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We recently attended the third annual “Trust-Based Philanthropy in South King County” Funder Briefing, facilitated by Renton Regional Community Foundation. In a time of uncertainty and shrinking funding, we leaned into our shared values of trust, power-sharing, and collective action. The event offered an opportunity to put trust-based philanthropy into practice, bringing together an eclectic community of funders and nonprofit leaders to workshop shared interests, lived experience insights, and actionable next steps. The event began with a review of Renton Regional Community Foundation’s 2025 Non-Profit Survey results, followed by a panel of experts highlighting one of the perennial top three areas of need cited by South King County service providers: mental health support. We explored a range of ideas for addressing emergent community needs. Many discussion topics aligned with Trust-Based Philanthropy’s Meet the Moment campaign, which addresses the ripple effects of federal actions that threaten our neighbors, friends, and family—such as SNAP cuts, Medicaid restrictions, ICE raids, and reductions in health, science, and environmental funding. The experience left us grateful to be in this work together while reminding us that now is not the time to pull back. We must continue to be active funders and supporters, working in solidarity with community leaders and those in urgent need of supportive housing, healthy food access, mental health resources, and more.
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