12/19/2025
Board of Directors: Voluntary, legal governing body of a nonprofit.
Mission
To fund abortion and break down barriers to abortion access for people in the Northwest.
Vision
We envision a world where people can easily access safe, legal abortion care with respect, dignity, and compassion.
Values
Trust & Respect. We believe the people we serve are experts on their own lives. We treat people with unconditional respect, dignity, and compassion, and honor the decisions they make about their bodies, lives, and families.
Autonomy. We believe all people deserve the freedom to decide what to do with their own bodies, and that no one should have to carry a pregnancy to term against their will.
Intersectionality. We recognize that different forms of discrimination can interact and overlap, combining to create even more harm—a concept coined by Kimberlé Crenshaw. We recognize that inequitable access to healthcare, including abortion care, is tied to overlapping forms of oppression including sexism, racism, ableism, classism, homophobia, and transphobia.
Reproductive Justice. We believe all people have the human right to maintain personal bodily autonomy, have children, not have children, and parent the children they have in safe and sustainable communities—this is reproductive justice, developed by Black women and defined by SisterSong. Reproductive justice demands that we work at the intersections of racial, economic, and gender justice. We strive to use a reproductive justice lens in all decisions.
Racial Justice. We recognize that systemic racism, through decades of policies and practices that continue to this day, has benefited white people and harmed people of color. We understand systemic racism is a root cause of the persistent economic, political, social, and health disparities facing communities of color. We stand in solidarity with Black Lives Matter and other organizations working for justice, respect, and dignity for communities of color. We commit to the ongoing work it takes to be an anti-racist organization.
Economic Justice: We understand that federal and state policies and practices can serve to exploit, exclude, and punish low-income people. People can experience economic injustice through the denial of affordable health insurance coverage that covers the full range of reproductive services and face barriers to care through jobs without paid sick leave and the cost of expensive child care. We are committed to ensuring that our callers and our communities are treated with fairness and dignity, and have the resources to navigate their lives in a full and robust fashion that is not simply dependent upon economics.
Culture Shift: We know abortion is health care. We know having an abortion or more than one abortion is normal, valid, and okay. We strive to center people who’ve had abortions, because those are the voices that matter. We seek to strike down stigma and shift culture so abortion is seen as ordinary, a medical procedure like any other health care, a human right.
The NWAAF board is a passionate, highly engaged, and dynamic group from across the Pacific Northwest. As a regional non-profit, we prioritize board representation from across the states we serve (Alaska, Idaho, Washington, and Oregon), and therefore do nearly all of our work virtually. We prioritize our relationships with each other and staff, and stay in close communication about all things NWAAF in between monthly board meetings. NWAAF operates within a power-sharing governance model, and the board therefore works closely with other entities within the organization to ensure we remain aligned with our goals and priorities. We prioritize transparency and accountability, work from a place of humility and curiosity, value humor and authenticity, and center the needs of abortion seekers in everything we do.
People of all backgrounds need abortion care, but people from historically oppressed groups face the highest barriers to accessing the care they need and deserve. In Alaska, we know that Alaska Native people experience some of the most significant barriers to abortion care, and NWAAF is committed to meeting this need; in 2024, over one third of the people NWAAF served in Alaska were Alaska Native, which is approximately double the percentage of Alaska Native people compared to the general population. NWAAF knows that to do our work in a way that aligns with the values of reproductive justice, we need to have board members that represent the communities we serve. We value having board members with lived abortion experience, people of the global majority, LGBTQ+ folks, younger people, people with first languages other than English, and folks with disabilities. A diverse board better equips us to support equitable abortion access for all.
1631 NE Broadway Street #149
Portland OR 97232
Website: https://www.nwaafund.orgWebsite
EIN:
72-1553703
Year of Incorporation:
2017
Location: Statewide
Focus: Health
Operating Budget: $1M-$5M
Number of Staff: 5
Number of Board Members: 4
Guidestar page:
https://www.guidestar.org/profile/72-1553703
Primary Contact for Board Recruitment:
Sam McNelly (she/her)
Executive Director:
Dara Snyder
