Go! Grants

About Go! Grants

Go! Grants are closed for 2024 and will re-open in 2025

Mount Baker Foundation’s Go! Grants aim to provide quick and impactful funding opportunities with minimal stress for community-rooted organizations that fall into our areas of focus. These grants are specifically designed to support organizations in Whatcom County that work towards empowering historically underserved communities, amplifying their voices by way of community engagement, and have a commitment to address the root causes of the issues they face. With a streamlined application process, eligible applicants can receive up to $10,000 in funding once a year. Read more below to learn about community-rooted organizations, our eligibility requirements, and our areas of focus.

Community Rooted Organizations

Our primary objective is to partner with community-rooted organizations that serve populations most impacted by health inequities. Community-rooted organizations center the experience and expertise of their community members and have leadership that reflects the population they serve. We prioritize funding for groups and organizations that are led by Black, Native, Indigenous, Latina/o/e/x, and other communities of color, as well as leaders with identities such as immigrants and refugee status, folks living with disabilities, people living with lower incomes, folks that currently or formerly incarcerated, houseless people, those living in rural communities.

To better understand community-rooted organizations, we pose the following questions: 

• Does the leadership of our organization reflect the community we serve? 

• Has the problem, solution, and implementation strategy been identified by community members who would benefit from our group’s services? 

• Have we incorporated community voices in our planning?  

When individuals actively participate in shaping their surroundings, positive change becomes not only possible but also sustainable. These grants aim to catalyze collective action and engagement, encouraging people from all walks of life to contribute their ideas, experiences, and talents to address the challenges our community faces in spaces where power and resources are shared equitably. Our emphasis on fostering community engagement in systematically underserved communities underscores the importance of creating spaces where everyone feels welcome and represented, and spaces and programming are culturally appropriate and responsive. We believe that fostering understanding and connection among different communities leads to stronger social cohesion and a more vibrant, interconnected society.

Our Areas of Focus and Priorities

Mount Baker Foundation’s Go! Grants prioritize grassroots, growing, or emergent organizations that serve systemically under-resourced communities in Whatcom County. We focus on partnering with organizations that acknowledge and address the social determinants of health, including access to housing, social inclusion, responsive health care, and more. Go! Grants are intended to fund initiatives that center on supporting the health of our communities. We acknowledge these funds are limited in their amount and we hope they can offer an opportunity to further efforts in:

• Building community power  

• Working towards incorporating community voice 

• Acknowledging the root causes of issues and addressing social determinants of health

• Building organizational capacity 

• The movement toward leadership and decision-making that represents the community they serve

Eligibility

The following organizations are eligible to apply:

• Have 501(c)(3) tax exemption OR

• Have a 501(c)(3) fiscal sponsor

• Government entities (Requires tax exempt letter) 

• Schools (Requires annual accreditation letter).

• Tribal Nations (we verify tribal nations through the Federal Government List of tribes)

• If a group does not have federal tax exemption or a fiscal sponsor, please contact us to discuss your options. 

• Have not received a Go! Grant from Mount Baker Foundation in the past calendar year

Examples of funded Go! Grants Include:

1. Ferndale High School Multicultural Night: We provided funding to support a student-run event hosted at Ferndale High School. This event aimed to showcase and celebrate the diverse cultures present in Ferndale. Through performances, exhibits, and interactive activities, students and community members had the opportunity to learn about and appreciate different cultural traditions and perspectives.
   

2. Bellingham Unity Community (BUC): A grant of $10,000 was awarded to BUC to support their mission of organizing events, celebrations, and programs in Whatcom County that commemorate and honor Black History and the rich legacy of African American culture. The grant helped BUC create opportunities for dialogue, education, and community engagement to foster a more equitable and inclusive society.
   

3. Chardi Kala Project: We provided support to the Chardi Kala Project for their ONE Whatcom initiative, which aims to build bridges between Sikhs and non-Sikhs to combat hate crimes targeting the Sikh community. The grant specifically assisted in organizing four ONE Whatcom events in different locations such as Lynden, Ferndale, and

Application Process 

Please schedule an brief meeting with Maria at maria@mtbakerfoundation.org before filling out an application.

If you have already met with Maria or other Mount Baker Foundation staff, you may fill out an application here.