Nancy’s Legacy

In 1985, at a transformative time in her life, Seattle philanthropist Nancy Nordhoff bought a working farm on Whidbey Island overlooking Useless Bay, with a sweeping view across Puget Sound to Mount Rainier. Nancy was seeking “home,” and her intention was to live on the property. But as she walked the land, she felt it telling her it wanted to be something else: a home for more than one woman, a place for women to come and be in solitude and community. A graduate of Mount Holyoke College, Nancy carried a deep personal commitment to nurturing women, supporting their vision and raising their voices. She wanted women to experience their independence, learn to trust their instincts and rely on their own resourcefulness. Living in a natural environment, close to the land, surrounded by forest, meadows and ponds teeming with wildlife, is an increasingly rare opportunity, especially for writers in an urban setting. It was important to Nancy that a woman knows how to build a fire to keep herself warm, so each cottage has a small wood-burning stove. The first fire is laid for the writer. After that, she’s on her own! These values have imbued Hedgebrook’s mission from the very beginning, and are carried on to this day.

Nancy and co-founder Sheryl Feldman, established Hedgebrook with an original founding gift, as well as the property, cottages and other buildings. From 2003-06, Hedgebrook transitioned to its current status as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit literary arts organization. Hedgebrook has continued to subsist on the generosity of Nancy’s founding gift, supplemented by a fundraising program that began in earnest in 2006, and is growing each year.

Please read more about Nancy’s contributions here and add your comments and stories of the impact that she had.