About us

About Northwest Resource Associates

Northwest Resource Associates (NWRA) is a nonprofit child welfare organization. Established in 1980 as a 501(c)3 nonprofit corporation, we are headquartered in Seattle, Washington, and have offices in Anchorage, Fairbanks, and Wasilla, Alaska, and in Portland, Oregon.

Our work is supported by grants and contracts from federal, state, and local government agencies; nonprofit human services agencies, universities and research institutions, foundations, and corporations. We also rely on the generosity of individual donors.

Our vision and mission

Vision: All young people have family that nurtures their growth and potential.

Mission: Northwest Resource Associates designs and delivers programs and technology that empower youth, strengthen families, and improve child welfare systems.

We value

Collaboration
We believe that the best solutions are collaboratively created and owned. We engage with youth and families, build relationships with child welfare workers, and partner with other organizations to develop effective programs.

Empathy
We approach our work with humility and cultivate compassion by listening to children, teens, and families. Understanding what they are doing, thinking, and feeling helps us focus on what is most important: their needs.

Expertise
We value expertise in all its forms. We honor the lived experience of the youth and families we serve, rely on the deep knowledge of our staff, and respect the insight our partners bring.

Continuous improvement
We consistently seek feedback, listen to those we serve, respond to their input, and pursue equity and inclusion to ensure our programs work with and for those who rely on them.

What we do

Family recruitment
We inspire and prepare foster and adoptive families to parent youth living in foster care.

Family support
We support families of all types. We listen and provide information, insight, and connection to services.

Youth engagement
We engage and empower youth to tell their own stories and shape their futures.

Education
We provide both families and child welfare professionals with information and skill-building opportunities like workshops, training, and mentoring.

Digital communication
We design and develop user-centered digital products—including apps, websites, training, and communications—that inspire, inform, and empower.

NWRA earns inclusion innovation achievement

In 2025, NWRA earned the Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s highest distinction, Innovative Inclusion.

This prestigious award recognizes our innovative leadership in equity and inclusion, as well as our exceptional service to LGBTQ+ youth and families.

NWRA and our programs—including Alaska Center for Resource Families, Northwest Adoption Exchange, Oregon Adoption Resource Exchange, and Oregon Post-Adoption Resource Center—have long proudly earned the “You Are Welcome Here” seal. This new recognition highlights our above-and-beyond commitment to creating safe, supportive, and affirming environments for our communities.

Receiving this award underscores our ongoing dedication to equity and justice, helping us support communities where every youth and family can thrive. To achieve this level of recognition, NWRA demonstrated comprehensive implementation of LGBTQ+ inclusive policies and affirming practices.

About the Human Rights Campaign Foundation: The Human Rights Campaign Foundation is the educational arm of the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), America’s largest civil rights organization working to achieve LGBTQ+ equality. Read more about All Children, All Families.