About Us
Our Path
From the beginning, we have aimed to align purpose with informed action.
Relationship-Based Giving Begins With Us
Nonprofits lead with ideas. We follow with support. This dynamic balances power that has been out of whack for too long in philanthropy.
Our nonprofit partners are the subject matter experts and trust builders within their community. We are here with capital, introductions and as a sounding board and more. Transitioning to trust-based and regenerative funding required letting go of practices we embraced, yet now we feel our work better supports our partners and has us more meaningfully connected than ever.
The Past
How We Got Here
Cameron Healy, entrepreneur and founder of the Healy Foundation, has always been driven by a values-based vision of balancing profit with people and place. While being guided by this personal vision, Cameron has been willing to approach opportunities with a spirit of innovation and constructive risk taking.
The source of the Healy Foundation endowment comes from three manufacturing businesses which were built from scratch based on the principles of Human Respect, Investing in Environment and Communities while Operating Productive and Profitable Enterprises.
Kettle Foods • Salem, Or.
Founded 1978, Natural and Organic Foods
Best known for Kettle brand Potato Chips produced and sold worldwide.
Kona Brewing Co • Kailua- Kona, Hi
Founded 1994, Craft Beer Brewing
Best known for Longboard Lager and Big Wave Pale Ale distributed in 35 countries.
Sequential Bio Fuels • Salem, Or.
Founded 2005, Biodiesel Production & Distribution
Producing and distributing biodiesel made from recycled restaurant oil that the company collects from the food service industry in five Western States. Best known for Sequential brand biodiesel.
This same creative approach and guiding principles reflect in the culture of the Healy Foundation, allowing it to adapt to new philanthropic opportunities as they arise, while staying true to its core purpose over time.
Our Values
What We Believe In
A Different Way
Extracting Ourselves from Extractive Practices
Philanthropy — as a sector — is at a transition point. Thankfully, more and more funders recognize that the old ways of doing things can be harmful to the communities that foundations fund. Power is often hoarded, not shared. Burdensome requirements on nonprofits waste time, which leads to delaying people and resources from executing missions.
We are learning alongside our peers and are committed to examining our way of doing business and shifting to more regenerative practices. In keeping with the spirit of the endowment, we are not afraid to take risks and try new ideas. Yet, we pledge not to make changes on a whim or without collaboration – we know that our first commitment is to our grant partners.
Our Evolution Continues
Holding Optimism Through Change
In this period of disruption, breaking down and building up, we know where we currently sit is not where we will be. The challenges facing us from the community level to the planet level range from unsettling to life-threatening. The weight of climate change, political unrest, systemic racism and polarization nearly everywhere we turn — multiple seismic issues occurring simultaneously — challenge each of us.
We will continue to honor our commitment through unrestricted, open grants. We know that our values and belief in optimism coupled with action are more important than ever. We commit to continue to educate ourselves and shift operations from extractive to regenerative practices.