Whidbey Community Foundation (WCF) envisions a more vibrant, healthy, and unified Whidbey Island community. Our mission is to improve the quality of life on Whidbey Island so those who call Whidbey home can thrive now and in the future. We cannot achieve this future without acknowledging and reconciling our past and present.
This past year our nation has been engaged in deep racial justice reckoning. Systemic racism is rooted in the fabric of our country and our institutions. WCF acknowledges the work that must be done by all of us—philanthropy, government, businesses, nonprofits, communities, and individuals—to dismantle racism; to foster diversity; to achieve equality through equitable policies, practices, and funding; and to include people of all abilities, backgrounds, and identities. We first do this by denouncing racism in all its forms.
Here at WCF, we commit to being an anti-racist organization. We have begun and will continue to examine our practices and work toward integrating diversity, equity, inclusion (DEI), and anti-racism into our own organizational values. We will commit to showing up for the marginalized voices in our community, and strive toward using our platform to raise these voices, stories, and issues. It is incumbent upon us all to commit to greater learning and understanding of our own histories, and the lived experiences of marginalized individuals and families in our communities. WCF is committed to supporting our Island community and our nonprofits in this work. We continue to curate a list of training opportunities from our partners, including Washington Nonprofits , on DEI and anti-racism work that we can bring to Whidbey Island. Over the past year we have joined our partners in the Snohomish County Equity Funders Group and engaged in deeper learning on racial equity and social justice so that we are better equipped as a grantmaker to fund and support racial equity work. We commit to using these learnings to inform our future community investments and to guide our conversations with our donors, local nonprofits, partners, and community members.
We have a long way to go. Together we are stronger. Our work continues to heal the deep wounds of our country as we strive toward a more perfect union.