Lindsay Jennings
Executive Director

Minor Lile
Board Chair

The Early Childhood Education Initiative (ECEI) brings together lead educators and board members from Orcas Island’s three licensed preschools with other community members and expert advisors to develop strategies to strengthen access and quality of early childhood education and allocate funds to implement these strategies. ECEI has achieved dramatic results, creating affordable access to preschool for all families and significantly increasing kindergarten readiness. Strong, stable early childhood education and daycare programs are vital to the health of our island families and our economy. ECEI is seeking community members who are interested in getting involved – please check out their website and get in touch if you are interested.

Island Allies of Indigenous Lifeways (IAoIL) fosters decolonization, Indigenous sovereignty and adaptive culture through Tribally-led education and participatory practices. Through the lens of Food as Lifeway, we choose to step into this work as a responsibility to Place and to move toward reconciliation with the islands’ Original Stewards. IAoIL is a cultural organization whose work is connected to two communities: Indigenous peoples with ancestral ties to the Islands, and islander allies who realize the necessity of building right and respectful relations across all community sectors. IAoIL collaborates with many existing island organizations on Tribal Relations work, including a county-wide workgroup composed of representatives at local, state and federal levels.

LIFT is a community-based, emergency fund organization devoted to keeping immigrant families together. The purpose is to increase the diversity of our island’s residents and protect the rights of immigrants who we consider to be one of our most legally vulnerable populations. LIFT provides information to immigrants regarding their legal rights and obligations; emergency immigrant legal assistance; and education regarding various opportunities relating to immigration.

The Orcas Island Sexual Health Alliance (OISHA) is another important program expanding access to reproductive healthcare on Orcas. Confidential, affordable access to birth control and STI testing is critical, especially on our small island with limited healthcare services, and when reproductive healthcare is under threat in our country. OISHA is also empowering island youth with facts and skills through educational programs for middle schoolers and high schoolers. Please follow the links on the OISHA website to get involved or support these initiatives.

In 2025, the OICF Board and staff took crucial steps to structure OICF’s future impact in the community. This strategic planning effort began with a survey of community stakeholders, gathering insights to help the Foundation set priorities, allocate resources, and guide decisions as we chart our course forward.

The perspectives and experiences of islanders served to identify what challenges are most pressing to the community, how the Foundation can better serve our island, and what programs should be considered to reflect the true voice and needs of our community. The valuable feedback we gathered from the survey helped form the questions we explored at the subsequent board/staff retreat to clarify our vision, mission, values and goals to prioritize future strategic initiatives. Some questions included:

• How can OICF best lead with clarity, trust, and alignment to community values?


• How can OICF evolve its philanthropic model to meet rising needs and funding volatility?


• What will it take to build deeper, more inclusive relationships across Orcas Island’s changing community?


• How can OICF further strengthen nonprofit capacity?

We’re grateful for the input from more than 120 individuals who completed our community survey or met with us to share their perspectives and ideas. We are excited to roll out our new mission, vision and values.

A healthy nonprofit sector is vital to the quality of life on Orcas Island. Through its Capacity Building program, OICF enables island nonprofits to more efficiently and effectively meet the needs of islanders allowing the community at large to thrive. OICF’s continued focus on strengthening nonprofits represents a commitment to our island’s vibrant ‘third sector’ where citizens can convene to address fundamental problems and opportunities to sustain a healthy community.

In 2025 OICF launched its Leadership, Excellence, Advancement, and Development (LEAD) Grant Program in an effort to support professional development, strengthen leadership skills and promote organizational excellence for Orcas Island-based nonprofits. LEAD Grants provide funding of up to $2,000 per individual, and a maximum of $6,000 per organization, per grant program year, which includes two cycles. In the inaugural grant cycle in 2025, grant funds were awarded for local nonprofit staff and board members to attend conferences, participate in professional development collaborations and receive crucial training in order to build the capacity to meet the ever-changing needs of islanders.

LEAD Grants, as well as other Capacity Building programs, are made possible by generous donations to the Hilary Canty Leadership Fund, which was established to provide educational and experiential opportunities for those interested in improving their understanding of the leadership skills practiced by successful nonprofits, and to the Marilyn Anderson Excellence Fund, which was established to promote nonprofit excellence.

In addition to funding outside professional development for nonprofits through LEAD grants, OICF provides local training for those who are making a meaningful difference in our community. In 2025, OICF hosted two Introduction to Board Service workshops to volunteers serving on local nonprofit boards, community committees, and advisory councils. Attendees gained insights into basic board responsibilities, effective practices, and how to find the right board opportunity to make a lasting impact in our local community. These engaging sessions equipped current and potential board and committee members with the knowledge and confidence to step into leadership.

In 2025 OICF also surveyed local nonprofits about challenges they are facing and what programs and resources would help address the community’s needs. The data gathered is used to determine topics and focus areas as we continue to launch new workshops and supportive resources for nonprofits.

During the Federal government shutdown in late 2025, with the help of community collaboration, OICF was able to mobilize resources to mitigate local impacts. OICF was in close communication with partners to coordinate support when funding for critical programs like WIC and SNAP was threatened, as these programs continue to be essential to ensuring that all families, children, and seniors have reliable access to healthy food.

OICF Board of Directors allocated funds to support food access from the Foundation’s Community Emergency Response Fund (CERF), which was established during the COVID pandemic to assure that critical social service programs would continue to be supported during times such as this. Support began with grant funding to the Orcas Community Resource Center (OCRC) to distribute grocery gift cards to individuals and families who do not receive SNAP benefits as of November 1. In addition, the Foundation secured donations to ensure continuation of the WIC program administered by San Juan County. The Foundation closely monitored the situation and was prepared to pivot to support evolving needs related to food access in the community as a result of changes at the federal level.

Throughout these efforts, community members came together with OICF to support food access in a variety of ways. A local baseball team held a bake sale, people gave generously to the Community Emergency Response Fund (CERF) and directly to the Orcas Community Resource Center (OCRC). Thank you, Orcas, for stepping up and showing up to take care of your neighbors once again.

OICF’s collective giving campaign, GiveOrcas, helps build awareness of local organizations and raise funds to bolster the programs that make Orcas a stronger and truly thriving community.

GiveOrcas operates biannually—once in spring and once during the holiday season—offering everyone a chance to engage. The success of the campaigns is achieved through a collaborative relationship between OICF, island nonprofits, and the community that unites to lift up these important projects to address the island’s most pressing needs. More than just a fundraiser, GiveOrcas provides an opportunity for every islander to lift up the local community and maximize the impact of their support.

In partnership with our community, the Community Foundation proudly distributed $810,721 in GiveOrcas grants to nonprofits in 2025. With 35 grantees in the spring campaign and 33 in the holiday campaign, 2025 GiveOrcas grants supported programs spanning education, healthcare, housing, social services, youth programs, arts and culture, environmental conservation, animal welfare, local agriculture, and more. Each organization’s proposal was vetted and approved by members of the OICF Community Grants Committee composed of more than 20 local volunteers.

Michael and Shay Abrash
Sally Agar
Susan Alter
Mary Creed Anderson
Margaret and William Bangs
Josie and Wally Barrow
Roy and Susan Beaton
Helen Bee and Carl de Boor
Jeff and Inga Beehler
Susan Gordon and Stephen Bentley
Patricia and Bruce Benton
Connie Bloxom
Michael Brennan
John Bric and Alison Weir
Janet Brownell and Lance Evans
Matthew Burkley
John Carl
Morrow Cater and Peter Scheer
Lexie and Scott Clifford
Mary Clure
Norman Coates and Robin Shurtleff
Marty Coffey
Martha Farish and Joe Cohen

Rhea and Clark Coler
Matt and Suzanne Colon
Betty Corbett
Gayle Corbin
Bonnie and Dennis Dahl
Stephanie and Jon DeVaan
Jim and Laura Donald
Traci and Lucas Donat
Ted Elrich and Sarah Ogmundson
Eric Ewing and Bruce Redman
Elisabeth Evans
Thomas and Carolyn Fiscus
Jeremy and Angela Foster
Aneal and Zoe Gadgil
Berto Gandara-Perea and Hugh Grant
Judith and Paul Gilliland
Harvey and Gail Glasser
Julie and John Gottman
Frank Greer and Stephanie Solien
Michael Grochau and David Woosley
Susan and Wally Gudgell
Ginny Hawker and Theron Soderlund
Linda Henry and Pam Loew

Eleanor Hoague and Marc Cohen
Trey Holland
Sara Jane Johnson
Ken and Scout Katz
Christina Koons
David and Susan Kosiur
Christine and Kevin Lee
Richard Lee*
Robert and Laurie Liebmann
Leonie Van Gelder and Minor Lile
Andrew and Cheryl Masterman
Anne Mayer
Stewart and Barbara Mehlman
David and Sarah Moore
Gerald Munoff and Eleanor Stewart
Christopher and Jaylin Peacock
Frank Peale
Joyce and Doug Pearson
Clayton Philbrick
Scott and Katherine Renschler
Rick and Peggy Rhoads
Win Rhodes*
Linda Sacks

Michele and Mark Salierno
Judy Scott and Don Stillman
Anne Marie and Bern Shanks
Paul and Linda Sheridan
Susan Singleton and Andrew Shewman
Lenoi Steckley*
Lisa Steckley
Stu and Patsy Stephens
Janice and Sidney Stoltzfus
Stacy Duffy and Ken Stults
The Willis Family
Daniel L Thieme
John and Joni Trumbull
Marc and Astrid Vaccaro
Annette and John Pierre Van Dongen
Carolyn Volk
Leslie Walker
Betsy Wareham
Bob and Marsha Waunch
West Sound Marina
Carol Wetzel
Kate Janeway and Howard S. Wright III
Brenda Johnson and George Zweibel

Minor Lile, Chair

Mary Clure, 1st Vice-Chair

Patricia Benton, Treasurer

Stephanie DeVaan, Secretary

Susan Gudgell, Immediate Past Chair

Stephen Bentley

Michael Breen

Heidi Bruce

Jon Finney

Frank Greer

Judy Scott

Anne Marie Shanks

Brian Moss

Paul Sheridan

Marshall Sebring