June and Julian Foss Foundation

June and Julian Foss Foundation

The June and Julian Foss Foundation formed in 1997 in Washington, DC, carrying forward the legacy of Tacoma-based Foss Maritime, the tug-and-barge company Andrew and Thea Foss built. President Christopher Foss leads a board composed entirely of family members, including Gretchen Foss, Julian Foss Jr., and Aspen Weller. The foundation grants from a small endowment estimated at $8 million (Altss estimate). Its stated programmatic focus sits exclusively within natural resources, supporting initiatives that connect children and youth to values education. Past funding has concentrated on projects tied to family caring, diversity, and generosity. Grant Administrator Kristin Weller executes the foundation’s giving, which flows entirely through direct grants rather than fund commitments or co-investment vehicles. The family board structure keeps governance lean. Christopher Foss presides, while Gretchen Foss and Aspen Weller share secretarial and treasury duties. The foundation maintains a registered office at 1101 Fawcett Avenue in Tacoma, Washington, anchoring it physically near the Foss Maritime origins. It participates in Philanthropy Northwest, the regional grantmaker network spanning six states. A recent verifiable operational event is not publicly available. The foundation’s structural differentiator is its concentrated governance: every director is a Foss family member, and the grantmaking mandate stays narrowly tied to the founders’ values rather than a broad institutional investment program. That keeps the vehicle tightly aligned with the family’s original intent—supporting the moral development of young people through a natural-resources lens, without the complexity of outside managers or pooled funds.