From Founding Partners to Future Champions: CISWA Marks 35 Years of Showing Up for Washington Students

CISWA honors partners who helped build a statewide network, such as Boeing, Costco and Ballmer Group, and invites new champions to support Washington students.

TACOMA, WA, UNITED STATES, November 4, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Thirty-five years ago today, a coalition of Washington’s business and education leaders helped bring Communities In Schools to the state. As Communities In Schools of Washington (CISWA) celebrates its 35th anniversary, it thanks the companies, foundations, and individual donors who have supported its work over the decades and invites others to help shape its future.

Boeing and Costco helped launch the support, joining Washington education leaders to bring Communities In Schools to the state in 1991. Major philanthropic partners, including Ballmer Group and MacKenzie Scott, have helped the network grow through generous gifts that have enabled it to reach more schools and communities across Washington.

What began as an effort to connect students with the support they need beyond the classroom has grown into a statewide network reaching more than 144,000 students across 212 schools in 49 school districts. Through the Communities In Schools model of integrated student supports, caring adults work directly inside schools to connect students and families with resources, relationships, and opportunities that remove barriers to learning and help young people thrive.

“Thirty-five years ago, a group of Washington leaders bet on the belief that every student deserves someone in their corner,” said Dr. Gwynth R. Nelson, CEO and State Executive Director of CISWA. “This is a program that speaks for itself. It’s tried and true.”

Then and Now

Then: 1991: Boeing, Costco and Washington education leaders invest in students on Day One

Now: 2026: Companies, foundations and individual donors sustain a statewide network

1993-2007: Affiliates launch in Lakewood (1993), Seattle (1998), Peninsula (2000), Puyallup (2002) and Spokane County (2007)

Now: Growth reaches Northwest Washington, Eastern Washington and the Kitsap Peninsula

Then: Business leaders champion students

Now: Students will champion themselves at CISWA’s first Youth Advocacy Day, planned for February 12, 2027

Then: A founding promise to bring community resources into schools

Now: A vision of 50 more schools in six years and over 520 Title I schools in 100 districts within 10 years

Gratitude for 35 Years of Support
Philanthropic investments have continued to strengthen and expand the network. In 2022, philanthropist MacKenzie Scott made a collective $5.85 million gift to CISWA and three Washington affiliates, providing unrestricted funding to strengthen support for students and families. A year later, Ballmer Group, co-founded by Connie and Steve Ballmer, made the largest targeted philanthropic investment in CISWA's history with a $9 million commitment in 2023, supporting students in Title I schools and expanding CIS services into new regions of the state.

“CISWA empowers thousands of students with the necessary assistance to unlock their full potential,” said Kacey Guin, Portfolio Manager at Ballmer Group, at the time of the gift. “These essential programs create a significant impact on students and families.”

Heather Andersen, Chair of CISWA’s Board of Directors, first connected with the organization as a donor during the COVID-19 pandemic, after recognizing that many students lacked the resources and support available to her own children. Her commitment eventually grew into volunteer board service and leadership.

“One of the biggest reasons we’ve been so sustainable is because our impact is truly tangible,” Andersen said.

Andersen also credits the Site Coordinators who carry out the work in schools every day. “Without site coordinators, we wouldn’t have CIS,” she said.

Championing Students
Through trusted relationships, Site Coordinators help students address barriers to learning, build confidence, and pursue goals that matter to them.

“The end product is that those are our students, that our students are going out into the world, because we had the fortune to walk beside them, and the privilege to be able to walk beside them,” said Erica Limón-Trefielo, Deputy Director of CISWA.

CISWA continues to expand opportunities for students and site staff to share their experiences and help inform decisions affecting their schools and communities. The organization plans to hold its first Youth Advocacy Day on February 12, 2027, creating an opportunity to elevate student voices in conversations with policymakers. CISWA also plans to begin developing a statewide alumni network in 2027, giving former students opportunities to stay connected and share their experiences

Read the full release here: https://ciswa.org/news/from-founding-partners-to-future-champions-ciswa-marks-35-years-of-showing-up-for-washington-students/.

Megan Petersen
Communities In Schools of Washington
communications@ciswa.org
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