What We Do
About the Olympia Tumwater Foundation
Founded in 1950, the Olympia Tumwater Foundation is a local charitable organization that traces its roots to the Schmidt family of Tumwater and the famous Olympia Brewing Company.
The Foundation is governed by a board of respected community leaders and has a long history of public spirit and community goodwill. Today the Foundation is best known for the pair of properties it owns and maintains for public use – Brewery Park at Tumwater Falls and the historic Schmidt House – and the numerous college scholarships it awards to local students each year.
Our Programs
Brewery Park at Tumwater Falls
Brewery Park at Tumwater Falls, one of the many local legacies of the former Olympia Brewery and the founding Schmidt family, was created in 1962 as a gift to the citizens of Thurston County to preserve open space and sustain the natural habitat and history of the Deschutes River Canyon.
The Historic Schmidt House
In 1983, the Foundation acquired Tumwater’s elegant Schmidt House, the home built in 1904 for Olympia Brewing Company founder Leopold Schmidt. The historic house now serves as the headquarters of our award-winning “Heritage Builders” history program and as a venue for historical and cultural events.
OTF Education Program
Acclaimed as the largest provider of college scholarships to high school seniors in Thurston County, the Foundation has given over $2.1 million since our first $500 scholarship in 1967, over $1 million in the past 5 years.
Support our programs
Created by the Olympia Brewing Company to conduct their philanthropic efforts, our organization aims to enrich our local community through a variety of programs.