Community Foundation Opens Impact Investments, Match Campaign (Photo) -03/25/25

Vancouver, Wash., Mar. 25, 2025—Since launching last June, the Community Foundation for Southwest Washington has channeled more than $3 million toward its Southwest Washington Impact Investment Fund for Transformation (SWIIFT). The fund is part of the organization’s SWIIFT Initiative, which leverages charitable dollars for local impact investing—a strategy aiming to generate a positive social impact alongside modest financial returns.

 

The Community Foundation committed $1.5 million of its discretionary assets to seed the SWIIFT Initiative in June. This week, it announced a $1.5 million allocation from the Ed and Dollie Lynch Fund, which also promised another half of a million dollars contingent on the Community Foundation raising an additional $500,000 for the initiative.

 

“This incredible gift is a testament to the potential of SWIIFT,” Community Foundation president Matt Morton said. “We are extremely grateful for the support, and I’m excited about the momentum these matching funds will bring to our initial goal of raising $5 million for the SWIIFT Initiative.”

 

SWIIFT makes impact investments through a revolving, low-interest loan program dedicated to nonprofits and housing providers in Clark, Cowlitz and Skamania Counties. By offering lower interest rates and factoring in social returns, the SWIIFT Initiative can finance projects that may not fit conventional investment criteria. Borrowers have used loans as cash flow to scale programs through reimbursable grants and to pay for pre-development costs that traditional financing rarely covers.

 

A recent $100,000 SWIIFT loan to Fourth Plain Forward is one example. The funds allowed the organization to pay startup costs for a micro-lending program while awaiting a reimbursable grant from the Washington State Department of Commerce. As a result, Fourth Plain Forward is on track to become a long-term lending agency that will increase financial access for underbanked small business owners and entrepreneurs across Clark County, especially in Black, Latiné and Tribal communities.

 

“Our SWIIFT loan served as a crucial bridge, allowing us to stand up our lending agency without spending countless hours overcoming financial roadblocks and administrative delays,” Fourth Plain Forward executive director Paul Burgess said. “Instead, we focused immediately on laying the foundation for a program that will expand economic opportunities in Clark County for years to come.”

 

The loan to Fourth Plain Forward is one of three approved to date, totaling $850,000 in impact investments. As SWIIFT loans are repaid, the principal and interest are reinvested. This cycle allows SWIIFT assets to fund multiple projects over time, amplifying the long-term impact of charitable dollars. In addition, SWIIFT loans create a multiplier effect by allowing nonprofits and housing providers to attract additional investments and public dollars to our region.  

 

The Washington State Department of Commerce awarded $1.39 million to Fourth Plain Forward’s lending program. A separate $250,000 SWIIFT loan to Fosterful is providing cash flow to facilitate its Caregiver Support Project, which is estimated to receive between $6 million and $9 million in revenue from the Washington State Department of Children, Youth and Families over the next three years. These dollars translate to increased services for vulnerable residents and broader economic stimulus for southwest Washington.

 

“Our region has always relied on innovation and collaboration to solve local challenges, and SWIIFT is another example,” Morton said. “We hope it inspires others to join the Community Foundation and its donors because local investments are critical to expanding the stability and opportunity we all want in southwest Washington.”

 

Morton explained that SWIIFT is a powerful addition to the Community Foundation’s philanthropic toolbox that complements its annual grantmaking. Interested donors can support the SWIIFT Initiative in two ways that meet the needs of southwest Washington and the charitable goals of foundations, businesses and individuals. Additional information is available at cfsww.org/swiift.

Community Foundation Scholarship Applications Open (Photo) -03/12/25

Applications for the Community Foundation for Southwest Washington’s 2025 scholarship program are open. Last year, the program awarded $1,182,575 to 423 students pursuing postsecondary education. Its current scholarship application cycle closes on April 30, 2025. Interested applicants can visit www.cfsww.org/scholarships to access a brief eligibility quiz and submit one consolidated application for applicable scholarships.

 

The Community Foundation manages 75 scholarship funds established by donors, organizations and businesses that want to support academic achievement in undergraduate, graduate, technical and trade programs. Some scholarships are geared toward students graduating from certain high schools, attending specific colleges or pursuing distinct fields of study, such as architecture, firefighting, teaching, nursing, business, engineering or the arts. Others offer broad support to students facing barriers to education, such as those who have experienced foster care, domestic violence, incarceration, homelessness or living with a disability.

 

One such fund is the Jay and Diane Zidell Scholarship, which awards $50,000 annually to Clark County students working their way through school. Eligible applicants must be employed at least 10 hours per week and registered to attend an accredited college, university, technical or career school. The awards average $2,000 and are renewable for students who maintain eligibility and a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.5. 

 

Deanna Green, Senior Scholarship Manager and Development Associate, said she works with donors to expand support for students, especially those considered low-income, first-generation, underrepresented or nontraditional. In the last five years, the program has expanded the number of scholarships awarded by 33 percent and has recorded a 56 percent increase in the overall dollars it distributes.

 

“Our goal is to expand access to educational opportunities across the board so that our region’s students can chart their own paths to prosperity and contribute to their communities in greater ways," Green said.