Names Family Foundation

The Names Family Foundation is a closely-held family philanthropy with three members of the founding Names family — Rick Names (Vice President), Monica Names-King (Secretary), and Kappy Names (Trustee) — still active on the board alongside community leaders Kim Hegardt (Board President) and Erin Shagren (Treasurer). Executive Director Patricia Shults, compensated at $170,000 in FY2023, leads day-to-day operations. This family-centric governance means demonstrated community roots in Pierce County and alignment with the Names family's personal values carry substantial weight.

Founded in 1996 by Scott and Evelyn "Sis" Names — lifelong Puget Sound residents who built their wealth through Scott's Athletic Equipment in Lakewood, Washington — the foundation's giving philosophy flows directly from lived experience. The founders believed sport creates relationships, forges character, and transforms lives. Every successful grant narrative should echo that belief.

With $178.4M in assets as of FY2024 and annual giving consistently running $6-8M in FY2019-2023 (roughly 4-5% of assets), NFF is one of Washington State's more substantial independent foundations. Assets nearly doubled from $82M in FY2015, and FY2024's $82.76M revenue suggests continued strong investment returns — pointing toward sustained or expanded grantmaking capacity.

This is a direct-application foundation with no formal LOI requirement. Applications submit via an online portal at grantinterface.com and are reviewed quarterly, with deadlines in early March, early June, and August 31st. Notifications arrive before year-end. First-time applicants should contact grants manager Lindsey Sauer (lsauer@namesfoundation.org, 253-236-7333) before submitting to confirm eligibility and ask strategic questions — the staff is accessible.

The foundation strongly favors inclusive organizations offering broad public access, especially those serving youth, people with disabilities, and underrepresented communities. It explicitly states it rarely funds 100% of any project and expects applicants to show co-investment from other sources. Capital campaigns with documented co-funders — local government, corporate sponsors, individual major donors — present the strongest alignment. NFF is comfortable with multimillion-dollar capital commitments ($3M for Fircrest Community Center, $2.79M for Trust for Public Land schoolyards) but writes dozens of smaller grants ($5,000-$50,000) for ongoing programs. Multi-year relationships are common: Multicare Health Foundation, First Tee of South Puget Sound, and Seven Acres Foundation each appear across 20+ grants over time.

Based on 990 filings for FY2019-2023 and publicly available grantee records, annual total giving ranged from $6.18M (FY2019) to $7.75M (FY2021), with FY2022 at $7.11M and FY2023 at $6.97M. The foundation's typical grant size shows a median of $5,000 and an average of $31,927 across 182 grants in the DB sample, with a range of $280 to $1.01M. This wide spread reflects a deliberate two-tier strategy: smaller recurring grants for ongoing programming (often $5,000-$50,000) and larger capital commitments for facility projects ($250,000-$3M+).

Capital infrastructure (est. 45-50% of cumulative dollars): The largest single commitments fund facility construction and renovation. Trust for Public Land received $2.79M across 3 grants for Tacoma school park conversions. YMCA of Pierce and Kitsap Counties received $765K for the Morgan Family YMCA rebuild. Greater Tacoma Community Foundation received $1.91M connected to the Fircrest Pool and Community Center replacement. Seven Acres Foundation received $448K for the Lake Chelan Community Center. Capital grants in this tier typically span 2-5 year commitments.

Healthcare and medical research (est. 20-25%): Multicare Health Foundation (Mary Bridge Children's Hospital) leads with $1.55M across 29 grants covering capital campaigns, NICU support, and behavioral health programs. Seattle Children's Hospital Foundation received $920K for childhood cancer and mental health work. Children's Hospital Los Angeles received $1.2M for early-phase clinical trials. The Michael J. Fox Foundation received $530K for a local Puget Sound Parkinson's research site — suggesting personal family connections to specific disease communities.

Youth sports programming (est. 15-20%): Game Time received $450K across 4 grants. Boys & Girls Clubs of South Puget Sound received $271K across 4 grants. First Tee of South Puget Sound received $193K across 23 grants — demonstrating consistent small-grant sustained support as an alternative model. Washington Youth Soccer Foundation received $170K. Annual programmatic grants in this tier range $15,000-$100,000.

Disability and adaptive sports (est. 5-10%): Amputee Blade Runners received $140K across 4 grants. Empowerment Through Connection (hippotherapy) received $95K. Rainier Adaptive Sports received $55K. Brave Warrior Project and Sequoia Therapeutic Recreation each received $50K. Geographic breakdown of recorded grants: Washington state accounts for 73% of grant count (407 of ~556), with California (59), Oregon (13), Hawaii (8), Arizona (10), New York (9), and DC (6) representing the remainder.

Names Family Foundation sits in a peer group of Philanthropy & Grantmaking foundations with assets near $178M, but its hyper-regional focus and sports-specific mandate distinguish it from broader community foundations in this asset range.

Names Family Foundation is notably more accessible than peers in this asset class — its open online application portal and direct-contact staff model are unusual for a $178M family foundation, where invited-only or relationship-gated processes are common. Its sports-and-health niche is far more specific than the Miller Foundation's broad human services portfolio or Bohemian's arts orientation, which means less competition from generalist nonprofits but a tighter fit requirement. NFF's consistent $6-7M in annual disbursements represents roughly 3.5-4% of assets — a conservative payout rate that leaves substantial endowment capacity for future cycles. Organizations with missions in recreation, community wellness, or adaptive sports in the Pacific Northwest face a more favorable competitive landscape here than at larger regional grantmakers.

The most significant recent major initiative is the Aspen Institute partnership for the State of Play Tacoma-Pierce County report, a year-long research project (two grants totaling $370,000) that examined youth sports access and equity across the region. This signals an evolution beyond traditional capital grants toward systemic, data-driven community investment — a potential opening for policy, research, or advocacy organizations in the youth sports space.

On the capital side, the foundation's $3M commitment to the Fircrest Pool and Community Center replacement project represents one of the largest single pledges in its history, aligning with its longstanding support for publicly accessible recreation infrastructure. The Greater Metro Parks Foundation (Tacoma Parks Foundation) received a series of grants for the Portland Avenue Building and Park Improvements and the Whole Child Safe Zones initiative.

Leadership has been stable: Patricia Shults has served as Executive Director since at least FY2019, with compensation rising from $134K (FY2021) to $170K (FY2023), reflecting institutional continuity. Trina Gohrick's addition as Trustee is the only recent board change noted in public filings. Names family members remain active: Rick Names, Monica Names-King, and Kappy Names all appear in the most recent available filings.

The FY2024 990 shows total assets reaching $178.4M with $82.76M in total revenue — a dramatic year-over-year increase from $159.9M assets and $2.6M revenue in FY2023 — suggesting a large capital contribution or extraordinary investment gain that could position the foundation for elevated grantmaking in FY2025 and FY2026.

Lead with access and inclusion, not excellence. The foundation's stated priority is programs offering 'broad access' to physical activity — not elite athletes or competitive programs. Applications should quantify how many community members, youth, and people with disabilities the program serves. The grantee list shows consistent support for organizations serving low-income youth (Boys & Girls Clubs, Washington Youth Soccer Foundation's Soccer for All), adaptive athletes (Amputee Blade Runners, Rainier Adaptive Sports), and underserved geographic communities.

Show your co-funders before you apply. NFF explicitly states it rarely funds 100% of a project. Arriving with a funding matrix that names city or county co-investment, another foundation grant, or a corporate sponsor signals organizational credibility and reduces risk perception. Capital projects above $100K should document at least 2-3 other committed or pending funders.

Size your ask strategically. For programmatic grants, $15,000-$75,000 annually is the sweet spot. Capital projects can go $250,000-$1M+ but require demonstrated need and a project timeline. The foundation has made single grants as small as $280 and as large as $1.01M — calibrate to your project scope, not to what you think they can give.

Target the August 31st cycle. While quarterly review dates exist in early March and early June, the August deadline is the primary annual cycle with full board attention. Submit no later than August 25 to allow for any portal issues.

Align your language to the family's values. Phrases that resonate: 'physical activity transforms lives,' 'community-wide access,' 'sports create relationships,' 'inclusive programming for youth and families.' Reference the founders' Pierce County roots and athletic equipment background when describing how your work serves the same community. Avoid framing around competitive achievement or individual performance metrics.

Build the relationship before the next cycle. Organizations that become multi-year grantees (First Tee has received 23 separate grants; Multicare received 29) started with smaller asks. A $10,000 request that executes well is more valuable than a $100,000 request that goes nowhere. Contact Lindsey Sauer early, attend NFF-sponsored community events if possible, and report back promptly and thoroughly on any prior awards.