# Longbrake Family Foundation

Longbrake Family Foundation is an Endowment / Foundation based in Seattle, United States.

## Overview

- **Organization type:** Endowment / Foundation
- **Headquarters:** Seattle, United States
- **Region:** North America
- **Address:** Seattle, WA, United States
- **Founded:** 1999
- **Assets under management:** Under $10 million (Altss estimate)
- **Website:** longbrakefamilyfoundation.org

## Regulatory record

- **Reports private funds:** No

## About

Founded in 1999 by Bill and Martha Longbrake, the Longbrake Family Foundation is a Seattle-based private independent foundation. Its corpus is derived from Bill Longbrake's career in finance, most notably his tenure as Chief Financial Officer of Washington Mutual, the thrift that became the largest bank failure in U.S. history before its 2008 seizure. The foundation's grantmaking and investment strategy reflects a disciplined, principal-driven approach to community development, shaped by decades of institutional banking experience. The foundation concentrates its deployment in three areas: education, Christian mission work, and affordable housing. Its asset pool includes a direct residential property, Mercy Othello Plaza in Seattle's Othello neighborhood, and commitments to outside private equity funds, including Bow River Capital's Real Estate Fund III. Bow River Capital, a Denver-based alternative asset manager, has been a recurring partner. The foundation maintains its investable assets through a custody relationship with Manchester Capital, a multi-family office, and also holds legacy assets connected to Charles Schwab. Bill Longbrake maintains a network of professional affiliations that inform the foundation's governance. He serves on the boards of City First Bank, a community development financial institution, and BECU, one of the largest credit unions in the United States, including its audit committee. He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and holds an Executive in Residence position at the University of Maryland's Robert H. Smith School of Business. Martha Longbrake serves alongside him as vice president of the foundation. The foundation operates with the governance structure of a classic low-profile family foundation: a husband-and-wife leadership team, a lean outsider manager for part of the portfolio via Manchester Capital, and direct real asset ownership. Unlike the endowment model institutions that deploy across dozens of managers, the Longbrake Family Foundation functions as a concentrated pool, pairing a few trusted GP relationships with direct impact assets in its own community.

## Sectors

- Education
- Affordable Housing
- Faith-Based Investing

## People

- William A. Longbrake — Founder and President
- Martha Longbrake — Co-founder and Vice President

## Questions

### Who runs investment decisions at the Longbrake Family Foundation?

Founder and President Bill Longbrake directs the foundation's investment and grantmaking decisions, drawing on his prior experience as CFO of Washington Mutual. Martha Longbrake, his wife and co-founder, serves as Vice President. For its public market assets, the foundation utilizes the custody and advisory services of Manchester Capital, a multi-family office.

### How is the foundation's capital deployed across asset classes?

The foundation maintains a dual-track deployment: direct ownership of affordable housing real estate, such as Mercy Othello Plaza in Seattle, and commitments to private equity real estate funds managed by Bow River Capital. Its liquid assets are custodied through Manchester Capital in a portfolio that includes legacy positions held at Charles Schwab.

### How is the Longbrake Family Foundation connected to Bill Longbrake's banking affiliations?

Bill Longbrake's professional governance roles form a complementary layer to the foundation's mission. He serves on the boards of City First Bank, a community development financial institution, and BECU, a large credit union. These positions connect the foundation's affordable-housing focus to practitioners operating at the intersection of community finance. He is also an Executive in Residence at the University of Maryland's business school and a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.

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- [The Milford Bank](https://altss.com/profile/the-milford-bank)
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Last updated: 2026-06-03T20:00:00.000Z

Canonical page: https://altss.com/profile/longbrake-family-foundation

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