Most people associate Goodwill with thrift stores. But in Northwest Washington, the organisation has quietly become one of the region’s largest providers of tuition-free adult education, and that work is now receiving national recognition. TIME Magazine has named Goodwill Industries International one of the ten most influential education companies of 2026.
The recognition highlights a model that Evergreen Goodwill, the local affiliate serving King, Snohomish, Skagit, Whatcom, and Kittitas counties, has been building for years. Over the past decade, the nonprofit has supported more than 50,000 students across its five-county region through programmes that carry none of the typical barriers to entry. No prerequisites. No tuition. No waitlists driven by admissions requirements. The scale of that work is comparable to some local community colleges, but the approach is fundamentally different.
Evergreen Goodwill’s education centres offer job skills training including beginner computer skills, English language learning, and industry-specific preparation; digital literacy and AI literacy courses alongside access to laptops and Wi-Fi for students who lack devices at home; and high school completion programmes designed to help adult learners earn credentials that open pathways to higher-paying work and break generational cycles of poverty.
TIME specifically cited Goodwill’s role in connecting people not just to jobs available today but to careers that are emerging. That forward-looking approach is visible in Evergreen Goodwill’s partnership with King County’s JumpStart Programme and more than 40 clean energy employers. Each year, 40 young people are placed into paid clean energy internships designed to lead directly to career-track employment. Participants from the current cohort are landing full-time roles with an average starting wage of $27 per hour, well above Seattle’s $21.30 minimum wage. Evergreen Goodwill provides case management, equipment, and job placement support throughout the process.
The national recognition arrives at a moment when Washington employers are actively seeking skilled workers for high-growth industries while many job seekers are looking for faster and more affordable pathways into stable careers. Evergreen Goodwill, founded in 1923, operates 21 thrift stores and donation centres, five job training centres, and employs more than 2,000 people across the region. Revenue from donated goods sold in stores funds the tuition-free education programmes directly.
