When donors go all in, the magic begins

Tammy Miller has been a wealth and philanthropy advisor for over 30 years. As executive director of the Aldarra Foundation, she’s seen firsthand what’s possible when donors go all in.

“An emphasis on perpetual giving can get in the way of people realizing their full philanthropic potential,” she said. “Plus, the future is unknown — if you want to have maximum impact, control and joy in your giving, don’t wait. Give more today.”

Bill Boeing Jr. and June Boeing led with that philosophy when they established the Aldarra Foundation in 2003. Bill Boeing Jr. directed foundation assets to be fully spent within 10 years of their deaths, making investments or contributions meaningful enough that organizations could transform their work and sustain their missions.

The Boeings focused on making the Puget Sound a better place to live by directing their resources to 14 organizations they knew well and that championed causes they cared deeply about. Their giving spanned education, animal welfare, environmental stewardship and health and human services. 

The couple felt especially passionate about easing the experience for families and caregivers facing cancer, creating outdoor garden spaces they could enjoy and investing in patient care and research initiatives with the potential to change lives throughout the region.

One of Aldarra’s early gifts supported pediatric immunotherapy research at Seattle Children’s. Inspired by the progress they helped fuel, the foundation looked for more places where significant investments in science could accelerate advances for patients. Fred Hutch Cancer Center was a natural fit.

“Fred Hutch is a part of the fabric of this region, changing lives and providing hope,” Miller said.

Sustaining innovation at Fred Hutch

Aldarra’s support of Fred Hutch began in 2021 with a gift to expand the team of patient navigators, essential guides who help patients overcome barriers to care. The foundation went on to fund more than 10 projects across immunotherapy, radiation oncology and gynecologic oncology. For example: 

• Evan Newell, PhD, an immunologist specializing in computational biology, used Aldarra funding to advance molecular tools for mapping tumor-infiltrating T cells in kidney cancer, paving the way for more personalized treatments.
• Ramesh Rengan, MD, PhD, director of the Radiation Oncology Division at Fred Hutch and chair of the Department of Radiation Oncology at UW Medicine, has launched foundational studies in ultra-high-dose-rate radiation (FLASH), a promising approach to reduce radiation side effects while targeting tumors more precisely. “The Aldarra Foundation gave us $2 million in support at a mission-critical time to move the FLASH program forward,” Rengan said. “That investment has been fundamental to accelerating this program, and we expect many resulting breakthroughs in the years ahead.”
• Kemi Doll, MD, MCSR, a UW Medicine gynecologic oncologist, advanced the SISTER Study, focused on Black women because they experience higher rates of endometrial cancer deaths compared with white women, and setting a new standard for culturally responsive, community-driven research.

“The Aldarra Foundation gave us $2 million in support at a mission-critical time to move the FLASH program forward. That investment has been fundamental to accelerating this program, and we expect many resulting breakthroughs in the years ahead.” 
– Ramesh Rengan, director of the Fred Hutch Radiation Oncology Division

At every turn, Miller wanted to know what the foundation could fund that would be transformative, explaining that it wasn’t so much about funding for the urgency of the moment because every moment is urgent. What mattered most was providing a level of support to achieve strategic and sustained momentum toward an organization’s vision. 

“There is magic in flipping the script,” Miller said. “Instead of organizations asking us what we wanted to fund, we’ve been asking organizations, ‘What do you need to do your best work? What will take your work to the next level? What barriers are preventing progress?” This approach allowed the organizations to achieve dreams they didn’t even know they had.  

The return on generosity 

Now in its final year of funding, the Aldarra Foundation has created a video to celebrate the impact of its partners and inspire others to act boldly.  

“We were so impressed by what these organizations accomplished — even during extremely challenging times, like when COVID hit — being resourceful, persevering and still innovating,” Miller said.  

Miller also saw what a big difference continuous funding made for organizations and learned more about its value for research when she served as a volunteer on Fred Hutch’s Professional Advisory Council, a group that supports legal and financial industry professionals who advise their clients on philanthropic opportunities and decisions.  

“The cost of stopping research is so high — it’s wasteful of earlier investments and the time and talent of researchers,” she said. “With the support of more donors willing to give more now, organizations can maintain momentum and take their missions even further.” 

What’s more, Miller values the reciprocal nature of these organizations, noting the joy of being part of the problem-solving process along with other benefits that go far beyond the mission.  

“Fred Hutch, for example, is working to cure cancer, and it’s an integral part of the Puget Sound economy,” she said. “It’s a science and tech hub, owning and occupying real estate in the downtown core, creating jobs, attracting talent — essentially a world-class jewel right in our backyard.”