Medina Foundation Awards Final Grants to 42 Nonprofits
The Seattle-area foundation is closing its doors in early 2027 after nearly 80 years of giving.
Updated on Nov. 12, 2026 in Philanthropy
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The Medina Foundation has awarded its final round of transformational grants, ranging from $1 million to $5 million each, to 42 nonprofits. The foundation will officially close in early 2027.
Why it matters
The closure removes a long-standing source of philanthropic funding for Washington nonprofits, with the foundation expecting to give nearly $110 million in 2026 alongside earlier grants. The final round supports endowments, capital campaigns, and program expansion at organizations across the state.
The foundation's 2026 giving is expected to reach nearly $110 million, a sharp rise from the $6.2 million distributed across 226 grants in 2025. Early-2026 exit grants alone totaled $14 million for 195 long-time grantees, and the final round ranged from $1 million to $5 million per nonprofit.
The players
Medina Foundation
A Seattle-area philanthropic foundation founded in 1947 that has been giving to Western Washington nonprofits for decades.
The details
The final transformational grants supported endowments, capital campaigns, and program expansion. Recipients include FareStart, which received $5 million, and the Boys & Girls Clubs of Thurston County, which received $3 million for a permanent home in Yelm. The Rochester Organization of Families received $4.5 million.
Timeline
December 24, 1947: Medina Foundation founded by Norton and Evelyn Clapp.
2024: Sunsetting process announced.
2025: Last year of regular grantmaking, with $6.2 million awarded in 226 grants.
Early 2026: 195 long-time grantees received $14 million in exit grants.
November 10, 2026: Final transformational grant round announced.
Legacy Giving
The Medina Foundation's sunset, announced in 2024 and concluding in early 2027, follows a planned wind-down rather than a funding crisis. Its final round marks the end of a foundation that spent nearly 80 years directing grants to Washington nonprofits.
Nonprofits that depended on Medina Foundation funding will need to replace these grants as the foundation closes. Organizations weighing new capital projects or program expansions in Washington should plan for a funding landscape without this foundation.
The takeaway
Nonprofits in Washington should diversify their funding sources now, since large legacy foundations like Medina are winding down. Planning for the loss of a major grantmaker can protect programs from sudden gaps.
What happens next
The Medina Foundation is expected to officially close its doors in early 2027, marking the end of its grantmaking history.
Further reading
Explore more philanthropy coverage to see how foundations manage their giving over time.
Source note: This article includes information reported by The Daily Chronicle.
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