We recently celebrated the Murdock Trust’s 42nd anniversary with nearly 500 leaders from across the Northwest. Our annual Founder’s Day celebration was held at the historic Fort Vancouver Trust and provided an opportunity to honor retiring Trustee Lyn Swanson, who is now our first Trustee Emeritus. Lyn was presented with a beautiful glass airplane crafted by the Museum of Glass as a gift in recognition of service to nonprofits in the region, to scientific discovery through his leadership of FEI, and to the state of Oregon. Lyn is a person of deep integrity and thoughtful service who served as Trustee for 30 years.
We also honored the investment fund manager, Van Hoisington, whose organization has been a partner with the Trust for more than 35 years. We also celebrated the YMCAs across the region. The Murdock Trust has investment more than $10 million in these outstanding organizations that serve individuals, families, and communities in outstanding ways.
Founder’s Day followed our spring grants meeting, where we invested an additional $13.4 million in 53 organizations! These include groups such as:
- Museum of Idaho in Idaho Falls ($300,000), serving to build cultural capacity in Idaho
- Alaska Christian College in Soldotna ($400,000), which provides outstanding education to native and first generation Alaskans
- Community Leadership and Development, Inc. in Billings, Montana ($450,000), doing creative social enterprise development
- American National Red Cross ($375,000) for its emergency response vehicles used in the Northwest
- International Justice Mission ($350,000), which does remarkable work around the world in addressing human trafficking and injustice
- University of Washington’s cutting edge research in Seattle ($600,000) using a cryo-electron microscope for biological studies
These and other grants represent the spirit and breadth of the work of the Murdock Trust as we seek to continue to honor the intent of Jack Murdock, our benefactor, who hoped the work of the Trust would nurture and enrich the educational, cultural, social, and spiritual lives of individuals, families, and communities.
Of course, our support is but a small part of the support provided by individual donors and corporate foundations and groups such as the Raikes Foundation, J.A. and Kathryn Albertson Family Foundation, and funding by groups like NSF, NIH, and others. That is why the bipartisan support of the Charity Act is so important and a welcome example of collaboration for the common good. Introduced for passage by John Thune (R-SD), Robert Casey (D-PA), Pat Roberts (R-KS), and Ron Wyden (D-OR), the act is overwhelmingly supported by leaders in the nonprofit and foundation community, as well as business and community leaders. In a time of polarization and uncertainty, it is great to see people coming together to work for the common good and strengthen the support for individuals and groups who serve in such diverse and meaningful way.
For more on the work of the Murdock Trust, see our What Does Murdock Do? video and learn more about the creative organizations who are weaving the fabric of a healthy culture all across the Northwest.
Thanks for all you do — now, let’s go enjoy the summer!
Steven G.W. Moore
Executive Director
M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust