Annual & Endowment Funds

Your support is vital to helping us achieve the park’s mission of education, conservation and recreation. Your gift allows the park to add new programs and exhibits, upgrade old ones, buy new equipment and increase the park’s conservation and education efforts.

Ways to give include:
  • Cash Gifts (cash or checks)
  • Planned Gifts
  • Non-cash Gifts and Gifts In-kind
  • Tributes and Memorials Naming Opportunities

Let your imagination run wild with how you could support this special place. Please contact Diane Tilstra at 360.832.7182 (office) or 253.651.8384 (cell) or email Diane.Tilstra@nwtrek.org with ideas and questions.

You can choose to give to the Annual Fund or Endowment Fund.

Annual Fund             
Endowment Fund
Our Annual Fund offers you an opportunity to support the immediate priorities that fall outside of the regular operating budget.

The annual fund donations are received by the Northwest Trek Foundation and applied to the highest park needs as determined by Northwest Trek administrators and Foundation board members.

For example, donations have allowed the park to buy special play balls for the cats and, puzzle toys for the wetlands animals that activate natural behavior and activity during non-public hours of operation.

Unrestricted gifts
Unrestricted gifts – donations without any restricted guidelines – are the most useful to Northwest Trek. The park can quickly and easily allocate the donation to wherever it is most needed.

Restricted gifts
You can choose to restrict your gift to conservation, education or animal care programs at Northwest Trek.

Northwest Trek has an endowment fund through The Greater Tacoma Community Foundation. The fund was created to establish a steady source of income for the park, in addition to revenue from admission, memberships, gift/food sales and annual gifts.

Endowment funds are invested for both income and growth and are intended to provide permanent sources of income for the park. Northwest Trek can tap the interest earnings from this fund if needed but not the principal.

Some people who are not able to give as much as they would like during their lifetimes may choose to make a planned gift to help endow Northwest Trek programs. Others choose to give over their lifetimes and in their estates.

The Endowment Fund includes both restricted and unrestricted endowment sub-funds, including named funds of suitable size, and will grow over time as additional gifts and bequests are made.

A named restricted endowment fund is a perfect way to honor someone in perpetuity. Such a fund can provide annual support to Northwest Trek in the area that would most interest the person being honored.



To learn more or to make a donation, please contact Diane Tilstra at 360.832.7182 (office) or 253.651.8384 (cell) or email Diane.Tilstra@nwtrek.org.