Since its inception, the Northwest Fund for the Environment has gone through several distinct stages. From 1971-1984 the Fund raised and distributed funds to various environmental groups and coordinated legal interns to support environmental litigation. From 1984 to 1987, the Fund was totally inactive. From 1987 to 1994 it received annual contributions from an anonymous donor, which were distributed upon application to environmental nonprofits. In 1994 the Fund was reorganized with an endowment created by a bequest to the foundation. From 1991 to 2022 the Fund awarded grants using a competitive grant application process, supported by professional staff. Since 2023, the Fund has made Board-directed grants to pre-selected nonprofit organizations.
Today the NWFE is an endowed foundation with assets of approximately $10 million. We have a board of 10 Trustees drawn from the community including at least one representative from the family that endowed the foundation in 1994. Since 1987 we have granted approximately $8.2 million to various environmental causes in Washington State.