Satterberg Foundation

The Satterberg Foundation is a Seattle-based family foundation that has made one of the most consequential pivots in Pacific Northwest philanthropy: it no longer accepts any applications. Since 2016 — and accelerating sharply after the 2020 racial justice reckoning — the foundation abandoned traditional application-and-review grantmaking in favor of trust-based philanthropy, identifying organizations directly and building deep, multi-year relationships on its own initiative.

The foundation manages approximately $425.6 million in assets (fiscal year 2024) and deploys $45-50 million annually in grants. Its giving philosophy rests on three convictions: unrestricted general operating support is more effective than project grants; BIPOC-led and BIPOC-serving organizations have been systematically underfunded by mainstream philanthropy; and long-term sustained relationships produce more transformational outcomes than competitive grant cycles.

Four programs define the portfolio. Core Support provides multi-year unrestricted funding to 200+ organizations in Washington state and California. The Reparative Action Fund (RAF) is a $50 million, 10-year commitment to Black-led and Indigenous-led racial justice organizations — $37 million already committed, with the remainder being allocated through invitation-only processes from 2025 through 2030. Invitational Grants and Family Awards are distributed at board and family member discretion. Community Partnerships provide large-scale infrastructure grants to intermediary organizations — Liberty Hill Foundation alone has received $17.5 million across 16 grants.

First-time applicants face a fundamental structural barrier: there is no application process. The foundation exclusively identifies new partners through its own outreach, community immersion, and referrals from existing grantees. Organizations funded through intermediary vehicles — fiscal sponsorships via Rainier Valley Corps ($7.4M in Satterberg grants), Tides Foundation ($2.1M), SEE Inc ($2.65M), or Community Partners ($845K) — represent the documented entry path into the Satterberg ecosystem.

The Pigott family (founding members Mary, Judy, Tyler, and Michael Pigott) and Executive Director Sarah Walczyk are the key decision-makers. Walczyk, compensated at $305,791 in 2023, has been the public face of the foundation's racial justice and trust-based philanthropy commitments. Building familiarity within the trust-based philanthropy movement — through NCFP, Philanthropy NW, or the Trust-Based Philanthropy Project — remains the most actionable avenue for organizations seeking eventual partnership.

The Satterberg Foundation has sustained remarkably consistent annual giving of $43-50 million from 2019 through 2023 — a dramatic increase from $22.9 million in 2015 and $13.5 million in 2014. The foundation's asset base grew explosively following a 2012-2014 bequest that added approximately $275 million, pushing total assets from $1.8 million in 2012 to $437 million by 2020. Current assets stand at $425.6 million (fiscal year 2024), generating net investment income of $78.3 million in 2023 alone.

Typical grant size: Median $100,000 (average ~$110,000) across 2,055 recorded grants totaling $225.8 million in available data. The practical range runs from small employee-match contributions to major non-cash stock transfers exceeding $1.7 million fair market value — the largest single recorded transaction was a $1,695,116 FMV stock grant to Liberty Hill Foundation in 2021. Multi-year commitments are the norm: top grantees have received 8-40 individual grants over the relationship period.

Geographic concentration: Washington state receives 53% of recorded grants (1,084 of 2,055), followed by California at 32% (657 grants). Arizona represents 6% (118 grants), driven by community partnership work with Alliance of Arizona Nonprofits and Arizona Grantmakers Forum. The RAF has expanded national reach to New York (29 grants), DC (26), Georgia (21), Oregon (18), and Louisiana (17).

By program area: Racial and social justice organizations dominate (Rainier Valley Corps $7.4M, Social Justice Fund NW $5M, Byrd Barr Place $3.7M, BIPOC ED Coalition, Movement for Black Lives pooled funds). Environmental and climate justice is a clear secondary priority (Earthjustice $2.8M, Climate Solutions $690K, Front & Centered $737K, Puget Sound Sage $680K). Capacity-building through intermediaries represents the third major bucket — Liberty Hill alone $17.5M, Southern CA Grantmakers $2.8M, Northern CA Grantmakers $2.5M, Philanthropy NW $1.9M. A legacy literacy/education program through Seattle Public Schools ($5.65M, 6 grants) predates the current equity focus.

Notable giving method: The foundation made substantial non-cash stock contributions in 2021-2023, with many grants structured as fair market value transfers of appreciated securities — a tax-efficient strategy that directly deploys investment gains.

The five peer foundations identified by asset size ($420-430M range) are all classified as Philanthropy & Grantmaking entities, but their giving philosophies diverge sharply from Satterberg's identity as an activist racial justice funder deeply embedded in Pacific Northwest community networks.

Among this peer group, Satterberg stands out for two reasons: its giving ratio and its sector transparency. At approximately 11.8% of assets deployed as grants annually ($50.1M on $425M assets), Satterberg gives generously above the 5% minimum payout required of private foundations — suggesting a deliberate decision to distribute aggressively rather than accumulate wealth. The Virginia G Piper Charitable Trust in Arizona is the most comparable in terms of geographic concentration and community focus, though it maintains a more traditional LOI-and-application process.

The remaining three peers — Rothschild, Brunckhorst, and Hunter — are private family foundations with limited public information and no disclosed application pathways. Satterberg's extensive public documentation of its trust-based model, published grant lists, active blog commentary, and participation in philanthropy sector networks make it unusually transparent for a foundation that paradoxically accepts no new applications.

The most recent signal from the Satterberg Foundation came on December 18, 2025, when it published a blog post reflecting on the legacy of founding board members Mary and Judy Pigott — an unusual public acknowledgment written by Caroline Miceli that suggests governance transition is underway. The Pigott family has been central to the foundation's identity since its 1991 founding, and this reflective framing may signal approaching leadership evolution.

In June 2024, Executive Director Sarah Walczyk and program staff LaShanda Robertson published "Sticking With It" — a widely noted statement that explicitly named the trend of funders retreating from racial justice grantmaking and positioned Satterberg as a deliberate counter-example committed to holding the line.

In April 2024, the foundation published an FAQ document addressing an "organizational transition," the specific nature of which was not fully disclosed but likely related to leadership succession, RAF wind-down planning, or the Metropole Building Project.

The Metropole Building Project, surfaced in 2022-2023 coverage by Inside Philanthropy, represents a physical infrastructure initiative to create a permanent shared space for BIPOC-led organizations in Seattle — a notable evolution beyond purely financial grantmaking.

In early 2025, Satterberg joined the Trust-Based Philanthropy Project's "Meet the Moment" initiative, connecting funders in solidarity with nonprofits navigating federal funding cuts and legal threats. The Reparative Action Fund continues active distribution through 2030, with an estimated $13 million or more in uncommitted RAF funds still to be allocated by invitation to Black-led and Indigenous-led racial justice organizations.

The practical reality for any organization seeking Satterberg Foundation funding is that there is no application to submit. The foundation's complete departure from unsolicited proposals is a structural commitment, not a soft preference — maintained and deepened over nearly a decade. Understanding how funding actually flows from Satterberg is the only actionable intelligence.

Work through the intermediary ecosystem. Satterberg's single largest grantee, Liberty Hill Foundation, received $17.5 million across 16 grants — functioning as a donor-advised fund vehicle and California community partnership hub. Northern and Southern California Grantmakers received nearly $5.3 million combined. In Washington state, Social Justice Fund NW ($5M total), Philanthropy NW ($1.9M), and Greater Tacoma Community Foundation ($1.5M) are documented intermediary partners. Being known, supported by, or credibly recommended through these organizations is the primary entry path to Satterberg's attention.

Pursue fiscal sponsorship through known Satterberg intermediaries. Rainier Valley Corps received $7.4M across 40 grants, functioning as a fiscal sponsor for Collective Justice, Creative Justice, Families of Color, Surge Reproductive Justice, WA-BLOC, and others. Tides Foundation ($2.1M) and Tides Center ($1.4M) similarly channel Satterberg funds to fiscally-sponsored projects. For organizations in early development stages, fiscal sponsorship through these intermediaries is the fastest documented pathway to Satterberg dollars.

Use alignment language when staff do find you. Frame your organization's work in terms consistent with Satterberg's values: building community power, centering BIPOC leadership, multi-year sustainability, transforming systems, and trust-based relationships with funders. Avoid project-specific, competitive-grant language.

Geographic alignment is essential. Seattle metro and major California markets (LA, Bay Area) have structural advantage given the portfolio concentration. National organizations should connect through the RAF's intermediary networks if they are Black-led or Indigenous-led racial justice organizations.

Timing for RAF: The remaining ~$13M in uncommitted Reparative Action Fund resources will be allocated by invitation through 2030. Black-led and Indigenous-led organizations focused on power-building and transformative racial justice should maximize visibility in movement networks right now.