In 2020, following the murder of George Floyd and the social uprising in support of Black Lives Matter that followed, Chuckanut Builders partnered with A1DesignBuild and Bellingham Bay Builders to take concrete action to address race-based inequity in the community we know best – our local building trades.
What followed was the Building Diversity Endowment at Bellingham Technical College. Founded in Spring 2021, the endowment will be fully funded at $25,000 by June 2024, and from then on, four percent of the total fund will be awarded each year, allowing the fund to continue growing and making a lasting impact for years to come. To be eligible, students will be BIPOC residents of Whatcom or Skagit Counties who attend BTC full time and are working toward a degree in one of the following programs: clean energy, welding, electrician, HVAC or AutoCAD certification.
Our hope is that by reducing financial barriers we can help BIPOC students find meaningful living-wage employment in an essential local industry that is vital and fast-growing. Collectively our businesses realize that there is still so much work to do, however partnering to create this endowment is a tangible first step on that path.
