The Western Governors’ Foundation is the philanthropic arm of the Western Governors’ Association. Focusing on youth leadership and the arts, the foundation is committed to building upon the legacy of Western Governors through charitable works in our region.
We proudly serve Alaska, American Samoa, Arizona, California, Colorado, Guam, Hawaii, Idaho, Kansas, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Northern Mariana Islands, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming
Projects
The Western Governors’ Foundation Manages the Following:
Western Governors’ Leadership Institute
The Western Governors’ Leadership Institute is a program designed to recognize, reward, and promote the effective exercise of leadership by young adults across the West.
Every year the foundation selects young adults to represent their states, territories, and tribes as institute delegates. Delegates attend a one-day leadership development forum featuring intimate conversations with Governors, chief executive officers, and other prominent thought leaders. They also attend the Annual Meeting of the Western Governors’ Association as guests of the foundation. The foundation covers all expenses associated with delegate participation.
Celebrate the west
The Western Governors’ Foundation is proud to manage Celebrate the West, a regional art competition that challenges high school students to create works inspired by their state or otherwise evocative of the West. The annual visual arts challenge is open to high school students in the states and territories served by the Western Governors’ Association (WGA). Winning artists receive cash prizes and their work is displayed at WGA’s Annual Meeting and on the Association’s website.
The governors know that helping one another is more than a courtesy: it’s a responsibility. It’s at the very heart of a western ethos that makes our region so extraordinary.
Thank you to our generous donors
