Education First Grants

Education First Recipients

We’re honored, through our Education First Grant program, to support local groups advancing education in Whatcom and Skagit Counties. In total, the program will award $125,000. Grantees are selected though a panel review process that considers many factors, especially the positive impact to our community.

2026 GRANTEE

Center for Inclusive Entrepreneurships


The Center for Inclusive Entrepreneurships’ (CIE) mission is to make business ownership possible for people with limited resources in marginalized rural communities. CIE envisions rural places with resilient, self-reliant, and just local economies benefiting all life.

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2026 GRANTEE

Foundations for Academic Endeavors – Échale Ganas Program


Foundations for Academic Endeavors serves individuals aged preschool through college with a mentorship model that includes Summer Academy, the Échale Ganas (“Go Get It!”) Internship, and the FAE Fellowship in college, with an emphasis on developing future Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) educators.

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2026 GRANTEE

Lummi Natural Resource Outreach


Lummi Natural Resources Outreach promotes and protects Sche’lang’en (Way of Life) in perpetuity by teaching traditional and scientific ecological knowledge to the next generation of tribal youth.

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2026 GRANTEE

Mercy Housing – Scholars Program


Mercy Housing supports housing-based education and family stability, which helps low-income youth stay connected to school, build trusted adult relationships, and move toward graduation, college, and career pathways.

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Applications Closed

The Letter of Intent and proposal deadlines have passed on March 31, 2026.

However, the guidelines and request-for-proposal are still available for review.

 

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