Innovia Foundation

LaunchNW: With the mission of galvanizing entire communities to ensure that every child finds belonging and travels their best journey from birth to career attainment, Innovia's economic and community vitality initiative, LaunchNW, significantly expanded its reach in 2024. The promise scholarship was awarded to its first round of recipients, 110 high school seniors in Spokane, Columbia and Garfield Counties, as a non-competitive last gap award, removing financial barriers to post high school education and vocational training.(Continued on Schedule O) The Mpower Mentoring Program, in partnership with community organizations, school districts and universities, through mentoring, career experiences and wrap around supports involved a total of 1,720 students within 8 Spokane County high schools for the 2023-2024 school year, expanding to 13 high schools for the 2024 - 2025 school year. We continued to work with our community to increase FAFSA/WASFA completion through extending and building upon our media campaign, reaching thousands of families in Eastern Washington and North Idaho. We partnered with local financial institutions, school districts, universities and community organizations to host FAFSA info nights for families and staff a virtual help desk as well as introduced in October of 2024 a one-day Senior Summit event. This event brought over 350 of our rural high school seniors together to learn about the importance of FAFSA and how to access post-high school education and training opportunities. Engage In Real Life, a new program, was launched in Augst 2024 through a partnership with Spokane Public Schools with the goal of getting kids off their screens and engaged in their communities through real life activities. To do this we've partnered with community organizations and cultural centers to link all families within our community to a variety of activities that connect with the diverse populations within our region. As part of this program 75% of students within Spokane Public Schools (K 12) have completed an IRL (in real life) Plan, indicating how they are participating in out of school time activities through their school and greater community. To further support the needs of our communities, a volunteer and mentor media campaign, All It Takes Is One, in combination with a partnership with United Way of Spokane County inspired and connected individuals and businesses to local organizations with volunteer and mentor needs throughout our community.Celebrating Community 50th Anniversary Events: Innovia dedicated its 50th anniversary to "Celebrating Community." Throughout 2024, we sponsored a wide range of community-identified grassroots events to foster social connections and community pride. Over $100,000 was infused into communities across our 20-county region to provide access to more than 50 free and low-cost events for children and families. Leadership Summit (March 2024): Innovia's fifth annual Leadership Summit on March 18 19 drew a record 325 volunteers and community partners eager to explore new and innovative ideas for building community resiliency. Experts and changemakers from across the nation provided trainings and information about best practices in education and workforce development. Sessions equipped communities to engage with Innovia's 5% transfer of wealth campaign, LaunchNW and the Community Heart & Soul initiative.Leadership Councils: Leadership Councils play a vital role in the Foundation's work by providing representation from throughout our 20-county service area. Council members serve as ambassadors and advisors to Innovia Foundation, and advocate for philanthropy in general. Each of Innovia's 10 Leadership Councils is comprised of 15 local community members who serve as trusted voices and engaged representatives from the communities where they live and work. Our council volunteers bring on-the-ground experience from a variety of sectors including education, health care, business, nonprofit management, elected offices, tribal governments and more. The Councils meet regularly to keep the Foundation educated about the needs and opportunities in their communities and help leverage the power of philanthropy for local impact. Disaster Response & Recovery: In the immediate aftermath of 2023 wildfires in Spokane County, Innovia committed $50,000 to support response and recovery efforts and more than $1.2 million was raised from generous businesses, organizations and individuals that donated to the Wildfire Response Fund for long-term recovery at Innovia. Throughout 2024, Innovia worked with the Spokane Region Long Term Recovery Group to distribute funds to rebuild homes, and participated with other funders at the Unmet Needs Roundtable where funds were distributed to assist wildfire survivors through a disaster case management process. Capacity Building for Nonprofit Organizations: Innovia Foundation engages in nonprofit capacity-building efforts to strengthen organizations across Eastern Washington and North Idaho, enabling them to better fulfill their missions and drive community transformation. In 2024, the Nonprofit Learning Series offered free and low-cost trainings on topics including finance, fundraising and board development. In partnership with Whitworth University, Innovia co-designed and sponsored scholarships for a new Nonprofit Management Certificate program, helping nonprofit leaders better navigate the complexities of the nonprofit sector. Community Heart & Soul: In March 2024, Innovia launched Community Heart & Soul, a resident-driven process that engages the entire population of a town or region in identifying what they love about their community, what future they want for it, and how to achieve it. Seven towns with populations of less than 30,000 people were chosen to participate in our first Community Heart & Soul cohort. Each community received a grant of $30,000 to implement the program, which includes 1) forming Heart & Soul core teams; 2) gathering stories from residents; 3) developing Heart & Soul Statements that identify what matters most and reflect what they love about their community;4) develop action plans to guide future planning and decisions based on their Heart & Soul Statements. Throughout the two-year process, Innovia provides technical assistance, community coaching and funding as Heart & Soul teams put their plans into action.