Corporate & Foundation Relations

Foundations

We welcome our colleagues from foundations to engage with the University of Washington. We’re here to help you navigate the UW and its systems. We can:

  • Connect you to people and programs of interest.
  • Arrange campus visits.
  • Help you learn about UW’s grant acceptance and administration policies.
  • Distribute requests for proposals to UW faculty and staff.

Please contact us for assistance. We look forward to working with you.

Andrew Storms

Senior Director, Foundation Relations
as89@uw.edu | 206-616-3702

Andrew leads institutional strategy in foundation relations, coordinates major interdisciplinary initiatives for institutional priorities, coaches faculty selected for private foundation limited submission opportunities on proposal development and trains Advancement staff and faculty in corporate and foundation relations best practices. He manages a broad portfolio and supports foundation partnerships in engineering, environmental science, natural sciences and other STEM fields. He also partners with colleagues to support opportunities in the social sciences and business. He works with the Office of Research to review foundation limited submission opportunities and coaches faculty who are selected to represent the UW for these opportunities.

Andrew joined the University of Washington in 2017, first serving in fundraising positions at the UW’s NPR affiliate, KUOW Public Radio, and the College of the Environment before joining the Office of Corporate & Foundation Relations. Prior to the UW, he worked in theater and museum development. Andrew received his M.F.A. in Arts Leadership from Seattle University.

Lene Hansen

Director, Foundation Relations
leneh@uw.edu | 206-221-4337

Lene collaborates with UW colleagues to develop and implement strategies to engage with foundations at unit and institutional levels. She supports the health science units including Public Health, Nursing, Pharmacy, Social Work and Dentistry. In partnership with the senior director, she works with the Office of Research to review foundation limited submission opportunities and coaches those faculty selected to move forward on their proposals. Lene has been a fundraiser for over 18 years and a foundation relations officer at the UW for over 8 years, holding previous roles in UW Medicine.

Sumathi Raghavan

Director, Foundation Relations
sumathi@uw.edu | 206-685-9077

Sumathi collaborates with UW colleagues to develop and implement foundation engagement strategies at the unit, campus and institutional levels. She supports foundation partnerships in built environments, education, information studies, law, libraries, policy and student affairs. She also partners with colleagues to support opportunities in the arts, humanities and social sciences. 

Sumathi joined the University of Washington in 2018 as Manager of Corporate and Foundation Relations and grantwriter at the Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture. She earned her B.A. at Wellesley College and holds master’s degrees in Classics and Library Science.