Allen Family Philanthropies Joins WA Acceleration Fund
Allen Family Philanthropies is joining cross-sector partners in the inaugural WA Acceleration Fund contributing $300,000 to the fund. The WA Acceleration Fund is a cross-sector endeavor to accelerate proven, data-driven solutions to end youth homelessness, with a particular focus on youth voice. A supporter of mobilizing governance and civic engagement opportunities for Washington youth, Allen Family Philanthropies’ investment will support young people as meaningful partners in governance and decision-making processes that influence local youth homelessness response systems.
Research from Washington State Department of Commerce shows there were 40% fewer unaccompanied homeless youth in 2023 than in 2016, with graduation rates for students experiencing homelessness increasing by over a third. The WA Acceleration Fund was launched in summer 2026 to build on this progress through a statewide effort focused on public-private partnerships, community-led strategies, and investments that help more young people stay safely housed and thrive.
The WA Acceleration Fund recognizes that youth-led advocacy and governance are essential to create effective systems change. This approach aligns with Allen Family Philanthropies’ priority to strengthen youth leadership and meaningful participation in decision-making. The foundation will fund youth governance infrastructure, including Youth Action Boards (YABs), which bring young people with lived experience to decision-making spaces that shape local youth homelessness response systems.
"Young people deserve a real role in decisions that affect them," said Anh Nguyen, director of arts, youth, and communities for Allen Family Philanthropies, “Our investment in the Washington Acceleration Fund reflects our commitment to youth leadership and civic voice. By putting young people’s experience at the center of how this fund invests, we can build on Washington’s progress in a way that creates more agency for young people and stronger structures for decision-making.”
Washington state has received national recognition for centering youth in its community action work, with Youth Action Boards increasingly informing policies, programs, and funding decisions. Allen Family Philanthropies’ funding will sustain existing or create new Youth Action Boards across Washington, and support other youth governance structures. These approaches will help communities interpret data, identify barriers, test solutions, and improve systems in ways that are more responsive to the needs of young people experiencing homelessness.
Allen Family Philanthropies’ investment contributes to the WA Acceleration Fund's goal of raising $15 million over three years to accelerate the approaches that are working to reduce youth homelessness in the state. WA Acceleration Fund's framework aligns with Built for Zero, a national movement and methodology based on data-driven, coordinated community action to measurably end homelessness.
WA Acceleration Fund was launched by The Schultz Family Foundation, Raikes Foundation, and Campion Foundation in 2026. Public and private partners statewide have since joined the initiative, including City of Seattle, United Way of King County, and Washington State Department of Commerce's Office of Homeless Youth.
“Closing the gap on youth homelessness in Washington state calls for a range of perspectives and approaches,” said Nguyen. “We are honored to bring our priority area of youth governance and mobilizing youth leaders to this strong collective of cross-sector partners.”
Allen Family Philanthropies' youth portfolio is focused on supporting youth changemakers to strengthen and move communities forward. The foundation believes young people can contribute to meaningful change when they have the opportunity to self-identify the issues they care about and share their voice, when they are supported with the resources and skill development that position them as leaders, and when society values them as contributors, influencing decision-making.
About Allen Family Philanthropies
Founded in 1988 by Jody Allen and the late Paul G. Allen, co-founder of Microsoft, Allen Family Philanthropies invests in communities across the Pacific Northwest and beyond to strengthen arts and culture, empower the next generation of changemakers, and support a global network of partners working to advance biodiversity and human well-being. In addition to its core program areas of arts & culture, youth, and environment, the foundation contributes to a wide range of sponsorships and community grants across Washington state. Learn more at www.allenphilanthropies.org.
