For children to have a strong start in life, they must be healthy, safe, loved and learning. Therefore, we invest in four program areas: health, safety & justice, basic needs, and early learning. To help children grow strong from the roots up, we partner with nonprofit organizations that support low-income children and their families in reaching their full potential. Across our program areas, we support direct services, as well as advocacy. When possible, we prioritize prevention and early-intervention strategies.
Our approach to grantmaking stems from our founding family’s experience in nonprofits and philanthropy. Trust-based philanthropy is a big part of what we do and think about every day. We know our partners are closest to the issues and communities they serve. They are the experts in their work. And our role is not to just fund them, but to come alongside them in partnership and help reduce the burdens philanthropy has historically imposed.
For us, grantmaking is so much more than just funding the great work nonprofits are doing. It is about spending time listening to them and learning from their expertise. It is about being accountable and responsive to those we are supporting. And, it is about sharing our insights from our unique vantage point, and mobilizing our resources and connections to advance our partners’ missions.
To learn more about trust-based philanthropy and about other funders who have embraced similar values, visit https://www.trustbasedphilanthropy.org/
Roots & Wings makes grants to a number of organizations working nationally. However, to give back to the region where our founders’ have lived and worked for many years, much of our philanthropy is centered in Wisconsin, especially in and around Dane County. Given that our foundation is located in Seattle, where our founders’ family and our foundation staff reside, we also grant to organizations serving King County and Washington statewide. And recently we have begun to expand our investments in Oregon, starting in Portland and Multnomah County.
While we do practice a great deal of placed-based grantmaking in Wisconsin and Washington, we also support a number of national organizations and health system across the U.S. To learn more about our grantmaking approaches by geography, please visit our program area pages.
Focusing on strengthening Black families to create a stronger Madison for all.
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