Our Mission
Fund the work Chandler believed in.
The Chandler Walker Gayton Foundation supports charitable organizations doing the work Chandler cared about most.
Mission statement
Our mission is to honor Chandler Walker Gayton by raising and directing charitable funds to organizations advancing community, housing, early childhood education, and social justice in the Puget Sound region he served.
We do not run programs ourselves. We are a grantmaking foundation, which means we raise money and give it to established organizations already doing this work well, so more of it gets done.
Our four focus areas
These are the four areas Chandler gave his own time to, in his work at the King County Council, in the Mayor's office, and on the boards he served. Every grant we make falls into one of them.
Community
We back the people, gatherings, and traditions that hold a neighborhood together.
Housing
We support housing, homelessness relief, and affordability so more families can find a place to stay.
Early Childhood Education
We fund programs that give young children a strong beginning in the years that shape them most.
Social Justice
We back organizations working for fairness, equity, and opportunity in the communities Chandler served.
What we fund
Rather than spread a small fund thinly across many grantees, we have chosen to concentrate our main effort on one organization to start.
Our main focus
Homestead Community Land Trust
We pour our main focus into Homestead Community Land Trust, where Chandler served on the Board of Delegates and where his work in affordable housing earned Homestead's 2024 Legacy Award. Homestead creates and preserves permanently affordable homeownership for families priced out of the Seattle market.
Chandler Gayton (1990 to 2024) is the recipient of Homestead's 2024 Ryan Neff Award. The Ryan Neff Award was established in 2009 following the passing of Ryan Neff in 2008, a member of the CoHo Team of Windermere Agents, an organization committed to supporting the mission of affordable, quality housing for all. Since 2009, CoHo has partnered with Homestead each year to recognize a nonprofit organization or individual who has demonstrated exceptional leadership and innovation in creating new opportunities for affordable homeownership.
How we raise the money
Our founding event
Boots on the Ground is our founding fundraiser, held on December 5, 2026 at 4105 Airport Way S in Seattle. Proceeds from tickets, sponsorships, and the live auction go to the foundation's grantmaking.
Gifts and sponsorships
We accept individual gifts, corporate sponsorships, and checks by mail. As a 501(c)(3) public charity, contributions to the foundation are tax-deductible under IRC section 170.
Accountability
The foundation is a Washington nonprofit corporation with federal tax-exempt status under section 501(c)(3), EIN 42-3129149. We file an annual Form 990 with the Internal Revenue Service, our accounting period ends December 31, and our board approves every grant. Our registration details are published in full on our About page.