Founded in 1994 by Jane and George Russell as a way to give back to the community, The Russell Family Foundation works in three main areas: environmental sustainability, supporting grass roots community efforts, and global peace and security.

The Russells bought and operated The Frank Russell Co., a small brokerage and mutual fund business started by George's grandfather. When they sold the company, later renamed to the Russell Investment Group, in 1999, they used part of the proceeds for an endowment for their foundation. Since then, the foundation has been able to make more and bigger grants to organizations.

The foundation is a “nonprofit guest” in The Threshold Building in downtown Gig Harbor (called by some residents The Russell Family Foundation building). The building is certified under LEED standards (Leadership in Environmental and Energy Design) by the U.S. Green Buildings Council. The building was built by the Russells and is owned by The Threshold Group.

The building features a beautiful rooftop garden and public plaza at the street level. The park is an eco-roof that helps reduce heat absorption and insulates the building. The garden is pesticide-free and has drought-tolerant plants, including a variety of Northwest species. Inside, elegant architectural features are used, along with spacious windows for natural light that can also be opened for ventilation, and environmentally friendly materials such as recycled carpet tiles instead of wall-to-wall carpeting, recycled reinforced steel, and timbers reclaimed from windfallen trees in an Oregon forest.

“The building was built to reduce our environmental impact. It was important for the Russell family to create a building consistent with their vision,” said Richard Woo, foundation CEO.

Their vision is what led Jane and George Russell to create the foundation. The goal of the foundation is not only to contribute to innovative community impact, but also to create a positive work culture and build quality relationships with its partners, Woo said.

The environmental program, which is the main aspect and the only program that accepts applications, is focused on Western Washington, with the goal of helping improve as well as maintain the environment and quality of life in Puget Sound. The program centers on environmental education, the health of Puget Sound waters, and promoting green business practices (although grants are not given directly to for-profit businesses).

One of the Greater Kitsap Area projects funded by the organization is a Living Machine at the YMCA Camp Seymour on the Key Peninsula. The camp's Living Machine is one of only several dozen in the country. It's an innovative, environmentally friendly waste-water treatment system that uses bacteria, plants and organisms to purify waste water, which can then be reused for certain purposes.

In addition to cash grants, technical assistance is provided to nonprofits, and the foundation looks for ways to raise environmental awareness and works with other foundations on common interests.

The Green Business aspect of the environmental program is designed to raise awareness on the value of green businesses. “We try to build relationships across the sector, which in the long run helps build a better climate for green business,” Woo said.

One example is a grant to Asia Pacific Environmental Exchange (recently renamed Earth Economics), a nonprofit group that among other things promotes awareness of spot prawns. The organization's goal is to increase the market demand for the product, which in turn will sustain small fishermen and reduce the reliance on overseas imports.

“There is a great deal of potential in the environmental movement (for businesses), everything from cleanup to recycling, waste reducing and developing green products and services,” Woo said.