Dear Friends of Firland,
Thank you for your interest in donating to The Firland Foundation and Workshop. As a sheltered workshop, we are registered as a 501(c)(4) organization with two missions:
- Providing employment, training, and/or rehabilitation to people with barriers to employment
- Fighting tuberculosis (and other pulmonary diseases) by funding grants
Creating Jobs, Changing Lives
At the heart of Firland is a precision machine shop. We are an AS9100-certified supplier to the aerospace industry, with a strong record of quality and on-time delivery.
But what makes us different is who we employ. More than 75% of our team members face challenges that make it hard to find work, whether due to physical or mental health conditions, past involvement with the justice system, or other barriers. We provide stable jobs, skill-building, and a supportive, non-judgmental environment.
Firland offers more than just employment. We also offer comprehensive job skills training rooted in a culture of continuous improvement. We are guided by Kaizen principles and our team is encouraged to problem-solve, take initiative, and grow their capabilities on the shop floor. Every day our employees not only build precision parts, but also personal confidence and professional momentum.
Our long-term goal is to grow this operation so that profits from the workshop can fully fund our health grants. Until then, your donation will help us expand our impact on both fronts.
Fighting Tuberculosis Through Targeted Grants
Tuberculosis (TB) is not a disease of the past — far from it. According to the World Health Organization, TB once again surpassed COVID-19 as the world’s leading infectious disease killer in 2023, with 1.25 million deaths and 8.3 million new diagnoses.
Each year, Firland funds a range of targeted grants to help fight TB and related pulmonary diseases, including:
- Community Grants – supporting local education, outreach, and care programs
- Research Grants – seeding early-stage, high-potential TB research
- The Northrop-Park Fellowship – training physician-scientists in TB research at UW
- Graduate Nursing Fellowship – supporting advanced nursing students in TB and lung health
In 2024, we distributed more than $350,000 in grants across these categories. Here are just a few highlights:
- $25,000 to support a hospital in Kenya
- $63,751 to study TB drug resistance in East Africa
- $30,000 for outreach to newly arrived immigrants with latent TB
- $5,650 to support TB-focused nursing training in Seattle
- $71,564 for research on maternal mycobacterial specific T cell signatures and infant immune response
Why Your Support Matters
Frustratingly, TB continues to grow in areas where healthcare access is limited, which are often the same places where opportunity is scarce. At Firland, we are working to change that.
We know that our supporters give because they believe in dignity, opportunity, and the value of human beings. Your generosity does more than sustain our work, it helps remove the barriers that prevent people from thriving.
Recently, the federal government has cut research funding for TB. This means that private sector grants are now more important than ever as we strive to address this global health challenge.
We invite you to join us in this mission. If you have questions or would like to learn more about our work, feel free to reach out to donations@firland.org.
Please note that since we are a 501(c)(4) organization, donations to the Firland Foundation & Workshop are not tax deductible.