Photo · Grants
Charitable Grants
We fund other charitable organizations already doing strong work in community, housing, early education, and elder care.
Aligned Nonprofits
Chandler Walker Gayton Foundation
Honoring a life.
Extending his causes.
Our Mission
Fund the work Chandler believed in.
The Chandler Walker Gayton Foundation supports charitable organizations doing the work Chandler cared about most.
We aid, support, and assist other charitable entities focused on issues that were of importance to Chandler. We provide scholarships, grants, and stipends to economically and socially disadvantaged students. We aid public schools and public entities. And we administer funds on behalf of other tax-exempt organizations helping them carry out their exempt functions.
Everything we fund traces back to a single question: would this have mattered to Chandler?
Community
Backing the people, gatherings, and traditions that hold a neighborhood together.
Housing
Supporting housing, homelessness relief, and affordability so more families can find a place to stay.
Early Childhood Education
Funding programs that give young children a strong beginning in the years that shape them most.
Elder Support
Standing beside churches and organizations that carry the elderly with dignity and care.
The Namesake
Chandler Walker Gayton.
In Memoriam
1990 to 2024
Chandler cared about people. He cared about the neighborhoods that raised him and the ones still finding their footing.
He believed in community. He believed in a home you could count on, in a good start for a child, and in an old age carried with dignity. This foundation exists to hold onto those beliefs and turn them into work.
We do not tell his story here. His story lives with the people who loved him. What we do is name the causes he cared about, and put resources behind the organizations already doing that work well.
Community
Housing
Early Education
Elders
Church
Family
The work he was part of.
From the classrooms that shaped him to the councils, boards, and neighborhoods he served, this is where Chandler put his time.
Education
- O’Dea High SchoolFootball team captain his senior year
- Simon Fraser UniversityBA, Faculty of Communication, Art and Technology. Safety on the football team
- University of Washington, Evans School of Public Policy & GovernanceMaster of Public Administration, Class of 2022. Dr. Constance W. and Norman B. Rice Endowed Graduate Fellowship recipient
Public Service & Career
- Windermere Real EstateLicensed broker
- King County CouncilLegislative aide to Councilmember Larry Gossett, beginning 2017
- King County CouncilCommunity outreach and communications for Councilmember Girmay Zahilay, focused on Skyway, affordable housing, and land use
- Office of Seattle Mayor Bruce HarrellStrategic advisor for public safety, beginning 2023
Boards & Community
- Homestead Community Land TrustBoard member
- Treehouse for KidsYoung Professionals Board
- O’Dea High SchoolAlumni Board
- Bellevue Police DepartmentAfrican American Citizens Council
- Youth MentorshipMentor to local high school students
Named in his memory
Chandler Walker Gayton Scholarship Fund at O’Dea High School · Chandler Walker Gayton Legacy Fund at the Renton Innovation Zone Partnership
Programs & Initiatives
Four ways we put the mission to work.
Every dollar the foundation deploys follows one of these four paths, each grounded in the charitable purposes set out in our bylaws.
Photo · Scholarships
Scholarships & Stipends
We provide scholarships, grants, and stipends to economically and socially disadvantaged students pursuing undergraduate, graduate, vocational, technical, and apprenticeship paths.
Students
Photo · Schools
Public School Support
We aid public schools and public entities that qualify under Section 170(c)(1) of the Internal Revenue Code, extending our reach into the systems that shape young lives.
Public Education
Photo · Admin
Fund Administration
We administer and manage funds for other tax-exempt organizations, helping them carry out their exempt functions with the operational support they need.
Fiscal SponsorshipBoard & Officers
The people carrying the work.
The foundation is governed by a small board of directors and officers. Full portraits and biographies will land here as the team formalizes.
Under our bylaws, the Board of Directors has 1 to 7 members serving 3-year terms. Officer positions include President, Secretary, and Treasurer, with Vice President and Chairperson available as optional roles.
Get Involved
Four ways to stand with us.
The foundation is small, new, and community-built. If any of what we do resonates, here is how to help.
Donate
Make a gift to the foundation to support our grantmaking. Every dollar goes toward the four causes Chandler cared about.
Give a GiftVolunteer
Lend time, skill, or a room to a foundation gathering. We need help with events, outreach, and administration.
Get in TouchStay Close
Follow along as grants go out, the board grows, and our first program cycle unfolds. Sign up for occasional updates.
Get UpdatesContact the Family
For partnership inquiries, sponsorship, or a note for the Gayton family, we welcome the conversation.
Reach Out