GiveOrcas

2024 Holiday GiveOrcas Grants

Our Holiday GiveOrcas Campaign was record breaking this year. This year, 717 donors contributed $249,597 and OICF added $34,706  allowing us to fully fund all 30 proposals. Thank you to everyone who participated! These donations will greatly benefit each of these organizations and, in turn, all of us. This is a list of the fully funded proposals: 

• 4 – H — $3,300: Help fund teens to attend the annual Know Your Government program in Olympia to learn about the judicial system.
• Art for Orcas Kids (AOK) / OIEF — $15,000: Support  creative expression with weekly art classes and a year-end exhibit for 200+ Orcas students in grades K-8.
• Actors Theatre of Orcas Island — $7,500: Upgrade audio equipment for dialogue clarity for years to come and support operations. 
• Deer Harbor Community Club — $15,000: Save our 1905 Deer Harbor School House- help fund vital foundation repairs! 
• Economic Development Council — $3,230: Bring vitally needed, affordable tech certification courses to Orcas. 
• Friends of the San Juans — $8,000 : Help restore riparian habitat for salmon along Lower Cascade Creek. 
• Funhouse Commons — $15,000: Rebuild The Richie Moore Song Shop for innovative youth music learning. 
• Gathering of The eagles / Orcas Canoe Journey — $6,500: Develop relationships between indigenous peoples and islanders, celebrating our shared history.
• Healing Arts Center — $5,000: Support the affordable Community Health Initiative (CHI) to serve all community members regardless of financial need.
• Kaleidoscope Preschool & Childcare — $14,400: Enrich homes with quality children’s books through the Bringing Books Home program, connecting
  families and school with quality children’s literature.
• KWIAHT— $5,250: Contribute to understanding the pesticide footprint
  on Orcas Island ecosystems. 
• Long Live the Kings — $3,200:  Empower community-led salmon recovery on Orcas with needed equipment.
• Music Advocacy Group(MAG) — $14,200: Keep school music accessible. Provide instruments and storage for Orcas music students to thrive!
• OPAL Community Land Trust — $15,000: Install electric vehicle chargers in OPAL neighborhoods. 
• Orcas Center — $15,000: Support Orcas Center’s annual fundraiser:
  “Help Us Thrive in‘25!” 
• Orcas Choral Society — $7,735:  Support the production of the spring concert GLORIA! Music for Voice and Brass. 
• Orcas Community Resource Center — $15,000: Promote Wellness: Support the Coates Cabinet Hygiene Bank.
• Orcas Dance Collective — $15,000: Help underwrite the full-length ballet version of Alice in Wonderland–to be presented in Spring 2025.
• Orcas Island Booster Club — $10, 023: Strengthen student well-being and athletic teams through new weight room gear for high school students.
• Orcas Island Children’s House — $11, 865: Support outdoor play and learning for young islanders with new, sustainable playground equipment.
• Orcas Island Community Church — $5,500: Provide vital support for the Severe Weather Shelter, including stipends to volunteers who open the shelter
  on freezing nights.
• Orcas Island Food Bank — $10,000: Keep food bank families and their pets healthy!
• Orcas Island Historical Museums — $4,250: Preserve Orcas Voices! Support this oral history program capturing our unique island culture.
• Orcas Island Lion’s Club — $3,200: Help fund a pilot program to provide much-needed respite care for family caregivers.
• Orcas Island Rowing Association — $11,650: Support necessary and required safety launch for on-water practices.
• Orcas Island School District Library — $10,000: Engage and encourage all readers by helping to provide Spanish language elementary and teen books for the school district library.
• Orcas Senior Center — $15,000: Join us to support home safety and independence for Orcas Island seniors.
• Salmonberry School — $15,000: Nurture mindfulness and well-being by helping
  to create a contemplative garden for students and visitors.
• Traditional Foodways — $10,000: Support cultivating inspiration, education, and connection among Indigenous speakers and island
  farmers at theAgricultural Summit.
• Wolf Hollow Wildlife Rehabilitation Center — $3,500: Help repair critical equipment for the Harbor Seal Pups program! Urgent repairs are needed for reliable food storage.

2024 Spring Grants 

Our Spring GiveOrcas Campaign was record breaking this year. This year, 957 donors contributed $259,000 and OICF added $120,000 allowing us to fully fund all 26 proposals. Thank you to everyone who participated! Over the last 11 years, $2.9 million has been raised and distributed through the Spring Give Orcas campaigns. Truly amazing support for the programs that serve the island so well.

• Actor’s Theatre of Orcas Island — $450: Help upgrade theatre production software. 
• American Legion Post #93 – $25,000: Fund necessary building repairs and increase ADA accessibility.
• Art for Orcas Kids (AOK) / OIEF — $25,000: Provide visual arts lessons for the Orcas Island Middle School in 2024/25. 
• Fresh Bucks / OCRC— $11, 692 : Help enhance a food program designed to make local fruits & veggies affordable. 
• Funhouse Commons — $23,000: Fund ADA accessible doors for facility to improve inclusion. 
• Healing Arts Center — $6,000: Replace outdated electrical panels that pose a fire risk to the historic community building.
• Keepers of the Patos Light — $3,200: Purchase a portable solar generating system for safety equipment and tools.
• KWIAHT — $6, 342: Provide an Orcas youth steward on Indian Island for the summer to guide visitors and protect the ecosystem. 
• Odd Fellows Hall — $15,000: Retain the character and safety of the aging building by replacing and upgrading the decking.
• OPAL Community Land Trust — $20,000: Support the construction of ten new, permanently affordable homes on Kidder Way.
• Orcas Animal Protection— $25,000: Help subsidize veterinary services to income qualifying pet guardians.
• Orcas Center— $25,000: Help fund Orcas Center’s free outdoor Summer Concert Series. 
• Orcas Community Participatory Agriculture — $15,000: Support education of islanders in sustainable and community-centric agriculture practices. 
• Orcas Community Resource Center— $25,000: Support essential health & medical services for islanders.  
• Orcas Island Children’s House — $15,000: Support quality care for our youngest islanders, their families & their teachers. 
• Orcas Island Farmer’s Market — $7,000: Keep the heart of Eastsound alive. Help offset SJ County fees and keep vendor rates affordable. 
• Orcas Island Food Bank — $5,000: Support a summer fiesta & community survey to assess the Hispanic community’s needs at the new Pea Patch campus.
• islanders in sustainable and community-centric agriculture practices. 
• Orcas Island Historical Museums— $10,700: Fund outdoor exhibit and signage to bring history alive beyond the museum walls.  
• Orcas Island Library — $5,000: Convert a storage area into a necessary new meeting room. 
• Orcas Island Lit Fest — $6,500: Help keep the Orcas Island Lit Walk a free public event.
• Orcas Senior Center — $25,000: Fund programs and activities that serve seniors and adults with disabilities.
• Safe San Juans — $25,000: Support for survivors of domestic and sexual violence on Orcas Island. 
• Sail Orcas — $16,000: Repair boats to ensure safe and functional race team program expansion. 
• San Juan County Economic Development Council (EDC) — $3,230: Provide Tech Training initiative support on Orcas. 
• West Sound Community Club — $10,000: Invest in essential facility repairs needed to maintain the function and charm of the building. 
• YMCA Camp Orkila — $25,000: Support YMCA Camp Orkila day camp, youth and adult spanish/ english swim lessons. 

2023 Holiday Grants

Our Holiday GiveOrcas Campaign was remarkable this year.

We nearly fully funded all grants.  The community raised almost $153,000 which was awarded across 18 community organizations. We had a total of over 700 donations from over 700 donors. These donations will greatly benefit each of these organizations and, in turn, all of us.

• Orcas Community Resource Center — $15,000: Support financial literacy for islanders through Orcas Money Smart. 
• OPAL Community Land Trust – $13,805: Help eradicate noxious weeds from OPAL owned lands.
• Orcas Senior Center — $15,000: Help support programs that serve seniors and adults with disabilities.  
• Orcas Island School District 137— $10,000: Provide comfortable chairs to encourage kids to sit and read with new books. 
• 4H of San Juan County — $3,000: Help members learn about state government & how to become a positive citizen.
• Long Live The Kings — $7,350: Support essential equipment purchases for Glenwood Springs.
• KWIAHT — $5,000: Help conserve apples for the future from hidden treasures in Orcas orchards. 
• Salmonberry School — $10,000: Help fund a student support and advocate specialist.  
• San Juan Islands Conservation District — $2,630: Support affordable rentals for students in Island Conservation Corps’ ecological restoration program.
• Wolf Hollow Wildlife Rehabilitation Center — $3,500: Provide care for harbor seal pups who get separated from their mother.
• San Juan Islands Conservation District/ AG Summit — $7,500: Fund programs to help aid in strengthening our local food system. 
• Friends of The San Juans / Gathering of The Eagles — $6,500: Support the stay of of the indigenous canoe journey members that visit in May. 
• Orcas Center $2,500:  Help underwrite a full version of The Nutcracker Ballet on Orcas. 
• Art for Orcas Kids (AOK / OIEF) — $15,000: Provide funding for student art and visual art advancement that serves students in the public school district.
• Friends Of The San Juans — $6,500: Fund the Salish Sea Education Program which connects local students to marine ecosystem programs. 
• Orcas Choral Society — $7,800: Support the production of multiple concerts this spring alongside the Orcas Youth Chorus.
• Funhouse Commons — $15,000: Expand  the diverse & inclusive programs to young people.
• Orcas Island Library — $3,000: Ensure kids have Spanish language books and programs. 

2022 Holiday Grants

Our Holiday GiveOrcas Campaign was also fully funded this year, thanks to you.

A total of $234,040.72 was awarded across 24 community organizations. We had a total of 1,443 donations from 603 donors, of which 188 were new donors. These donations will serve the following organizational needs and the community well. Thank you, Orcas.  

•  Art for Orcas Kids (A*OK)/OIEF: $12,675 for artists to bring art & inspiration to students
• Children’s House: $15,000 for a new lawn and garden shed
• Funhouse Commons: $1,500 for the gift of play, learning & friends after school
• Healing Arts Center: $9,175 for a facelift of their historic building, including siding and paint
• Island Rides: $15,000 to provide needed rides for islanders, seven days a week
• Kaleidoscope/Recovery Rides: $14,731 to make sure islanders with addiction challenges get to treatment
• KWIAHT: $4,275 for community stewardship and protection of Indian Island
• Long Live the Kings (LLTK): $10,000 to help LLTK’s Glenwood Springs restore salmon on Orcas
• Mercy Flights/Orcas Aviation Association: $15,000 to fly residents & family members to hospitals & specialist care
• Music Advocacy Group (MAG): $15,000 for a full set of timpani for the Music Department at OISD
• OPAL: $15,000 to complete designs to permit and build 10 new affordable townhomes
• Orcas Center/Orcas Dance Collective: $5,000 for dance shoes, attire, and costumes for families in need
• Orcas Choral Society: $6,000 for the Orcas Youth Chorus to serve island youth, K-5th & 6th-12th grade
• Orcas Community Resource Center (OCRC): $15,000 to support OCRC Bilingual Services
• Orcas Island Food Bank: $12,000 to help Food Bank customers feed themselves & their pets
• Orcas Island Health Care District: $5,200 to support the provision of primary care on Orcas
• Orcas Island Historical Museums: $6,000 for exhibit and exterior lighting upgrades
• Orcas Island Lit Fest: $3,400 to help Orcas Island’s book festival host beloved writers
• Orcas Island School District 137: $10,000 to bring authors to the Orcas School District
• Orcas Island Youth Conservation Corps: $14,396 for facilitating outdoor stewardship programs for Orcas Island youth
• Orcas Recycle Services/The Exchange: $3,500 for the Exchange Community Gift Card program expansion
• Orcas Senior Center: $15,000 for companionship & understanding to help seniors stay in their homes
• Salmonberry School and Learning Center: $10,000 for their fence and tree project
• YMCA Camp Orkila: $3,400 for their Spanish and English Language Classes