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August 31, 2026
Acts of Audacity Start With a Question
In philanthropy we tend to look for defining moments or leverage points that can change everything. What we hear less about is everything that made the moment possible: the questions people were willing to ask, the relationships built over time, and the steady work of trying, learning, and adapting. In my experience, those are often the most important parts of the story, and it begins when someone has the audacity to question something others have learned to live with. I began asking those kinds of questions as a first grade teacher in Houston. I watched students learn and succeed while navigating obstacles they never should have had to face—unreliable transportation, unstable housing, food insecurity, or classrooms that weren't designed to meet every learner's needs. Supporting my students through those challenges was part of my job. But I also found myself asking a bigger question: Why are we asking young people to adapt to systems that should, instead, be adapting to them? That question has stayed with me throughout my career. It's also one I’ve returned to often during my first six months as Executive Director of the Raikes Foundation. I have had the opportunity to listen, learn, and reflect alongside the people doing this work every day. Again and again, I've been reminded that meaningful progress rarely comes from one organization arriving with the answer. It grows from people who are willing to act audaciously—to question assumptions, listen deeply, and stay committed long enough to build something better together. That's what Audacity in Action means to me. It's not about being fearless or having all the answers. And it's certainly not about believing that one solution can fix the world. We recently asked several partners we admire what audacity in action looks like to them. Each described it differently, reflecting the many ways people are working to create change. But across their answers, I heard a shared conviction: the future isn't something we wait for. It's something we build together. That belief is central to our work at the Raikes Foundation. Young people and their families do not experience education, housing, and civic life as separate issues. Together, they shape whether a young person has the opportunity to thrive and a real say in the decisions that affect their life. When we understand those connections, we begin asking different—and often more ambitious—questions. Along with our partners, we are asking: What if we stopped managing youth homelessness and focused on preventing it? What would it take to redesign public education to expand opportunity in a world transformed by AI? What if every community had the power to shape its own future? Audacity doesn't begin when we have all the answers. It begins when we're willing to ask better questions and to keep pursuing them together, even when the path isn't clear. Our partners’ willingness to challenge what has long been treated as inevitable has opened the door to new partnerships, new approaches, and real progress. In a rapidly changing world, that willingness to learn and evolve is essential. This is one of the most important roles philanthropy can play: creating the space for people to test new ideas and build the relationships that make lasting change possible. At a time when so much feels uncertain, I find real hope in our work. The future has never been inevitable. Every generation has the opportunity to learn from what came before it, imagine what could be different, and leave something stronger for the next. Thank you to our partners who shared their perspectives with us.August 11, 2026
First-of-its-kind public-private partnership brings proven youth homelessness prevention program to Seattle
City approves launching the Homelessness Prevention and Diversion Fund to help more young people stay safely housed SEATTLE, WA – The Washington Acceleration Fund today warmly welcomed Seattle’s approval of a new public-private partnership to bring the state’s nationally recognized Homelessness Prevention and Diversion Fund (HPDF) to Seattle, expanding access to a proven youth homelessness prevention model for the first time to King County. The partnership pairs city investment with dollar-for-dollar matching philanthropic support from the Washington Acceleration Fund to help young people remain in stable housing before crisis becomes homelessness. Until now, young people in the state’s largest population center have not had access to one of Washington’s most effective homelessness prevention tools. By extending this proven model to Seattle, the partnership marks an important step in expanding early, flexible support for young people and strengthening a more coordinated response to homelessness prevention across the region. The Seattle pilot will be implemented in partnership with the Seattle Human Services Department, United Way of King County, and Building Changes. Launched this year, the Washington Acceleration Fund is a new philanthropic initiative dedicated to working in partnership with the public sector to scale proven, data-driven solutions to youth homelessness across Washington state. HPDF is Washington state’s first flexible fund designed specifically for young people ages 12 to 24 who are at immediate risk of losing their housing or are experiencing homelessness. It uses a no wrong door model that enables broad accessibility to young people facing housing instability. Since launching in 2020, the program has become an important tool for preventing youth homelessness, contributing to Washington’s 40% decrease in youth homelessness over six years. HPDF is an important part of the regional Built for Zero approach, which launched earlier this year in King County to bring together youth, providers, government, and philanthropy around shared goals, accountability, and coordinated action. Through this public-private partnership, communities use real-time data, continuous improvement, and cross-sector collaboration to make youth homelessness rare, brief, and non-recurring. Data shows that an integral part of solving homelessness is preventing it from occurring in the first place. Forty-eight percent of adults experiencing chronic homelessness first experienced homelessness as a young person. HPDF can break this cycle. The HPDF model promotes stability by providing flexible and accessible funding tailored to young people’s unique needs. 98% of participants exited into permanent housing, 87% remained housed one year later, and the average intervention cost ($1,683 per household) is a fraction of the cost of emergency shelter. HPDF also consistently reaches young people who may not be served by traditional programs: 53% of households served identify as BIPOC, 18% as LGBQ+, and 26% as pregnant or parenting. The Schultz Family Foundation, the Raikes Foundation, and the Campion Foundation supported HPDF's early development across Washington state. Now, through the new Washington Acceleration Fund, the funders are working with public and community partners to bring the program to Seattle . “Youth homelessness rarely looks the way people expect. Often a young person is couch-surfing at a friend's one week and staying with a relative the next, while trying to stay in school,” said Tricia Raikes of the Raikes Foundation, on behalf of the Washington Acceleration Fund. “Every situation is different, which is why tailored support matters. HPDF is coming to Seattle with the city, community partners, and philanthropy all at the table. Together we can help more young people find a safe place to call home and keep building the future they want.” “HPDF demonstrates the power of prevention and diversion: when we listen to young people and provide flexible support at the right moment, we can keep a housing challenge from becoming a life-altering crisis. We were proud to help catalyze HPDF’s launch in Washington six years ago and its success since then reflects the sustained commitment of young people, community organizations, philanthropy and public agencies across the state. That journey shows the unique power of multi-sector partnership. Philanthropy can help seed and test promising ideas, while public partners help shape, scale and sustain what works,” said Sheri Schultz, Co-Founder and Chair of the Schultz Family Foundation. “We are thrilled to bring this proven approach to Seattle and grateful to Councilmember Foster, the Seattle City Council for their leadership in helping more young people remain safely housed.” “This public-private partnership brings a proven youth homelessness prevention model to Seattle and shows how we can use creative budget solutions to meet urgent needs,” said Seattle Councilmember Dionne Foster. “This investment will ensure fewer young people experience homelessness in the first place. I’m grateful to the Washington Acceleration Fund and our community partners for helping bring this effective approach to Seattle.” About the Washington Acceleration Fund The Washington Acceleration Fund is a philanthropic initiative working to end youth homelessness in Washington by accelerating proven, data-driven solutions. Building on the state’s significant progress in reducing youth homelessness, the Fund supports public-private partnerships, community-led strategies, and investments that help more young people stay safely housed and thrive. The Fund is supported by individuals and foundations including the Schultz Family Foundation, Raikes Foundation, and Campion Foundation.