Whidbey Community Foundation is excited to announce it awarded grants to 14 nonprofits from its Whidbey Food Resilience Fund. This new Fund—seeded with $50,000 from WCF’s discretionary reserve—was established to provide rapid, equitable grants to food banks, meal programs, and other community-based organizations, ensuring that Whidbey residents have reliable access to nutritious food year-round.
“Every donor who has ever given to our Foundation Fund helped make this new effort possible,” said Jessie Gunn, Executive Director of the Whidbey Community Foundation. “The Whidbey Food Resilience Fund allows us to respond quickly and collaboratively—supporting the organizations feeding our neighbors right now, while strengthening the long-term network that keeps Whidbey nourished.”
An additional $29,500 was donated to the fund from 147 generous donors across the island, including a benefit concert held at the Coupeville High School in November 2025.
So far, WCF awarded 14 grantees totaling over $75,000 to support food access programs spanning all parts of Whidbey Island.
The Fund builds on WCF’s proven COVID-19 Community Resilience Fund model, which distributed over $450,000 in rapid-response grants during the pandemic. As with that initiative, the Whidbey Food Resilience Fund emphasizes partnership, transparency, and shared leadership among community organizations, funders, and local government partners.
“We opened the Whidbey Food Resilience Fund because our island is once again facing an impossible situation—rising food insecurity just as public supports are shrinking. During COVID, we saw how powerful it can be when our community pools its resources and responds together. This Fund builds on that same spirit of collaboration and care—ensuring our local food providers have what they need to keep every Whidbey household nourished,” said Gunn.
Since grants were first awarded in 2017, Whidbey Community Foundation has provided over 800 grants totaling over $5 million.
2025 Whidbey Food Resilience Fund Grant Cycle Awardees
- Gifts From the Heart Food Bank
- Good Cheer
- Island Senior Resources
- Mision Emanuel Whidbey Island A/D
- Mother Mentors of Whidbey Island
- North Whidbey Help House
- Pamoja Place
- Queen-Bee Pantry
- Rotary Club of Oak Harbor
- Ryan’s House for Youth
- South Whidbey Tilth Association
- Spin Cafe
- The Garage of Blessings
- Whidbey Island Nourishes
WCF looks forward to continuing to work collaboratively with donors and community-based organizations on Whidbey Island towards a shared vision of a healthy, vibrant, and unified Whidbey Island community.
Support Grants on Whidbey
WCF is able to provide grants like these with broad support from our community. If you are interested in supporting WCF’s Grant Programs, we ask that you make a contribution to WCF’s Foundation Fund which holistically supports our grant programs, nonprofit trainings/workshops, and WCF operations. WCF’s Board of Directors allocates funding each year toward our grant programs. WCF is a 501c3 nonprofit organization dedicated to Whidbey Island; all donations are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law. Learn about different ways to make a charitable contribution here.
To learn more about past grantees, visit our website.