GREATER GIG HARBOR FOUNDATION

The Greater Gig Harbor Foundation serves a regional population of more than 70,000 residents. As a community foundation, GGHF provides services and long-term stewardship of charitable funds to meet diverse community needs, and it acts as fiscal sponsor for numerous donor-directed funds, projects, and scholarship programs aligned with the Foundation's mission. In 2024, Foundation staff contributed more than 55,000 program hours, and more than 650 community volunteers provided an additional 38,000 volunteer hours across all GGHF initiatives. The Foundation raised over $250,000 to support local nonprofit organizations, community projects, public programming, grants, scholarships, and direct assistance. Signature fundraising and community engagement events supporting the Foundation's five core program areas included Cider Swig, Shamrock'n the Harbor, INDULGE, Students of Distinction, Gig Harbor Basket Brigade, The Community Table, #CommunityHarvest, and The Green Gig. GGHF also continued to support Pierce County, Washington State Parks, the City of Gig Harbor, and local park districts through its EnviroCorps program-now in its 20th year-which provides structured opportunities for volunteers to help maintain beaches, parks, trails, roadways, and public lands. In 2024, EnviroCorps volunteers contributed more than 13,000 hours, collected over 2,300 bags of litter and 100 bags of recyclables, conducted 140 hours of Litter Patrol, and provided 150 hours of direct service to community agencies. EnviroCorps maintained 22 road sections throughout Gig Harbor and the greater peninsula region and assisted with multiple remote-area cleanups involving abandoned machinery, appliances, garbage, and tires, improving public safety and environmental health. The Foundation also advanced work on plans for a permanent community center that will house a senior center, an event space, and an environmental learning center designed to meet the region's growing and diverse needs.

The Foundation's largest program is GGHF Curious by Nature School (CBNS), the community's only nature-based early learning center. CBNS uses a Reggio Emilia-inspired, nature-immersed curriculum that supports the development of critical thinking, problem-solving, and early literacy, math, science, and arts skills. Since 2012, the program has served more than 4,500 children ages 2 to 6 and has provided over $70,000 in tuition assistance to help reduce barriers to high-quality early childhood education. In 2024, CBNS served more than 400 children ages 2 to 10 through school-year programming, nature-based camps, and environmental education activities. The Foundation awarded $7,500 in financial assistance through the Steward Scholarship Fund, expanded its outdoor immersion program to meet growing demand, and offered free hands-on learning activities at multiple community events. CBNS also granted more than $5,000 to support professional development for early learning educators, with a focus on math readiness, literacy, social-emotional learning, and environmental stewardship. During 2024, CBNS continued its work toward becoming one of Washington State's first fully licensed outdoor, nature-based early learning programs through the Department of Children, Youth & Families (DCYF). More than 300 children and their families participated in community-connected environmental learning through the Jr. Explorers Program. CBNS received grant support and proceeds from its annual fundraiser, The Green Gig, and benefited from more than 7,800 volunteer hours contributed by parents, grandparents, educators, scientists, interns, and community members. Summer school and camp programs engaged approximately 300 children ages 3 to 10 in extended outdoor learning experiences.