Greater Tacoma Community Foundation

06/02/2026

On June 1, 1981, Greater Tacoma Community Foundation (GTCF) began serving Pierce County with $10,000 in assets and a belief that people working together could achieve more than anyone could do alone. Forty-five years later, GTCF has grown into a catalytic partner for the many ways people harness hope and cooperation to build a thriving community.

As GTCF celebrates 45 years, we're also looking forward. President & CEO Kathi Littmann has announced plans to transition leadership by the end of 2027.

Learn more about GTCF's 45 years and the next chapter to come.

https://www.gtcf.org/news-reports/gtcf-marks-45-years-and-looks-to-its-next-chapter/

05/26/2026

In 2025, more than $19 million was directed through GTCF. That total included 1,524 grants to 810 organizations and individuals doing the work of building a thriving Pierce County. From Access to Capital to Youth programs to Food Access, this is what our community's generosity looks like in action.

Learn more by reading "Where Did All the Money Go?" in the latest edition of GTCF's Strategic Gazette and explore the interactive 2025 Philanthropy chart on GTCF.org to see which organizations received grants in each category.

https://www.gtcf.org/connect/funding/

05/18/2026

Networks—groups of people connected by shared values and a commitment to act together—are proving to be one of the most powerful tools communities have right now.

In 2025, GTCF directed $780,502 to 24 Pierce County networks because greater things happen when people work together.
Read their stories in our Spring Gazette: https://bit.ly/3QUuoPu

05/11/2026

What does it look like when nonprofits, government, and community organizations share their data, challenges and opportunities in one room?

Read the Spring 2026 edition of GTCF's Strategic Gazette to learn how shared data is helping build resilient solutions and ensure enduring support for Pierce County residents.

https://www.flipsnack.com/5D98BECC5A8/gtcf-strategic-gazette-vol-3-may-2026/full-view.html

05/07/2026

"That’s really our model: community-centered philanthropy. The people closest to the issue understand the barriers, and our role is to convene them, amplify their voices, bring in research and examples, and help translate lived experience into action."

Kathi Littmann, President & CEO, GTCF, recently sat down with NationSwell as part of their "Five Minutes With…" series. Find out what she had to say about the evolving role of community philanthropy, the importance of building resilience alongside capacity, and GTCF's collaborative model in Pierce County.

https://nationswell.com/five-minutes-with-the-greater-tacoma-community-foundations-kathi-littmann/

05/05/2026

Major changes to federal funding and policy are reshaping Pierce County’s human services, from government agencies to grassroots nonprofits. In response, nearly forty leaders from nonprofits, libraries, school districts, hospitals, and local government began meeting late last year.

The Spring 2026 GTCF Strategic Gazette highlights how they’re using reliable data, peer consulting, and long-term vision to ensure enduring support for Pierce County residents.

https://www.flipsnack.com/5D98BECC5A8/gtcf-strategic-gazette-vol-3-may-2026

03/05/2026

"Shared goals are strongest when they are rooted in the needs of the people being served. Centering community outcomes over organizational identity helps networks move beyond competition and toward collaboration, reinforcing the idea that progress for one partner strengthens the system as a whole." - MDC - Metropolitan Development Council

MDC - Metropolitan Development Council provides a broad range of community-based services designed to reduce poverty, increase stability, and support long-term well-being for individuals and families across Pierce County.

MDC - Metropolitan Development Council is one of 24 networks/orgs that received funding through GTCF in 2025 to catalyze relationship building through Pierce County area networks.

Guiding Focus of Network MDC provides a broad range of community-based services designed to reduce poverty, increase stability, and support long-term well-being for individuals and families across Pierce County. Our services span housing stability and homelessness prevention, coordinated entry and s...

03/04/2026

"Strive to provide more value to your partners than you are asking them to contribute to the partnership. " - Susan & Ben Paganelli, Executive Directors, KP Partnership for a Healthy Community

Key Peninsula Partnership for a Healthy Community focuses on building connections to help people the Key Peninsula community grow stronger and healthier together.

KP Partnership for a Healthy Community is one of 24 networks/orgs that received funding through GTCF in 2025 to catalyze relationship building through Pierce County area networks.

https://www.gtcf.org/blog/key-peninsula-partnership-for-a-healthy-community-2025-network-funding-spotlight/

03/03/2026

"...just as the tree needs our help with careful pruning so that its branches don’t fall due to their weight or an imbalance in the tree’s structure, we need our teams and networks to help us correct course when necessary and let go when needed. Slow, intentional, and collaborative growth will help us reach maturity successfully!" - Tacoma Tree Foundation

Tacoma Tree Foundation (TTF) is focused on growing community stewardship of the urban forest across Greater Tacoma through planting, education, and advocacy. TTF's planting efforts are focused on the neighborhoods with fewer trees, which also tend to be more diverse.

Over the past few years, TTF has steadily grown while collaborating with many community partners, from local governments like City of Tacoma, Pierce County, and the Puyallup Tribe of Indians), to organizations like the University of Washington, The Nature Conservancy, and Hilltop Urban Gardens.

Tacoma Tree Foundation is one of 24 networks/orgs that received funding through GTCF in 2025 to catalyze relationship building through Pierce County area networks.

Guiding Focus of Network Tacoma Tree Foundation (TTF) is focused on growing community stewardship of the urban forest across Greater Tacoma through planting, education, and advocacy. Our planting efforts are focused on the neighborhoods with fewer trees, which also tend to be more diverse. To ensure...

03/02/2026

Looking to make the most of a Required Minimum Distribution that she didn't need to use for income this year, Sheri Tonn made a Qualified Charitable Distribution from her IRA to support several Pierce County nonprofits.

Qualified Charitable Distributions allow people to make tax-free donations directly from and Individual Retirement Account to a qualified charity. These donations could fulfill part or all of an annual Required Minimum Distribution while also helping support a thriving community.

Learn more about how you can Really Make A Difference with your Required Minimum Distribution too.

With limited dollars and staff, Pierce County nonprofits really make a difference. That’s why Sheri Tonn and her husband, Jeff, chose to make a Qualified Charitable Distribution with the Required Minimum Distribution from their IRA. As a co-founder and long-time Board Member of Communities for a H...