San Juan Island Community Foundation

11/02/2026

Today we are happy to share with you San Juan Community Home Trust's impact story from the 2025 San Juan County Fair campaign!

Through on-site solar energy generation, the objectives of the project were "to lower monthly electricity bills" and to "provide long-term energy cost stability and reduce reliance on external energy markets for the low- and moderate-income HolliWalk residents."

The Home Trust shared: "We have piloted an important strategy for making our homes more affordable. While HolliWalk was a new construction project and built to a high standard of energy efficiency and sustainability, our other neighborhoods weren't. Now that we have been through the State's funding program for solar power, we plan on replicating this at our other neighborhoods!

Electricity bills are expected to be cut in half. This is a tangible savings today for these homeowners and will also shelter them from expected and significant increases in energy costs projected by OPALCO over the coming years."

Thank you for these contributions to the community and for sharing them with us!

10/30/2026

Today we are excited to share with you San Juan Historical Museum's 2025 San Juan County Fair impact story.

They set out to "digitize a collection of over 100 oral history cassette tapes from the 1970s to the 1990s in order to ensure long-term preservation and increase access to the historical information they contain."

San Juan Historical Museum shared: "This project had been on our wish list for a number of years, waiting for the right funding opportunity to come along. The tapes had not been accessed for years due to concerns of damaging the recordings. Preserving the voices and stories captured on them is a significant accomplishment. An added bonus was having a local vendor available to complete the conversion process.

When these tapes were originally recorded, access was limited to listening only. Now that they have been migrated to a newer, more versatile technology, the possibilities for access have expanded significantly. These include sharing digital audio files, transcribing the recordings to enable reading and research, using audio snippets in exhibits and presentations, and more. We are in the early stages of reviewing more than 100 hours of recorded material. In doing so, we have rediscovered interesting facets of island history, including Roche Harbor’s limestone processing era, recollections of early law enforcement, and memories of school experiences, to name a few."

Thank you for preserving this history and sharing your story with us!

10/22/2026

Today we are grateful to share with you the 2025 San Juan County Fair impact story from SAFE San Juans.

"Our primary objective was to raise funds to help SAFE San Juans support survivors of domestic violence (DV) and sexual abuse (SA)...SAFE was able to continue to support survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault with the help of our community through their financial gifts during the last SJI Fair Grant Campaign."

As of March 2026, "SAFE served 67 domestic violence survivors (21 new) and 18 sexual assault survivors (7 new) since 7/1/2025, and proceeds from the Fair Grant Campaign helped make that possible. On an annual basis, SAFE will typically provide services to approximately 130 survivors of domestic or sexual violence and their families. This project supported SAFE in funding these vital services."

Thank you for providing these services to islanders and for sharing your story with us.

10/18/2026

Don’t forget to get your tickets to the Friday Harbor FILM Festival! 10/22-10/25 🎥 ❤️🫍

If you already have your tix, what film are you most excited to see?

Discover inspiring documentaries at the Friday Harbor Film Festival (FHFF). Get passes, submit films, explore events, and plan your visit to the San Juan Islands.

10/13/2026

Today's SJICF Fund Spotlight shines on The Rotary Club of San Juan Island and their SJI 36 Weekends Program.

Nearly half of the kids in Friday Harbor's public schools qualify for free or reduced-cost lunch, but school meals don't cover the weekend. That's the gap 36 Weekends was built to close. Each week, volunteer-prepared bags containing 2 breakfasts, 2 lunches, 2 dinners, and snacks go home with island kids from pre-K through high school, so hunger doesn't follow them home on Friday afternoon.

Teachers report real results: better focus, better reading and math performance, and kids more engaged in partner work in class. The program is entirely privately funded, run through the Rotary Club of the San Juan Islands, with support from community donors, volunteers, and matching grants.

You can give directly to help support 36 Weekends through SJICF - click here: https://sjicf.fcsuite.com/erp/donate/create/fund?funit_id=2783

10/08/2026

We are grateful to share an impact report from the 2025 San Juan County Fair - today from PKOLS.

"The objectives of this project were to support the preservation and revitalization of Indigenous cultural knowledge on STOLȻEȽ (San Juan Island) through community education, cultural restoration, and public engagement. Specific goals included advancing the Story Poles Honoring STOLȻEȽ initiative, expanding public understanding of SENĆOŦEN place names and W̱SÁNEĆ history, developing Indigenous-led educational programming, and beginning restoration work connected to traditional ecological knowledge and cultural landscapes.
An important objective was also to begin groundwork for the first of nine planned story poles on the west side of STOLȻEȽ through site preparation and culturally informed garden restoration efforts.

One of the most important results has been the continued re-centering of Indigenous presence, history, language, and stewardship on STOLȻEȽ through visible public education and restoration efforts. The advancement of the Story Poles Honoring STOLȻEȽ initiative created strong community interest and support for Indigenous-led cultural restoration. Beginning restoration planning and garden preparation work connected to the first story pole site on the west side of STOLȻEȽ represents a meaningful step toward restoring cultural visibility and traditional ecological relationships to the landscape. The project also strengthened partnerships between Indigenous community members, educators, youth, environmental organizations, and local residents."

Thank you, PKOLS, for this work you are doing in the community and for sharing it with us!

10/06/2026

Starting this year, a new federal tax rule allows donors who take the standard deduction (that's the vast majority of taxpayers) claim a deduction for charitable cash gifts for the first time in years: up to $1,000 for individuals and $2,000 for couples filing jointly. If you've been giving to causes like SJICF but weren't itemizing, this could mean a benefit that wasn't there before.

A few things worth knowing: the deduction applies only to cash gifts made directly to support the missions of qualifying public charities like SJICF; it doesn't cover contributions to donor-advised funds. Higher-income donors who do itemize should also note some new limits on the value of their deductions this year.

We’ll be sharing more information about tax changes and charitable giving in upcoming newsletters. Stay tuned!

Because tax law can be complex, the information in this article is intended for general informational purposes only. Readers should consult with their own professional tax, legal, or financial advisors before making decisions based on this information. Learn more at IRS.gov.

10/01/2026

We are excited to share with you the Mullis Community Senior Center impact report from their 2025 San Juan County Fair campaign!

"The project's primary objective was to replace the deteriorating and outdated 500-gallon propane tank with three new 1,000-gallon tanks. These new tanks are designed to provide the required fuel to maintain the generator and keep the facility operational during short, medium, or extended electrical outages. This new set-up will allow us to continue to provide essential programs/services to seniors and disabled adults even when the electrical grid is out. Additionally, because the Mullis Center is an officially designated Red Cross Emergency Facility, the expanded propane storage has the benefit of serving the entire community in the event of an island-wide emergency."

This completed project means that the Mullis Center is much better prepared in their "role as an Official Emergency Facility in the Island-wide Community Emergency Management Plan".

Many thanks to the Mullis Center for contributing to islanders' well-being and their safety in an emergency!