Lucky Seven Foundation

The Lucky Seven Foundation is a Seattle-based family foundation (Delaware-registered for tax purposes, operationally based in Washington) with ~$27.6M in assets that gives exclusively to nonprofits in the Puget Sound basin. The foundation is controlled by the Backus family — John Backus is publicly named as one of seven siblings who direct the giving — and it has a demonstrated willingness to make transformational grants (reports of a $1M+ commitment to Washington State University's Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine and a $250,000 pledge to a Seattle homeless shelter crisis). Approach Lucky Seven with a clear Puget Sound geographic connection (King/Pierce/Snohomish/Thurston/Kitsap county work preferred), a project that fits one of their five stated lanes (health, welfare, education, arts, environment), and ideally a specific, time-urgent funding gap that a family foundation can move on quickly. The 'Applying For A Grant' page on their site is currently 404/placeholder — the practical application channel is a concise letter of inquiry sent to their contact email, or a warm introduction from a current grantee. Do not approach with a multi-year operating ask; lead with a specific project or capital gift.

The Lucky Seven Foundation distributes roughly $1.3M–$1.5M annually (5% of its ~$27.6M asset base under IRS 4942), but individual grant sizes vary widely. Public reporting shows both (a) anchor transformational gifts ($1M+ to WSU Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine; $250K to a Seattle homeless-shelter emergency opening) and (b) smaller project grants to regional arts and environment nonprofits. Geographic focus is strict: Puget Sound basin in Washington State, with most giving flowing to Seattle-metro and adjacent counties. Five stated issue lanes: health (rural/underserved medical pipeline is clearly a priority), welfare (homelessness, social services), education, arts, and environment. The foundation also funded the Invictus Foundation (military/veterans), suggesting some latitude for veterans-focused health work. There is no public grant calendar, no fixed cycle, and no published typical grant range — decisions appear to be trustee-driven and event-responsive. Wilmington, DE mailing address is legal/administrative only; do not let that mislead your geography framing.

Lucky Seven Foundation sits in the Puget Sound family-foundation peer cluster with both general-interest and health/education emphases. Key comparables:

Relative to peers, Lucky Seven sits between the very-transparent Norcliffe (web LOI, published guidelines) and the opaque invitation-only peers (Raikes, Schultz). Lucky Seven is far more likely than Raikes or Schultz to accept a cold LOI from a Puget Sound nonprofit, especially one doing rural/underserved health work. The $1M+ WSU Medicine gift and $250K homeless-shelter response both signal a willingness to move quickly and generously when a proposal hits their lanes.

Recent public activity points to an active, responsive family-foundation posture. The Lucky Seven Foundation made a reported $1M+ gift to Washington State University's Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine to support students serving rural and underserved communities as primary and family medicine physicians — a multi-year pipeline investment. In a 2024 Seattle Times story, trustee John Backus (identified as 'the youngest of the seven') pledged $250,000 to help open a vacant Seattle homeless shelter after reading coverage of the situation, indicating the foundation's capacity to respond quickly to local-news-driven need. The foundation has also funded the Invictus Foundation (a national military/veterans nonprofit) via PR Newswire-announced grant. The website is a lightweight Squarespace site with only three sections (Who We Are, L7 Impact, Applying For A Grant) — the apply page currently returns a 'couldn't find the page' placeholder, so the application channel is practically email/phone to the foundation's listed contact. No 2025–2026 staff or strategy changes have been publicly announced.

A strong Lucky Seven proposal does three things. First, lead with geographic legitimacy: a Puget Sound-based nonprofit with demonstrable local leadership, local beneficiaries, and ideally a rural or underserved tilt (WSU-medicine-style rural physician pipeline work is clearly a bullseye). Second, propose a concrete, time-urgent, catalytic use of funds. The Backus family has shown willingness to move $250K in under a week in response to a news story about an empty shelter — that's a signal that crisp, gap-filling, named-outcome proposals land well. Third, match your ask size to their revealed pattern: plan for either a $25K–$75K project grant or a $250K+ catalytic/capital ask. Don't send a generic $10K operating request; this foundation's transformational instincts are better suited to either tight project work or large single gifts. Fourth, keep written materials short — a two-page LOI with budget, outcomes, and contact info. Fifth, given the apply page is broken, verify the current contact channel (email, phone) from the homepage footer before sending. Finally, cultivate the relationship through existing grantees (WSU College of Medicine, Invictus Foundation, Seattle shelter groups) — a warm intro from a current grantee dramatically raises response rates.