Ben B Cheney Foundation Inc.

The Ben B. Cheney Foundation is a private family foundation headquartered in Tacoma, Washington, with $68.8 million in assets and an annual giving range of $3.1–4.6 million. Established in 1975, the foundation honors the legacy of Ben B. Cheney's Pacific Northwest lumber company by directing grants to the specific communities where those mills operated — chiefly Pierce County, WA, with secondary focus on Southwest Washington, the Olympic Peninsula, Kitsap County, Medford/Jackson County OR, and select Northern California counties (Shasta, Humboldt, Siskiyou, Del Norte, Trinity, Lassen, and Plumas).

The foundation's giving philosophy is project-centric and relationship-driven. It strongly favors one-time capital investments — building renovations, facility construction, equipment purchases, and vehicle replacements — over recurring operating support. This preference is confirmed emphatically in the grantee record: top recipients such as Multicare Health Foundations ($2.7M across 11 grants for hospital capital campaigns), Youth Marine Foundation ($976,650 across 11 grants for vessel purchases and facilities), and Emergency Food Network ($635,050 across 10 grants for building campaigns) all received funding for discrete, tangible projects rather than general operations.

Repeat grantee relationships are the norm, not the exception. Among the top 50 grantees, multi-grant relationships averaging 5–13 awards per organization are common. The foundation's 50th anniversary celebration in 2025 explicitly honored six long-standing nonprofit partners with special anniversary grants — a clear signal that trust is built over years of demonstrated impact and accountability, not a single successful application.

First-time applicants must understand that the letter of inquiry (LOI) is a high-stakes document that functions as a compressed full proposal, not a brief expression of interest. The foundation's own guidance warns that only letters conveying 'depth and knowledge' about a project advance. First-time applicants without existing board or staff relationships should invest significant time in crafting a geographically specific, impact-focused LOI that demonstrates familiarity with the foundation's priorities. Identifying community connections to board members — including Bradbury F. Cheney (Board Chair), Carolyn Cheney (Vice Chair), or Mallory Delabar (newly appointed Director) — can open introductory conversations before submitting.

Across 416 tracked grants totaling $13.4 million, the average grant is $32,259. The foundation's own 990-PF data shows a median grant of $15,000 and average of $41,724 across 96 formally categorized grants, with a maximum individual grant of $1 million and a minimum near $500 (typically matching gifts). Annual giving has ranged from $4.3M (FY2019) to a peak of $5.4M (FY2021, reflecting COVID-19 response funding), settling at $4.5M in FY2023. Grants paid (cash disbursed) have ranged from $3.0M (FY2019) to $4.0M (FY2021). Total assets have held remarkably stable at $66.6–69.7M over the 2012–2024 period, indicating disciplined payout management.

Geographically, Washington State dominates at 84% of all grants (349 of 416) and an even larger share of dollars given the concentration of large multi-grant relationships in the Tacoma metro area. Oregon accounts for 7% of grants (30), primarily in Jackson and Josephine counties. California accounts for 3% (12 grants). The remaining 6% scatter across NY, FL, GA, IL, MO, and ID — likely attributable to national organizations with regional chapters or disaster-response grants (e.g., $250,000 to United Way of Northern California for the Dixie Fire).

By program area, healthcare is the single largest dollar category, driven by the $2.7M Multicare Health Foundation relationship (children's hospital campaigns, COVID pop-up clinics, occupational therapy). Youth-serving organizations collectively received over $1.6M — YMCA Pierce & Kitsap ($720,000 combined), Boys & Girls Clubs of South Puget Sound ($196,750), Youth Marine Foundation ($976,650), and Pacific International League ($111,000). Human services organizations (Emergency Food Network, Rescue Mission, Nourish Pierce County, NW Furniture Bank) total over $900,000. Education — including University of Puget Sound ($438,500), Pacific Lutheran University ($132,000), UW Tacoma ($320,000), and Charles Wright Academy ($84,200) — totals over $1.1M. Arts and civic organizations (Symphony Tacoma, Greentrike, LeMay-America's Car Museum, Washington Center for Performing Arts) account for over $500,000. Capital campaigns, equipment replacement, and facility renovation language appear in the majority of grant purposes, confirming the project-grant preference.

Matching gift grants to board-affiliated individuals (Carolyn Cheney, Brad Cheney, Bob Hall, Mallory Delabar) are embedded in the grantee record, indicating that board members actively direct supplemental giving to their preferred organizations — a relationship dynamic worth noting for applicants with board connections.

The Ben B. Cheney Foundation occupies a mid-sized niche among Pacific Northwest private foundations — larger than most community foundations in its service area but smaller than the region's major institutional grantmakers. The table below compares it to four peer foundations with overlapping geographic or programmatic focus (figures from public 990 filings; noted as approximate where exact year-end data varies):

Among these peers, Ben B. Cheney Foundation stands out for its explicit geographic loyalty to historic lumber-company communities — a specificity that makes it highly predictable for qualifying organizations but inaccessible to those outside the footprint. Unlike Murdock (which funds broadly across the Pacific Northwest with larger grants averaging six figures) or Norcliffe (invitation-only, Seattle-centric), Cheney accepts open LOIs year-round and actively funds organizations at the $15,000–$100,000 level, making it more accessible to smaller regional nonprofits. Compared to the Russell Family Foundation, which prioritizes environmental and ecological programming, Cheney's eight-category framework is more pluralistic but equally geography-bound.

The foundation's most notable 2025–2026 activity centers on its 50th anniversary milestone. In December 2025, it awarded special anniversary grants to six long-standing nonprofit partners, including a confirmed $50,000 grant to Jefferson Community Foundation. This commemorative round honored organizations with continuous relationships since the foundation's 1975 founding, signaling that longevity of partnership is valued as highly as project merit.

In October 2025, the foundation spotlighted La Clinica — a health clinic serving its Oregon and California regions — as part of a grantee innovation feature series tied to the anniversary. This suggests increased communication and storytelling around the foundation's geographic footprint beyond Tacoma, which could indicate growing engagement with Oregon and California applicants.

In September 2025, the Tacoma Public Library received support for its children's area renovation, consistent with the foundation's civic and education priorities in Pierce County.

In July 2025, the foundation launched a free 50th Anniversary Board Training Series in partnership with regional organizations, offering capacity-building support beyond direct grant funding — a notable programmatic expansion worth monitoring.

On April 10, 2026, Mallory Delabar was appointed to the board of directors. Delabar had previously appeared in grantee records as a matching gift donor, suggesting the appointment deepens an existing organizational relationship. Leadership note: Executive Director Erika Tucci now handles daily operations and serves as the primary contact for applicants; Bradbury F. Cheney remains Board Chair, with compensation of approximately $219,000 in the most recent filing.

Start with a fully developed project, not a concept. The foundation explicitly states that only LOIs summarizing 'fully developed proposals' advance to site visits. Do not submit an LOI to test interest — arrive with a complete project budget, confirmed co-funders, and a specific funding ask.

Target the $15,000–$75,000 range for first approaches. While the foundation funds up to $1 million, first-time applicants rarely receive top-tier gifts. The median grant is $15,000, and the $20,000–$75,000 range covers the bulk of single-organization grants outside major capital campaigns. Grants under $15,000 can be approved in 1–2 months without full board review — a faster path for newer relationships.

Demonstrate 50–60% fundraising completion before your formal application. This is a hard threshold, not a soft preference. The board will not approve a formal application until you can show substantial committed funding. Document gifts in hand and signed pledges.

Use 'impact on people' language, not 'project' language. The foundation advises that a building is a tool — frame your ask around what human problem it solves. 'Replacing our aging mobile health clinic vehicle will restore access to dental care for 1,200 uninsured residents in Pierce County' is stronger than 'We need $80,000 for a new van.'

Align explicitly with Cheney Lumber's historic geography. If your organization serves Pierce County, Jackson County OR, or Northern California's timber-country counties, say so directly and provide community-level data. If your organization is headquartered elsewhere but serves these communities, emphasize service geography over organizational address.

Plan around the quarterly board cycle. The board meets four times per year. Large grants (>$15K) require full board approval and take 6–9 months end-to-end. Submit your LOI at least 9–10 months before your project's funding deadline. Do not request emergency funding — the timeline does not accommodate it.

Do not resubmit a declined proposal without calling first. The FAQs explicitly note that rewriting a declined proposal 'rarely succeeds.' Contact info@benbcheneyfoundation.org or (253) 572-2442 before investing time in a revision.

Avoid these common misalignments: general operating budget requests, event sponsorships, conference attendance, endowment contributions, and religious sectarian programming are explicitly excluded. Research proposals and requests from individuals are also ineligible.