The Laird Norton Family Foundation (LNFF) seeks to honor and reflect the family’s shared values through its philanthropic giving, aiming to engage the family in philanthropy as a means to strengthen family connections.
The grant program of the Laird Norton Family Foundation is focused on several key areas, each with its broad goals and specific causes they support. These areas include:
Arts in Education: Aiming to enhance pre-K through grade 12 students' educational outcomes through the arts, by encouraging arts integration within curricula over mere enrichment or instruction, advocating systemic change to foster arts in education, and using arts as a tool to bridge the educational achievement gap.
Climate Change: Addressing the global threat of climate change by investing in regenerative biological systems to influence the carbon cycle and reducing dependency on fossil fuels, with a particular focus on efforts that hasten the end of coal and other fossil fuels usage and work to increase carbon sequestration in the Pacific Northwest.
Human Services: Supporting unaccompanied youth and young adults (age 12-24) in crisis, trauma, or aging out of the foster care system, with an emphasis on preventing unsafe living situations and providing long-term stability services, particularly for those affected by homelessness or foster care.
Watershed Stewardship: Creating conditions for the long-term health and resilience of watersheds of importance to the Laird Norton Family, with a geographic focus on Minnesota, Wisconsin, and key areas in the Western United States.
Sapling Fund: Engaging young family members (ages 14–20) in grantmaking, the nonprofit sector, and family philanthropy, promoting intellectual growth, business experience, and a philanthropic focus to prepare the next generation for leadership roles.