Nonprofit Spotlight

The Russell Family Foundation

December 10, 2024 - Around West Sound, Blog, Featured - Comments: 
Text by

Nonprofit Spotlight

Washington state is gifted with almost 45,000 registered and legit not-for-profit organizations. Their missions are wide ranging, but all attempt to address a significant community need, often relying completely on donor funding and an active cadre of community volunteers to do so.

For many residents, the nonprofit world can seem like a confusing, amorphous bag of missions, volunteers, fundraising, staff and activities, often seeming to overlap. But these groups provide or supplement essential and usually underfunded resources, direct services and programs that address critical community needs, bringing added value their service areas and hope to those who need it most.

Nonprofit Spotlight provides a snapshot for you as readers, residents, potential volunteers, donors and clients with the basics, the info you need to make an educated decision on whether to support or participate. These are often community-based organizations, so you can bet that both will be highly valued and greatly appreciated. Check them out, ask questions, stop by, call or email for further info. They’ll be delighted to hear from you!

This month:

The Russell Family Foundation

  • Website: trff.org
  • Tax ID number: EIN: 91-1663336
  • Board president: Sarah Cavanaugh
  • Chief Executive Officer: Kathleen Simpson

When the Russell family sold the Frank Russell Co., a highly respected and long-established Tacoma-based investment company, to Northwestern Mutual Life in 1999, Jane and George Russell funded The Russell Family Foundation (TRFF) with part of the proceeds. This led the way for the couple’s extended family to make a quiet, sustained, positive impact in the larger community.

For nearly 25 years, TRFF has worked closely with hundreds of community partners in the Puget Sound region towards our vision for a sustainable world. Today, they are focused on addressing the climate crisis through our impact investment strategy, operations and grant making.

Great Peninsula Conservancy Executive Director Nate Daniel explaining tree rings with Land Labs students
Great Peninsula Conservancy Executive Director Nate Daniel explaining tree rings with Land Labs students

“Through relationships with hundreds of community partners, The Russell Family Foundation is focused on creating a more sustainable future by addressing the climate crisis through mission-based investments to strengthen communities, our grant programs and supporting the leadership development of grassroots leaders in Pierce County with Jane’s Fellowship Program,” says CEO Kathleen Simpson.

Mission

TRFF invests in people and places to advance environmental sustainability and address the climate crisis — taking action on the climate crisis through solutions to help defend against the impacts on the local communities.

The foundation has four core principles:

  • Invest for climate.
  • Empower climate solutions.
  • Collaborate on climate actions.
  • Promote a just transition.

Key Programs, Outreach and Investments

Great Peninsula Conservancy: A community-based land trust dedicated to the protection of natural habitats, rural landscapes and open spaces of West Puget Sound.

Harvest Pierce County
Harvest Pierce County

Harvest Pierce County Farm Program: Supports the growth, sharing and harvesting of food in the community.

Wild Society: An outdoor education nonprofit based in the Greater Puget Sound region that provides backpacking camps, year-round naturalist programs and community events for all ages.

Catalytic Climate Finance: Pioneering work to explore all the ways that philanthropy can help combat the climate crisis, as well as TRFF’s commitment to share learnings along the way, so that together, foundations and other asset owners can empower equitable climate action.

The Russell Family Foundation is a private, family foundation that does not solicit or accept individual donations. It does, however, encourage additional public support through direct donations to those organizations that it currently funds:

Wild Society
Wild Society

Location: 3025 Harborview Drive, Gig Harbor

Phone: 253-858-5050

Email: info@trff.org

This Nonprofit Spotlight column is designed to inform you about our community’s highly respected 501(c)3 organizations. We highly recommend potential clients, volunteers and donors access further information via the organization’s own website or via independent watch groups like GuideStar, Charity Navigator, GreatNonprofits or Charity Watch, all available online. For an updated list of nonprofits in our community, check out these links provided by community foundations in Kitsap and Jefferson counties.