O U R H I S T O R Y
The Icicle Fund was established in 1998 by Harriet Bullitt as a 501(c)(3) supporting organization for the work of six named partner organizations focused on advancing the Arts, protecting the Environment, and promoting the Natural and Cultural history of North Central Washington. This work quickly expanded to include all North Central Washington (NCW) including Chelan, Douglas, Okanogan and Grant counties.
Since 1998, the Fund has invested more than $50 million in nearly 150 nonprofits that support the environment, the arts and history in North Central Washington.
The six lead partner organizations – Icicle Creek Center for the Arts, Chelan-Douglas Land Trust, Methow Arts Alliance, The Nature Conservancy, the Trust for Public Land, and the Wenatchee River Institute – hold the majority of seats on the Board of Directors, working collaboratively with each other to fulfill the Fund’s work and mission.
Icicle Fund’s mission “to support the environment, the arts and history through collaboration in North Central Washington” is inspired by a vision of NCW as a region where nature, the arts and the area’s natural and human history inspire an appreciation, understanding and stewardship of this special place.
A sense of place is central to the Fund’s mission. It is this belief that strong connections of people to place are built and nurtured through artistic expression, imagination, understanding of the past, experience in nature, and care for wildlife and natural landscapes. As a catalyst for partnerships and collaboration, Icicle Fund helps to nurture these connections and, as a result, strengthens and sustains the beloved region of North Central Washington.
O U R F O U N D E R
HARRIET BULLITT
(1924-2022)
Harriet Bullitt was an iconic philanthropist and the founder of many mission-driven businesses and non-profits. Her love of the arts and her passion for conservation and cultural heritage guided her many philanthropic activities.
Our world lost a passionate, caring and visionary leader when Ms. Bullitt passed away in 2022 at the age of 97. Her legacy will live on as she inspired others and lived her life by the Parable of the Long Spoons, giving in ways to create meaningful impact.
Ms. Bullitt’s generosity and vision connected regions of Washington State through the arts and shared heritage. As an example, she donated her complete collection of Edward S. Curtis’ photographs to the Seattle Public Library and enabled a partnership between Eastside and Westside organizations to showcase the photographer’s work and spark conversations on Native identity, race and resilience, art and culture.
In 1992, Ms. Bullitt purchased the land adjacent to her family’s property, owned since the 1930s, to protect the land from over development. Then, in 1995, Ms. Bullitt developed Leavenworth’s Sleeping Lady Mountain Resort, a place where people could unplug and connect to the beautiful landscape around them, enjoy healthful dining, experience unique art, and connect to nature through outdoor adventure.
In 1998, she established the Icicle Fund as her primary philanthropic organization and turned control of the Fund over to a select group of nonprofit leaders.
In 2019, she gifted Sleeping Lady Mountain Resort to Icicle Fund. Proceeds from the resort go directly into the Fund, thus ensuring the continued support of community organizations dedicated to the environment, the arts, and the cultural and natural history of North Central Washington.