Mission, vision & values
What we are for, in plain language.
Every organization has a mission statement written for a grant application. This page has that one too, further down. It starts with the version we would actually say out loud.
Our mission
Money should never decide which Idaho kids get to play, stay in the game, and lead beyond it.
The Taylor LEAD Foundation empowers youth and women across Idaho, especially those from underserved communities, by creating pathways to success in education, athletics, and life.
See it rather than read it
The film we played at the gala.
Three hundred and eight people watched this in a room in Boise before anybody was asked for anything. It is the shortest honest answer to why this work exists.
Our vision
An Idaho where the kid who would have quit at fourteen is running something at thirty.
The Taylor LEAD Foundation envisions a world where youth and women have the opportunity to reach their full potential, regardless of their background. We strive to create a community where all individuals have equal access to education, mentorship, and resources to excel in academics, athletics, the workplace, and leadership. By breaking down barriers and providing the tools for personal and professional growth, we empower individuals — especially those from underrepresented communities — to lead with confidence, purpose, and passion.
Our vision is to inspire a generation of leaders who will overcome challenges, pursue their dreams, and make a lasting impact on the world. As we grow, our efforts will create a ripple effect of social and economic equity, fostering a future where every person, particularly youth and women, can thrive and contribute to a more inclusive, empowered society.
How we work
Nine values, and they spell what they ask of you.
RISE C.L.E.A.R. is not a poster. Each one below is written as something we can be held to, which is the only test a value has to pass.
Resilience
We encourage perseverance and adaptability, so that a setback is treated as information rather than a verdict.
Integrity
We uphold honesty, transparency and accountability — including publishing what we cannot yet claim.
Support
We build networks where people can be leaders and teammates at the same time.
Empowerment
We equip people to use what they already have, rather than telling them they are capable and leaving.
Collaboration
We work with partners, mentors and communities, because nothing on our list can be done alone.
Legacy
We build for people who will never meet us. The scholarship is named for two of them.
Equity
We make sure the same opportunity costs the same effort, regardless of what a family earns.
Access
We fund the specific, unglamorous things standing between a young person and a season.
Respect
We treat everyone with dignity, and we assume competence before we assume need.
Values are cheap
So here is where three of them are load-bearing.
Anyone can put nine words on a wall. These are the places where ours cost us something.
Our impact ledger publishes what we cannot claim alongside what we can — no retention rate, no alumni tracking, no idea what a season costs an Idaho family. That list makes us look less impressive and it is the reason the rest of the page can be believed.
$115 puts one girl through a season of Girls on the Run. That is not a rounded illustration, it is what each of our twenty Mountain Home awards actually cost. Every figure we publish is traceable to a real program.
The scholarship is named for two people, one of whom has died. We are building an endowment specifically so that it outlives everybody currently on the board — which is a strange thing to fundraise for and the correct thing to do.
One sentence
When I win — we all win.
It is the last line of the iWIN Pledge, and it is the whole argument. Everything this Foundation funds is a claim that the sentence is literally true.