Nichole June Maher: Seven years of learning and a vision for the next 50 years

Our President & CEO celebrates 2025 milestones and reflects on what’s ahead

President & CEO Nichole June Maher, pictured center in the second row, with Inatai team members and grantee leaders from across the state who convened in September for a two-day intensive on campaign building in our Seattle office. Photo: Alyssa Codamon

Anniversaries help me pause and make meaning. This fall marks seven years at Inatai Foundation and the start of our 50-Year Vision. This vision came directly from community leaders and invites us to put all our energy, talent, and resources into communities, so they have the power and freedom to shape every part of how Washington works—every system and every decision, ensuring equity and racial justice in every corner of our state.

One of our values, the Seven Generation Principle, guides much of my leadership. It asks us to live with one foot in the past and one in the future, honoring the wisdom of our ancestors and making choices that strengthen the lives of those who will come after us. As a mother to three young people, Zodi, Kekeya, and my little guy Editon, I feel this responsibility deeply. They have grown faster than I could have believed. They remind me that the future arrives quickly and that every decision we make today will ripple into the world they inherit.

The political moment we face is serious. Families across Washington struggle to meet basic needs. Civil rights are being challenged in the highest courts. Racism and transphobia are becoming far too acceptable. Authoritarianism is here. Yet, I remain grounded by the courage of leaders who stand up for justice and belonging in all 39 Washington counties. If they are not backing down, then we will not either. As one of the few 501(c)(4) funders explicitly focused on racial justice, we have both the responsibility and the freedom to support the work that strengthens democracy and builds durable community power.

Seven years in, I can see what we have built and what the moment now demands. Here is what Inatai intends to do and what I invite other powerful institutions to take on with urgency:

• • Tell the truth about the forces shaping our state and stand firm in protecting communities and their visions for justice. Institutions with influence cannot remain quiet. We must do everything within our power to protect our communities, our partners, and their bold ambitions for racial justice and equity.
  • Deepen our commitment to racially diverse communities while resourcing and building relationships in small towns, unincorporated areas, Tribal Communities, suburbs, and mid-sized cities. The future of Washington depends on places philanthropy has often overlooked.
  • Move funding quickly and flexibility into the hands of community leaders and organizations, and honor what they have asked from philanthropy for decades. Money is required to build political power.
  • Support work that strengthens our multiracial democracy and shows what is possible when people closest to the community design the path forward.
  • Build stronger coalitions, networks, and movements because long-term change only grows through trust, connection, and shared purpose.
  • Amplify joy, creativity, and courage found in every community. These are powerful forces that expand when we nurture them.

These ideas are not new. They are the foundation of many movements that came before us. Our task now is to carry them with greater urgency, consistency, and reach. Because of this, Inatai is now a foundation with a clear voice, bold vision, and deep relationships across Washington. Most importantly, we have worked diligently to remain accountable to the communities we serve by listening, learning, and showing up with humility and determination.

When I think about the next 50 years, I imagine my children as elders. Zodi will be 67, my daughter, Kekeya, will be 66, and baby Editon will have just reached elder status at 62. I imagine a world in which Washington embraces them fully, honors their rights, and gives them the chance to live connected and meaningful lives. I want that future for every person in our state. The Seven Generation Principle reminds us that the choices we make now will shape that future long after we are gone.

This next chapter will not be defined by caution. It will be defined by courage, imagination, and the shared responsibility to build something stronger, freer, and more just. We carry the lessons of our ancestors and the dreams of our young people. Together, we can shape a legacy of transformation that future generations will feel, continue to grow, and be proud of.

Tlingit leader Elizabeth Peratrovich taught us, “Asking you to give me rights implies that they are yours to give. I must demand that you stop trying to deny me the rights that all people deserve.” Her words remind us that liberation is a shared project.

I believe deeply in the people of Washington. I believe in our young people and in the strength of our ancestors who cleared the path for us. If we continue to act with courage and care, we can build a future rooted in justice, belonging, and community power. And we can leave behind a legacy that future generations will cherish and protect.

Nichole June Maher has been President & CEO of Inatai Foundation since 2018. Under Nichole’s guidance, the foundation applied learnings from community visits to build our early-stage infrastructure—from articulating how we approach critical areas of work, to designing equity-centered grantmaking programs, and creating a values-driven investment office. Inatai has granted more than $337 million under her leadership.