BIPOC-led and centered staff and a strong commitment to racial equity. Their 2020 commitment to Black- and Indigenous-led organizations represents a core strategic priority. They are "working to identify and build relationships with BIPOC led and serving groups to return resources."

3. Alignment with Community Wisdom

Walczyk states: "Organizations were founded to meet a particular need in the community, so we have to trust that they know what they need in order to advance their mission." Satterberg seeks partners deeply rooted in and accountable to the communities they serve.

4. Mission Alignment

Partners must align with Satterberg's dual mission: promoting a just society and a sustainable environment. The foundation particularly values organizations that understand the intersection of environmental justice and racial justice, recognizing that "when they center and trust communities most impacted by environmental destruction and systems of racism, gender-based violence, occupation, and poverty, they create a sustainable environment where humanity and the natural world are in balance."

5. Organizational Capacity for Long-Term Partnership

The foundation makes multi-year commitments (including commitments of up to 10 years to some partners). They seek organizations with the capacity to engage in deep, sustained partnership rather than project-specific funding relationships.

Satterberg's Advice to the Sector

Sarah Walczyk advises funders—and by extension, what she values in partners—to "involve your grantees—the people who are influenced by your grantmaking" and to "ask grantees what's needed in creating a space that's safe for them to share the challenges they have, and their needs." She emphasizes: "Respect is actually about trusting the community and each other to use the tools and wisdom they inherently have."

The foundation's operational practice reflects these values: they eliminated burdensome application and reporting requirements, provide unrestricted general operating support, and commit to multi-year funding to demonstrate trust from the outset.

Strategic Initiatives

Metropole Building Initiative

A flagship initiative demonstrating Satterberg's commitment to structural support for the sector. The foundation purchased and renovated the historic Metropole complex (constructed in the 1880s, vacant for 15 years, and severely damaged by earthquakes and fire) into 25,000+ square feet of affordable space for nonprofits serving or led by communities of color.

Features:

Office space at $30/sq ft or less (20-25% below market)
Community kitchen
Conference and event center
Childcare center
Arts and culture space
LEED Platinum certified with energy use index of 18 (one of the lowest locally)
Fully leased by summer 2024

Current Tenants: Seattle Black Panther Party's Legacy Interpretive Center, Chief Seattle Club, Families of Color Seattle, and others.

SIFF Documentary Filmmaking Partnership

In 2024, the Satterberg Foundation supported the SIFF Grant for Courageous Documentary Filmmaking, which provided $400,000 in funding for Washington State documentary filmmakers, selected from over 89 submissions.

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

No public application process exists: Satterberg operates exclusively through invitation-only grantmaking. Traditional grant writing strategies do not apply to this funder.
Relationship-driven, not application-driven: The foundation identifies partners through deep relationships, staff/board connections, and trusted intermediaries rather than competitive applications.
BIPOC leadership is central: The foundation has committed $50 million over ten years specifically to Black- and Indigenous-led organizations and prioritizes BIPOC-led partners across all programs.
Trust-based values matter: Satterberg seeks partners ready for authentic relationship, willing to share both successes and challenges, and who trust their own communities' wisdom.
Multi-year, unrestricted support is the model: The foundation provides general operating support over multiple years (including up to 10-year commitments), not project-specific grants.
Geographic focus is specific: Primary focus on Washington State and California, with emerging focus in Arizona and selective national/regional funding for specific initiatives.
Consider indirect pathways: The Metropole Building initiative provides one tangible connection point for eligible Seattle-area organizations serving communities of color; community partnerships and intermediary relationships may provide indirect visibility.

References

Satterberg Foundation Official Website: https://satterberg.org/ (Accessed December 2024)
Satterberg Foundation Grantmaking Page: https://satterberg.org/grantmaking/ (Accessed December 2024)
Satterberg Foundation About Us Page: https://satterberg.org/about-us/ (Accessed December 2024)
Satterberg Foundation Staff Page: https://satterberg.org/about-us/staff/ (Accessed December 2024)
Satterberg Foundation Trust-Based Philanthropy Page: https://satterberg.org/trust-based-philanthropy/ (Accessed December 2024)
Satterberg Foundation Metropole Initiative: https://satterberg.org/metropole/ (Accessed December 2024)
"Sticking With It: Satterberg's Commitment to Racial Justice Funding," Satterberg Foundation: https://satterberg.org/sticking-with-it-the-story-of-satterbergs-commitment-to-racial-justice-funding/ (Accessed December 2024)
Instrumentl 990 Report - Satterberg Foundation: https://www.instrumentl.com/990-report/satterberg-foundation (Accessed December 2024)
Cause IQ - Satterberg Foundation: https://www.causeiq.com/organizations/satterberg-foundation,911501066/ (Accessed December 2024)
"Partner profile: Satterberg Foundation is giving with heart," The Los Angeles Trust for Children's Health: https://www.thelatrust.org/articles/partner-profile-satterberg-foundation-is-giving-with-heart (Accessed December 2024)
"Trust-based Philanthropy: Satterberg Foundation," National Center for Family Philanthropy: https://www.ncfp.org/2020/01/13/trust-based-philanthropy-satterberg-foundation/ (Accessed December 2024)
"The coolest equity-focused family foundation you've probably never heard of," NCRP: https://ncrp.org/resources/responsive-philanthropy-june-2020/the-coolest-equity-focused-family-foundation-youve-probably-never-heard-of/ (Accessed December 2024)
Inside Philanthropy - Satterberg Foundation Profile: https://www.insidephilanthropy.com/find-a-grant-places/washington-grants/satterberg-foundation (Accessed December 2024)
"Funder Spotlight: How Washington's Satterberg Foundation Evolved to Focus on Racial Justice," Inside Philanthropy: https://www.insidephilanthropy.com/home/2022-6-9-funder-spotlight-how-washingtons-satterberg-foundation-evolved-to-focus-on-racial-justice (Accessed December 2024)