Welcome to the Cowlitz Indian Tribal Foundation's application portal. Here you will be able to view and submit requests for partnership and funding that pertains to your organization's work throughout our shared communities.

2025 Grant Application Opens: MONDAY, MARCH 31

2025 Grant Application Closes: MONDAY, JUNE 30

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Because Cowlitz Cares

Created to support communities on the land of which the Cowlitz Indian Tribe has nurtured since time immemorial, the Cowlitz Tribal Foundation is the philanthropic extension of goodwill toward neighboring organizations working to support our most vulnerable populations. With trust-based philanthropic principles guiding the Foundation's efforts since 2018, the Cowlitz Tribal Foundation has provided over 270 nonprofit and community-focused organizations with $30M in grants to support charitable efforts throughout the State of Washington.

Focusing on Greatest Needs

Evolving to support the growing needs of our most vulnerable local communities, the Cowlitz Tribal Foundation is prioritizing support to direct-service organizations that provide shelter, food, or basic needs care for individuals in Washington State. This year, the Cowlitz Tribal Foundation is offering organizations the choice of applying for a single-year grant or multi-year grant to better support the unique needs of each organization. Priority will also be directed to Clark County-serving organizations, followed by Cowlitz, Lewis, Wahkiakum, Skamania, Pierce, and Thurston County-serving organizations, as available funding allows.

Values

• Raise one another up. Guided by the values of the Forever People, the Cowlitz Tribal Foundation exemplifies the honor of raising one another up; supporting individuals, visions, and actions that catalyze positive change and prosperity for future generations.
• Seek to understand. With commitment to equity, the Cowlitz Tribal Foundation recognizes that historic and ongoing racial and structural inequities have marginalized certain voices; actions and systems sustained overtime to deny opportunities to communities based on traits such as race, ethnicity, nationality, religion, economic class, age, gender, sexual orientation, and disability.
• Foster authentic connections. Partnering with community champions, locally and regionally, provides the Cowlitz Tribal Foundation with a platform for advocacy and opportunity to lead with empathy, integrity, and transparency. 
• Challenge the cycles. The Cowlitz Tribal Foundation seeks to disrupt intergenerational poverty by engaging communities and mobilizing resources to support ongoing efforts that support positive changes for generations to come.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What organizations are eligible for funding? Organizations seeking partnership with the Cowlitz Tribal Foundation must be 501(c)3 nonprofit organizations or organization with fiscal sponsorship. Priority is directed to culturally responsive, culturally specific, or community-based organizations with projects or programs that support low-income people, communities of color, and rural communities; projects or programs that provide basic human needs and care; and projects or programs that support access to education. Priority will also be directed to Clark County-serving organizations, followed by Cowlitz, Lewis, Wahkiakum, Skamania, Pierce, and Thurston County-serving organizations, as available funding allows.
2. Does the Foundation support Native-focused or Native-led programs? Yes. The Cowlitz Tribal Foundation serves as a philanthropic resource for nonprofit organizations with a multitude of focus areas, serving Clark County, Washington and throughout the State of Washington. 
3. Does the Foundation sponsor events? No. As a department of the Cowlitz Indian Tribe, the Cowlitz Tribal Foundation does not sponsor events. Under approval from the Foundation, partnering organizations have listed the Foundation as a 'sponsor' for an event or program as a means to recognize the ongoing relationship with the Foundation. You may also see the Foundation's logo alongside the Cowlitz Indian Tribe or ilani logo for organizations hosting their event on the Cowlitz Reservation.
4. How often can organizations apply for a grant? Qualified organizations can apply annually, however if an organization is funded for three (3) consecutive years, a one (1) year pause is required prior to applying for funding again.
5. How is the Cowlitz Tribal Foundation governed? The Department is led by a small team, whose efforts are supported by two separate Boards per the Foundation's funding requirements: the Clark County Board and the Statewide Board. These Boards act as the decision-makers once applications are processed and reviewed by the Foundation team. Through an equity lens, the Boards participate in thoughtful conversation about each application, organization mission, and rely on the Foundation Team's expertise to answer questions and clarify objectives.
6. Where does the funding come from? The Cowlitz Tribal Foundation is funded from percentages of gaming revenue through the Cowlitz Indian Tribe’s enterprise, ilani. For more details and specifications, please review the Cowlitz Indian Tribe Tribal Council Ordinance (No. 07-02, Page 6) and the Cowlitz Indian Tribe Washington State Gaming Compact (Appendix X2, Page 42). Adhering to the Ordinance and Compact, no funds from the Cowlitz Tribal Foundation shall be used to fund Cowlitz Tribal Members, Cowlitz Indian Tribe Departments, or other self-supporting efforts.
7. What is the decision-making timeline? The 2025 Grant Cycle's application portal will be open from Monday, March 31 through Monday, June 30. From April through July, the Foundation Team will be reviewing each organization's submission for accuracy and eligibility, and may contact organizations for further information. In August, eligible and aligned requests will proceed to Board Review, and in September the Boards will meet to discuss and deliberate. Organizations will be notified from the Foundation Team no later than October 31, 2025 whether funding is approved or denied.
8. Why was my application denied? Deliberation from the Cowlitz Tribal Foundation Boards (and the Cowlitz Tribal Council for Statewide Fund applications) will ultimately declare whether your application is approved or denied. Once a decision has been made, the Foundation Team will strive to provide each organization with critical feedback about their applications, however this is dependent on the volume of requests submitted each cycle. For more information about why your grant application was denied, you can refer to the notes on priority organizations listed above or connect with a Foundation Team member for clarity.

2025 General Guidelines

Eligible Organizations

• 501(c)3 nonprofit organization operating in Washington State, providing service to regions within Washington State (Statewide Fund Eligible)
• 501(c)3 nonprofit organizations or community-serving organizations with fiscal sponsorship, providing service to Clark County (Clark County Fund Eligible) 

Request Amounts

• Single-Year Grant: Request must not exceed $50,000.00.
• Multi-Year Grant: Request must not exceed a total of $150,000.00. Maximum of three (3) years.

Total request amount must not exceed 70% of program or project budget.

Funding Restrictions

The Cowlitz Tribal Foundation will not be funding the following:

• Organizations that have received funding from the Cowlitz Tribal Foundation for three (3) consecutive years (2022, 2023, and 2024), please consider reapplying in 2026
• Organizations with no history of nonprofit accounting per the Department of Treasury
• Capital campaigns or capital construction projects
• Feasibility studies
• Consultants
• Religious or faith-based projects or initiatives, curriculum, or practices
• Politically-affiliated projects or initiatives
• Pageants, booster clubs, membership clubs, or similar groups
• Sponsorships of events, fundraisers, programs, or festivals
• K-12 school programs, PTA groups, or school-district affiliated programs, please seek support from your local school district’s Foundation
• Self-serving or self-dealing initiatives
• Cowlitz Tribal Members or Cowlitz Tribal Member-founded nonprofit organizations
• Cowlitz Indian Tribe departments or projects

UPDATED: March 27, 2025