The Community Foundation of NCW awarded $85,200 to local nonprofits through the Upper Valley Legacy Fund Grant Program in 2025, continuing a community-led approach to local giving.

Launched in 2024, the Upper Valley Legacy Fund has distributed $134,568 in grants in just two years, supporting nonprofits serving Leavenworth, Plain, Peshastin, and Dryden. There’s growing community investment in the fund, including Benevolent Nights at München Haus earlier this month where 25 percent of sales were donated, helping build future grantmaking capacity.

At the heart of the Legacy Fund model is a simple belief: the people who live in a community are best positioned to guide how charitable dollars are invested. That belief is carried out through Local Advisory Boards (LABs)—groups of community members who work alongside CFNCW board representatives to review grant applications and determine funding priorities for their region.

Now in its second year, the program is growing stronger as communities refine their approach to doing even more good together.

“Being part of the Local Advisory Board has connected me with so many wonderful people in our community,” said Lauren Peterson, an Upper Valley LAB member. “It has inspired me to give more personally and to help spread the word about our fund and the incredible work our local nonprofits are doing.”

The fund was launched with support from CFNCW’s Founders Circle, made up of community members who invested $5,000 or more to establish the fund. Ongoing support is welcome at any level through the fund’s grantable or endowed options.

To celebrate this year’s grant recipients, CFNCW and the Upper Valley Local Advisory Board hosted a grantee celebration on December 2^nd at the Leavenworth Festhalle, bringing together nonprofit partners, LAB members, and Community Foundation representatives to recognize the good brought by local philanthropy. Peterson described the event as “one of the highlights of the year was seeing everyone come together!”

CFNCW thanks the community members, donors, and Local Advisory Board members whose support makes this work possible, and congratulates the nonprofit organizations awarded grants in 2025 for their vital service to the Upper Valley.

*In addition to local grantmaking, CFNCW uses a Regional Pool to support nonprofit organizations whose services extend beyond a single community. When more than a third of a nonprofit’s service population lives outside its local Legacy Fund boundary, the organization may be eligible for funding through this pool. This year, Cascade Community Markets, Tierra Learning Center, Upper Valley Connection, Upper Valley MEND, and Wenatchee River Institute received Regional Pool awards in recognition of their regional impact.