The Whidbey Institute

MISSION

The Whidbey Institute nurtures the conditions for transformational learning and is a place for those called by the responsibility and transformative potential of these times.

PURPOSE

To promote development in human capacities and generative responses to the challenges of our time: 

We partner with program leaders working in youth empowerment, generative leadership, ecosystem vitality, racial and social justice, or community resilience to offer one-day and multi-day conferences.

We steward a 106-acre conservation forest campus on Whidbey Island, open to the public and featuring integrated gardens, labyrinth and a four-mile trail network. 

We serve our local community by supporting and hosting events as well as working with regional nonprofits to hold retreats in one of our gathering spaces.

DESCRIPTION

Whidbey Institute is a home for transformational learning and a 501(c)(3) educational nonprofit. Since 1972, we've been hosting and curating programs to nurture people of all ages and their communities' capacity to learn, grow, heal, connect and thrive through experiences designed to be welcoming to all, nourishing, healthy, safe and held in a restorative beautiful location. 

With a long history as a place to discover and care for what is emerging in our hearts, our communities, and our larger society, the Whidbey Institute helps people meet the challenges calling us to heal and transform ourselves, and our relationships with each other and the earth.

SUPPORT for the WHIDBEY INSTITUTE

With your gift, you'll care for vital conservation forest habitat, beloved by people of all ages who come here to restore, learn, connect with others and explore. You'll nurture restorative and reflective experiences that create the space for conversations that matter, ensuring we can bring diverse voices and our whole hearts to the work that this moment asks of us. You'll help to create pathways to a more equitable and joyous future.

Several key supporters are offering a match fund to double the value of all GiveBIG gifts up to $50,000. Matches are offered sequentially and after each match is met the next match is queued up.

We warmly thank the 700+ donor households who've contributed to the Whidbey Institute via GiveBIG since 2014 - many of whom have given more than once. 

We are also grateful to our incredible board and staff who remain 
committed to creating a welcoming home for transformational experiences.

OUR COMMUNITY

WHY GIVE NOW? "I'm thrilled to be able to donate this time. The match encouraged me as it made my small donation feel mightier."  Thomasin Levin, Program Participant and Donor

HOW DOES THE LAND CONNECT WITH THE MISSION? "The land is integral to the Whidbey Institute's work and mission. It holds us, feeds us, teaches us, and inspires us. Remembering and reengaging our deep interdependence with wild spaces is vital if we, as humans, are to experience the kind of personal, societal, and ecological healing that this moment calls for."  Marnie Jackson, former Staff Member

WHAT DO PEOPLE EXPERIENCE HERE? "When we come to the Whidbey Institute, we know that we can enter into important, honest, open conversation about the issues that matter most in the world. We expect to learn from one another, and learn from the land. We have a safe place to be challenged, to experiment, to enter into deep inquiry and meaningful connections. I can't think of anything more important than this kind of base from which to build the creative and resilient communities necessary to navigate our futures."  Kate Snider, former Board Member