The Foundation’s history is closely linked to the history of Stanwood and Camano Island, Washington.
The early settlers arrived at Utsalady Bay on Camano Island in the late 1850s. The settlement spread to Centreville (1870s), later renamed Stanwood, which became a milltown for the island. The addition of the railroad accelerated the town’s growth. At that time, Stanwood was the largest settlement of Norwegians in the State. The population grew as Swedes working on the railroad settled in the east end of town. In fact, two towns were formed: East Stanwood for the Swedes, and Stanwood for the Norwegians who came through the port. The Scandinavian good neighbor policy and tradition of Velcommen made the town prosper in the early 1910s and kept it alive during the Great Depression when it was almost wiped out.
Because Stanwood remained two distinct towns until 1960, there were also two community chests: the East Stanwood Chamber of Commerce and the Stanwood Commercial Club. In 1954, the two groups united to sponsor a major fund-raising drive for charitable considerations sponsored by the United Good Neighbors of Snohomish County. Stanwood retained 25% of all funds solicited and the rest went to various organizations within the county. United Good Neighbors became United way, and the Foundation continues to receive funds through this agency to meet area emergency needs today.
After the towns united in 1960, a small group of community leaders decided that the growing community should have a single continuing organization to provide community services. It would also serve as a place where donors could make gifts for long-range community benefit and provide a planning basis for Stanwood’s future. The Stanwood-Camano Area Foundation incorporated as a Washington non-profit corporation in 1962. Founders included William Brokaw, Edward D. Jones, Cliff Fosse and Cliff Danielson. The Foundation began with a Board of Trustees of eighteen persons divided into four committees:
Trustees were selected from all walks of life within the community – from bankers and bus drivers to farmers and business owners. Each Trustee had a desire to give something back to the community and to contribute to it. In 1973, the Trustee’s membership was increased by the addition of student representatives selected annually from Stanwood High School. Each Trustee brought their vision, and so it continues to this day. For many years the Foundation ambled along with the same format and a host of dedicated people. Grants were distributed at semi-annual meetings. Permanent memorial scholarship funds were endowed and temporary restricted funds were established to meet current community needs. Gradually, the Foundation’s assets grew to over $50,000, where it remained for nearly two decades.
In 1993, the dynamics of the Foundation changed dramatically. Lyle Foster made a generous gift of stock valued at nearly $200,000 for scholarships. Additional gifts and bequests during the 1990s followed, and suddenly the Foundation found itself worth over a half million dollars and growing. No longer a little ‘community chest,' the Foundation had become a major player in the local scholarship arena, with $500,000 in permanent scholarship funds providing $25,000 in awards annually.
A swimming pool fund started in the early 1960s had grown to over $30,000 – a lot of money to be sitting in a bank account, but not nearly enough to build a community pool. After lengthy discussions, legal investigations, community meetings and multiple committees, it was determined that the fund could be liquidated. In 2001, grant applications were solicited from local non-profit organizations and the funds were disbursed for various community capital projects. Several sizable bequests provided $100,000 to fund a permanent Community Grants program, established in 2003 by the Board of Trustees. The Distribution Committee developed criteria and a formal application process for distributing the earning from this fund annually. A commitment was made to develop that ‘community capital’ to improve the quality of life within the community now and well into the future.
As the money grew, it became apparent that the Trustees needed outside help managing its investments. A Finance Committee was drafted to investigate the options. The Committee recommended that the Foundation’s endowed funds be placed with the Seattle Foundation. In 2002, after much deliberation and a presentation by the Seattle Foundation to the full Board, the Board voted to transfer the endowed funds to the Seattle Foundation. The placement and safety of funds entrusted to the Stanwood-Camano Area Foundation remains a paramount responsibility of the Board. This move ensured that funds donated to the Foundation would be invested in a manner consistent with the philanthropic intent of the donors, providing a perpetual source of income to meet community needs. It is the policy of the Foundation, to annually distribute 5% of aggregate endowment assets in grants and scholarships.
With the beginning of a new century, the Foundation was ready to become a real community foundation. Bylaws were re-written and committees re-formulated. An executive director was appointed to manage the Foundation’s activities. Committee membership was solicited from throughout the community and included individuals from outside the formal Board of Trustees. Many changes have taken place since the Foundation’s inception over 40 years ago, but the intent remains the same. The Foundation is dedicated to
Created BY and FOR the Residents of the Stanwood-Camano Community