Juniper Foundation

Juniper Foundation is a Seattle-based family private foundation that has operated since July 1998 on a strictly preselected grantmaking model. The Dickey family — Sheila Wyckoff-Dickey as President/Treasurer/Director and Charles D. Dickey III as Vice President/Director — holds decision-making authority, with attorney Daniel M. Asher serving as Secretary. All three officers receive zero compensation, reinforcing that this is personal family philanthropy rather than a professionally staffed institution. Day-to-day administration is handled by Foundation Management Group at 1809 7th Ave Suite 409, Seattle WA 98101 (206-667-0300).

The preselected-only model means no open grant cycle exists. The foundation does not publish funding priorities, does not list a grants page, and maintains no application instructions anywhere on record. IRS filings explicitly confirm "__none__" for application instructions. This is by design: the Dickeys fund organizations they know and trust, and they build those relationships over years, not application cycles.

The grantee list tells a clear story of institutional depth and community rootedness. University of Washington Foundation has received 5 grants totaling $350,179 for specific capital projects — the Life Sciences Complex greenhouse, the Tree of Life Room, and UW Sports Institute programming. Green Lake Community Boathouse received 2 grants totaling $249,306 for a capital campaign. Little Bit Therapeutic Riding Center has received multiple grants including a $151,266 award in 2024. Seattle Aquarium received 3 grants including COVID crisis support. These are not opportunistic gifts — they are stewardship of long-term civic relationships in Seattle.

First-time applicants should understand that relationship cultivation, not proposal writing, is the operative skill here. Organizations that wish to eventually be considered should focus their energy on genuine engagement with current grantee organizations, attendance at Seattle civic and philanthropic events, and building credibility within the UW, arts, and human services communities that anchor the foundation's giving. There is no shortcut: the Dickey family's portfolio reflects decades of personal connection to Seattle institutions, and any new entrant must earn a place in that ecosystem through sustained presence and demonstrated alignment with the foundation's values.

Juniper Foundation's financial trajectory shows consistent growth from a $8.78M asset base in 2012 to $22.9M in 2024 — a 161% increase driven by investment returns and periodic additional contributions. The most significant infusion was $1.8M in new contributions in 2020, followed by $1.34M in 2014 and $1.3M in 2013, suggesting the Dickey family periodically capitalizes the endowment from personal assets.

Annual giving has grown from $341,767 in 2012 to approximately $697,841 in 2024. The peak giving year was 2020 at $819,065, followed by 2021 at $805,153 — years of heightened philanthropic activity nationally. Giving moderated to $682,334 (2022) and $615,831 (2023) before partially recovering in 2024.

Grant size data from the foundation's own records shows: median grant $83,561; average $126,594; minimum documented $50,058; maximum documented $367,300. The 2024 cycle of 47 grants at ~$698K total implies an average of ~$14,847 per grant — significantly lower than the typical_grant_size figures — suggesting many of the 47 awards are small gifts (some as low as $2,000) clustered alongside several larger institutional awards. The database grantee data captures the larger, named grants; the "See Attachment B" entry ($1,502,994 across 4 grants) likely consolidates smaller unreported recipients.

Geographic concentration is strong: approximately 77% of grant dollars flow within Washington state, with the remaining 23% distributed across Maine, Wyoming, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Massachusetts, New York, and Rhode Island — likely reflecting personal family ties or board travel.

By program area (estimated from known grantees): arts, culture, and community infrastructure account for roughly 30% of identifiable grants (Seattle Aquarium, Green Lake Boathouse, Friends of Waterfront Seattle); education represents approximately 20% (UW Foundation, Seattle Academy of Arts & Sciences); health and human services account for approximately 25% (Little Bit Therapeutic Riding Center, Cristo Rey Jesuit); and historical/other interests account for the remaining 25%, including the new World War II Foundation grant. The Forterra Strong Communities PRI is separate from grants and represents a growing community finance strategy.

The five peer foundations identified share nearly identical asset sizes (~$22.9M) and NTEE category (T20J, Philanthropy & Grantmaking), reflecting grouping by asset tier. All are private family foundations with limited public disclosure.

What sets Juniper Foundation apart from its asset-tier peers is the richness and specificity of its disclosed grantmaking record. While the Nazarian, Britton, Remala, and Slootman foundations have limited public disclosure of their grant activity, Juniper's 990 filings document named grantees with specific project purposes — revealing an engaged, hands-on philanthropy style. Juniper's Washington state roots also give it natural affinity with Seattle's civic infrastructure organizations in a way that peer family foundations in California and New York do not replicate. Among Washington state peers of similar size, Juniper is notable for its education-plus-community portfolio breadth, whereas the Satya and Rao Remala Foundation at similar asset size has a less publicly documented record. The Juniper family's willingness to make capital grants (Green Lake Boathouse at $249K, Little Bit seismic retrofit at $60K) alongside programmatic gifts marks a pragmatic grantmaking orientation uncommon in smaller family foundations.

No press releases, announcements, or public communications were found for Juniper Foundation in 2025 or 2026. The foundation operates without a public website, social media presence, or media strategy — a deliberate posture consistent with its preselected-only grantmaking model.

The most recent documented activity comes from IRS 990 filings:

FY2024: 47 grants totaling ~$697,841. Confirmed recipients include Little Bit Therapeutic Riding Center ($151,266 — continuing multi-year support for therapeutic equestrian programs), Seattle Aquarium ($100,075 — ongoing relationship first funded during COVID in 2020), and World War II Foundation ($50,000 — a new grantee not previously documented, suggesting personal board interests in historical preservation). Total assets reached $22,910,596.

FY2023: Total giving $615,831 (grants paid $535,060). Net investment income of $1,058,098 drove strong returns. Assets grew from $16.95M to $21.42M — a $4.5M jump, the largest single-year asset increase on record, reflecting strong portfolio performance.

FY2022: Total giving $682,334. Grants funded UW Biology's Greenhouse Tree of Life Room and Green Lake Community Boathouse capital campaign.

Leadership has been stable for the entire documented history: Sheila Wyckoff-Dickey, Charles D. Dickey III, and Daniel M. Asher have appeared in every 990 filing. The Forterra Strong Communities I, LP program-related investment — designed to protect land and maintain affordable housing in Washington — is the most notable strategic initiative outside traditional grantmaking, and represents an area where the foundation appears to be building a more structured community investment approach.

Because Juniper Foundation operates exclusively through preselected grantmaking, the conventional grant-writing toolkit does not apply here. There is no RFP, no LOI process, no portal, and no published deadline. What follows is specific, actionable guidance for organizations seeking to enter this foundation's orbit.

Relationship cultivation is the application. The Dickey family funds organizations they know personally. University of Washington Foundation has received 5 grants; the Seattle Aquarium 3 grants across multiple years. The path to a first gift runs through genuine engagement with these existing grantees — attending their galas, partnering on programming, or serving on their committees gives you credible proximity to the Dickey family's network.

Contact Foundation Management Group professionally. The administrative contact is Foundation Management Group (206-667-0300, 1809 7th Ave Suite 409, Seattle WA 98101). A brief, non-solicitation introduction call — explaining your mission, programs, and connection to Seattle's civic community — is the most direct professional channel available. Do not lead with a funding ask. Lead with organizational context.

Align your language to documented giving themes. When describing your work, echo the foundation's vocabulary: "capital investment," "community infrastructure," "STEM education," "therapeutic services," "Seattle's waterfront and open space," and "underserved youth." Avoid language about national or international scale — the foundation is principally a Seattle civic philanthropist.

Emphasize capital needs and institutional stability. The foundation has funded seismic retrofits ($60K for Little Bit hay barn), boathouse capital campaigns ($249K Green Lake), and greenhouse construction ($350K UW). Capital projects with a clear community asset argument appear to be a strength of this funder's portfolio.

Avoid out-of-state framing. Unless your work has a specific Washington connection, proposals emphasizing other geographies will not resonate. The 23% of out-of-state grants likely reflects the Dickey family's personal interests in Maine, Wyoming, and the Northeast — not an openness to unsolicited out-of-state applicants.

Timing: Without a published calendar, assume annual grants are made once per year, likely in the first half of the calendar year based on typical private foundation cycles. Relationship-building efforts are most effective in the preceding fall and winter.