Northwest Area Foundation (NWAF)

ABOUT They fund champions of change who reflect the distinct cultural strengths of their region. They work in diverse communities to help people build assets through good jobs and financial capability—equipping them with the skills to overcome crises today and feel secure and hopeful about tomorrow. Their region—Minnesota, Iowa, North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana, Idaho, Washington, Oregon, and the 76 Native nations within these states—was shaped by the freight routes of their founder’s family company, the Great Northern Railway. They seek to address an unfair reality: This region includes communities that face persistent and devastating poverty, yet is home to some of the nation’s wealthiest and fastest-growing cities. Their Mission   Their mission is to support efforts by the people, organizations, and communities of their eight-state region to reduce poverty and achieve sustainable prosperity. Their Vision Motivating them in their endeavors is the vision of a future in which their region’s rich culture of engagement and opportunity makes its eight states prized places to visit, to invest and to live, and where all residents have a fair chance to live free of poverty. They see a region:  Where diversity is valued and nurtured in their priority communities: Native Americans, communities of color, immigrants and refugees, and people in rural areas. Known for its highly skilled, well-educated population, its living-wage jobs, its innovative public policies, and its healthy, vibrant communities. Characterized by thriving local economies within thriving natural ecosystems. Where creative entrepreneurship is valued in both for-profit and nonprofit enterprises, and where both investment capital and social capital are steadily expanding. Whose strong public institutions, business community, and nonprofit sector collaborate to address pressing needs and help build pathways to prosperity for all residents. Whose people are organized and empowered to lift their voices and actively shape the civic, social, political, and economic life of their communities.