Launched in 2018, The Puget Sound Asset Funders Network engages grantmakers, the public sector, and community organizations to confront inequities and advance equitable wealth building and economic mobility.
We believe economic justice requires systems change and shifting wealth and power to prevent further harm from the generational loss of wealth and to build wealth for Black, Indigenous, Latinx, Asian, Immigrant, and other communities of color.
Our regional network of grantmakers—private, public, corporate, and community foundations— view the concept of assets broadly to address root causes of inequity across health, employment, business ownership, housing, post-secondary education, and public and private debt, among other areas, which support household as well as community and intergenerational family wealth. Puget Sound area grantmakers should contact Annette Case if interested in joining this chapter.
Regional Focus Areas
- Financial Health
- Wealth Inequities
- Housing
Upcoming Events
Check back soon for information on upcoming events.
CLICK HERE for more information and resources from our past events.
Chapter Highlights
Philanthropic Investments and Practices Supporting Wage Equity in Human Service Organizations
Many grant makers are committed to and already supporting wage equity efforts through their investments and funding practices as well as learning about and sharing strategies through the Wage Equity Funding Roundtable. The information below was gathered from a survey of a small sample of philanthropic partners supporting human service organizations across Washington state with substantial funding in but not limited to King County and the City of Seattle. LEARN MORE.
WORK AND WELL BEING:
New Research Inititaives Imagining a Just Economy
The 2023 Poverty Summit, presented in partnership with the West Coast Poverty Center, was held on September 15, 2023 at the University of Washington. Sessions covered what the last several years taught us about how labor market dynamics and other policy choices can affect work and well-being, research on work and other supports, and additional policy ideas that might help promote a more just economy. Learn more
Wage Equity: Supporting Quality Jobs and Services for Thriving Communities
The Puget Sound Asset Funders Network, in partnership with the Seattle Human Services Coalition, the BIPOC ED Coalition of Washington, and the Nonprofit Association of Washington, held a two-part discussion addressing pay and other inequities to support equitable wealth building and healthy communities.
May 18, 2023: Presented by the Nonprofit Association of Washington on day two of the Washington State Nonprofit Conference, the conversation included recently released research from the University of Washington regarding pay inequities in human services work, the consequences of pay inequities for nonprofit staff and the availability and quality of services that support community well-being, and ideas and opportunities to support systems change. Afterwards AFN moderated a small group discussion with grantmakers about specific opportunities to engage in changing systems and supporting equity and quality jobs. Learn more
June 29, 2023: Building from our conversation in May, together we shared an overview of the goals, collective work, and progress to date, outlined a collective vision to support and sustain thriving communities, explored specific actions private and public funders and other organizations can take that advance the dignity of workers and the availability of community services, and elevated opportunities to engage in systems change addressing a root cause of wealth inequity. Learn more
View the Fact Sheet on Wage Equity and Wealth: Advancing Economic Justice and Thriving Communities
Beyond the Paycheck: Economic Justice at Work
Puget Sound AFN and Philanthropy Northwest held a webinar on June 14, 2022 on occupational segregation and employment discrimination. Created by longstanding and current policy choices and practices, they are the root causes of wealth inequities. The global pandemic sent a shock wave through the labor market plainly revealing the inequalities in how we value jobs and people. Momentum also shifted to spark imagination and actions to begin transforming how we work and live. LEARN MORE
New Initiatives Connecting Housing, Wealth, & Racial Equity
On June 1, 2022, Puget Sound AFN and the West Coast Poverty Center held a half-day conference exploring how housing impacts wealth (and vice versa) and approaches to address historical inequities and support a more secure future. LEARN MORE
New Frameworks for Economic Justice: Root Causes and Community Led Approaches
AFN, Philanthropy Northwest, and Oregon Economic Justice Roundtable hosted a webinar on May 6, 2022 as a first in a series conversation about what it takes to set the conditions toward bold and liberatory economic justice. They were joined by experts from the Northwest and nationally to explore two recently released reports which provide new frameworks to address racial wealth inequities.
Maintaining Momentum for Economic Justice
Presented by Puget Sound AFN and United Way of King County, this two part series was about what’s at stake for Washington families and the role the philanthropic, public and nonprofit sectors can play to continue the momentum to building a more economically just system now and going forward.
Part 1: Boosting Access to Cash During the 2022 Tax Season
Watch the webinar recording to listen to our discussion on what’s at stake, the current program and policy landscape, gaps in access, and strategies to promote equitable access now and continue the work toward a more economically just system.
Part 2: Housing and Economic Security: Lessons from the Pandemic
On January 11, 2022, we discussed the current landscape and strategies to support healthy households, an equitable recovery, and continued support for economic justice. Learn more and watch the webinar.
Letter to Support Wage Equity Call to Action
The Seattle mayor and city council are supporting additional funding for wage equity increases in city contracts! Support from funders who have signed the letter below has been explicitly called out by the mayor and several council members. We are in the middle of a fast-moving process with the City of Seattle to ensure the final version of the city budget invests in wage equity. Grant makers in King County can still support wage equity by signing the letter below. Please contact Annette Case for more information or to sign. LEARN MORE.
View our Fact Sheet on Wage Equity and Wealth: Advancing Economic Justice and Thriving Communities
Puget Sound AFN in the news:
CLICK HERE for a collection of resources and news on Puget Sound AFN and our partners.
Upcoming Events
Details
Steering Committee
GoWest Foundation
SYL Foundation
Kaiser Permanente Washington
Seattle Foundation
BECU Foundation
Seattle Foundation
Philanthropy Northwest
How We Work
- Inform: Puget Sound AFN highlights promising practices, key issues, and innovations in the field through funder-only dialogues as well as other community wide convenings. Members help generate, share and learn from research, webinars, briefs, ideas, and strategies delving into the roots of systems which create wealth disparities, exploring new frameworks and transformational solutions. We discuss and advance opportunities for concrete action in the short term that build for the long term.
- Connect: Puget Sound AFN members build and benefit from new partnerships with funders, community organizations, and policymakers. Voices from multiple perspectives and across sectors seed and grow ideas for change. Working together adds capacity for bolder action. The Steering Committee convenes monthly and holds community wide events regularly to learn together, act, and invest. Regional members also regularly connect with our national network of peers
- Influence: Puget Sound AFN engages key stakeholders to grow their knowledge and support. This includes efforts to shift narratives of wealth and power by making visible the hidden and unwritten rules that support white privilege and hold people from other communities back, and developing narratives that catalyze public will for changes that promote equity. AFN also identifies and supports initiatives that help change the rules to advance racial and wealth equity.
- Build: Puget Sound AFN seeks to grow our coordinated network of funders advancing racial economic justice by addressing root causes of wealth disparities. Philanthropy plays a critical role in generating capital flow, seeding big ideas and acting collectively in ways that align with and move our racial and economic justice goals forward. Access training to advance our collective action such as our ongoing system change/policy advocacy series.
