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A Commitment To Equity
The Community Foundation of South Puget Sound envisions a sustainable region where all people in the counties and tribal communities we serve will thrive, and we believe philanthropy has a role to play in ensuring everyone has opportunities to achieve their full potential.
Historic and systemic inequities undermine the economic and social well-being of residents in our communities. These persistent disparities are based on such characteristics as race, ethnicity, nationality, religion, economic class, geography, age, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, and more. When some of us are less able to participate in and benefit from our society, this is detrimental to the entire community. Such disparities prevent our vision of a healthy and thriving region from being fully realized.
We live in a moment in time where the combined efforts of many can lead us to greater justice for all. The Community Foundation embraces our responsibility in this evolution. We are committed to listening and amplifying the voices of those who are most impacted by long-standing disparities. We are committed to be in relationships with people who hold a variety of experiences and views.
We acknowledge there are many ways to foster a more equitable community—and no single way to achieve this outcome. We know we must stay open-minded, receptive to new ideas, and willing to change course when we make mistakes. Our vision for this community calls on us to embed the value of diversity, equity, and inclusion into all we do. It requires us to work alongside community partners, donors, and the nonprofit community. Together, we will need to stay collaborative, courageous, and humble.
In pursuit of our purpose, the Community Foundation of South Puget Sound publicly commits to the following:
- Celebrate and embrace our communities’ many differences
- Create spaces that foster belonging for all people
- Inspire a spirit of generosity, concern, and care for everyone in our communities
- Engage people with a variety of beliefs, identities, and experiences
- Develop an equity lens to evaluate decisions, practices, and procedures
- Cultivate a culture of learning and humility among staff, board, volunteers, donors, and our community
- Develop annual goals to advance diversity, equity, and inclusion and share our progress and learnings
- Use our social, moral, reputational, and financial resources to pursue our communities’ greatest opportunities and most critical challenges
- Expect every board member and every staff member to play an active role in advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion in our organization and community
Adopted by the Community Foundation Board of Directors, December 2, 2021