The Kitsap Community Foundation’s mission is to be “a catalyst for the greater good.” Founded in 1993 by local community leaders, the foundation partners with donors and others to invest in local nonprofits “to foster a more vibrant community for the benefit of all.”
“We help every nonprofit from the food banks to the arts organizations, the library to Rotaries. Any kind of nonprofit in Kitsap, we are available to help,” says CEO Tina O’Brien.
The goal of the Kitsap Community Foundation (KCF) is to encourage charitable investments “from the community, for the community.” In 2022-23 alone, KCF received $676,415 from supporters. To date, more than $33 million has been invested in local nonprofit organizations through the foundation’s work.
One way that donations come in is through the foundation’s program called “Your Causes Are Our Causes.” This initiative supports donating to nonprofits via wills.
“We also support donors,” O’Brien says. “There are donors who, of course, have beautiful hearts and they have causes that they love and want to support. Say, if someone’s at a point that they want to begin making gifts. We can help them minimize their taxes while maximizing the impact of their philanthropy.”
The annual Kitsap Great Give — taking place on April 16 this year — has also been a big source for outreach. “In the last 10 years, the Kitsap Great Give has raised more than $15.5 million for the nonprofits in our region,” O’Brien says. “It’s been a massive success.”
O’Brien, who has a master’s degree in not-for-profit leadership, has been working in institutional advancement for almost 30 years. She joined the Kitsap Community Foundation over a year ago, but she’s not new to the community.
“Twenty-plus years ago, my husband and I bought our first house in Kingston, and we love Kitsap,” she says. “I’ve been traveling to Kitsap ever since [I was a baby], because we went to Point No Point every Labor Day and had a big campout with my family. So, coming back to Kitsap was lovely for me, and I was just delighted to be able to come back.”
Through the day-to-day operations at the KCF and its programs, she sees the generosity and the dedication of the local community. “Working alongside the people who are fulfilling the missions of the nonprofits is quite a blessing,” O’Brien says. “These are folks who are doing the work, who are making the world better, making our community better.”
The foundation expresses its donor appreciation every year through its Celebration of Philanthropy event, which includes philanthropy awards. This year, the celebration will take place on May 17.
O’Brien notes that many of the local donors were raised here or own businesses that have made a difference in the community. “We have this trusting relationship, where they’ll share with me what it is that makes them tick, what makes them care about the things that they care about and how they want to make the world a better place,” she says. “Those are pretty amazing conversations. I feel really blessed that I get to be part of those.”
Potential donors can find more information about the Kitsap Community Foundation on its website, kitsapfoundation.org. According to the website, “for over 30 years, donors, nonprofits, communities, government and civic leaders have trusted Kitsap Community Foundation to foster a more vibrant Kitsap Peninsula for the benefit of all.” You can trust the foundation with your funds to help beloved nonprofits.
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