Maintaining Our Funding Stream
Goosefoot is unusual for a nonprofit organization in that we are self-sufficient and no longer rely on outside funding to fulfill our mission.
We earn the funds for our charitable giving and other programs through responsible management of the properties we own, including the Goose Community Grocer. As a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, Goosefoot must invest any profits back into supporting our mission.
Goosefoot wasn’t always self-sufficient—it wasn’t until 2014 that we could stop fundraising to meet our own needs. Initial seed funding for Goosefoot and for the purchase and renovation of the Bayview Cash Store and surrounding property was provided by Seattle and Whidbey Island philanthropist Nancy Nordhoff. After that, rental income from our tenants at Bayview Corner and Bayview Center, combined with donations from generous individuals in our community, supported our work.
Although Goosefoot opened the Goose Grocer in 2009, it took five years to realize enough profit from the store to cover our own operating costs and begin donating directly to the South Whidbey community. In 2017, we formalized our community grant program with an annual application process. We donate an average of $250,000 a year to local nonprofits.
Our programs are sustained by the funding stream provided by the Goose Grocer and our rental properties. That’s why we are committed to maintaining our buildings and grounds as best we can.
- We invest in the maintenance and improvement of our properties.
- We ensure that the Goose Grocer is successfully managed for the benefit of shoppers as well as for Goosefoot’s work in the community.
- We maintain quality places for our tenants to operate in, including the Bayview Cash Store, Bayview Center and the Sears House.