We’re delighted to share another update from the 2022 Collective Grants Committee! Since our last update, the committee has been working to thoughtfully research 29 organizations in our three priorities: Mental Health and Housing, the School to Prison Pipeline, and Community Cultural Preservation.  

This year, informed by WaWF members, grantees, and the broader community, we made significant changes to our grants program. To learn more about those changes please click here. To learn about the selection of our three priorities click here.  

As a reminder, with these grants we seek to support organizations that are reflective of and embedded in the communities they serve, draw on the strengths and assets of these communities, and are accountable to these communities in order to achieve the long-term goals of increasing equity and reducing disparities. 

We’re excited to share a bit about the 15 organizations that the committee will connect with over the next few weeks. If you’re interested in learning more about what the committee found as part of their research, check out the Research Summary Booklet, which will be shared in the member newsletter. 

Mental Health & Housing 

Elizabeth Gregory Home:  To provide a welcoming and respectful refuge where homeless and at-risk women have access to compassionate care.   

Firelands Workers United/Trabajadores Unidos: Builds multiracial working-class power in rural disinvested counties in WA State to organize for a just, green economy that serves people and the land.  

Innovations Human Trafficking Collaborative (IHTC): To engage first responders, tribes, and other stakeholders in eliminating human trafficking through solution-based knowledge and trauma-informed strategies, and to empower survivors to heal and build self-sufficient, affirming lives. 

LifeWire: To end domestic violence (DV) by changing individual, institutional, and societal beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors that perpetuate it.  

New Beginnings: To empower survivors and mobilize community awareness and action to end domestic violence. 
 
Community Cultural Preservation 

Densho: Documents the testimonies of Japanese Americans who were unjustly incarcerated during World War II before their memories are extinguished.  

Na’ah Illahee Fund: To support and promote the leadership of Indigenous women and youth in the ongoing regeneration of Indigenous communities in the Pacific Northwest.  

Salish School of Spokane: Dynamic Salish Language Revitalization powering cultural renewal and building a stronger, healthier community.  

The South Seattle Emerald: To amplify the authentic narratives of South Seattle and surrounding communities.  

Wa Na Wari: To create space for Black ownership, possibility, and belonging through art, historic preservation, and connection.  

School to Prison Pipeline 

CHOOSE 180: To transform systems of injustice and support the young people who are too often impacted by these systems.  

Community Passageways: We create alternatives to incarceration for youth and young adults by rebuilding our communities through committed relationships centered on love, compassion, and consistency.  

Project Girl Mentoring Program: To foster the advancement of young women of color to make positive life choices and to maximize their authentic potential.  

South King County Discipline Coalition: To end disproportionate discipline of students of color and interrupt the school to prison pipeline through anti-racist organizing, leadership development, and advocacy strategies that center parents and youth directly affected 

WA-BLOC: To build and nurture intergenerational leaders through transformative education and revolutionary social action. 

Next up, the Grants Committee will be conducting conversations with these organizations to learn more about their work and select two in each category (6 total) to move forward to the Ballot. All organizations that do not move forward at that time will receive a $3000 grant. 

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The following organizations were considered in the Research Phase of the grant process but will not advance to the Conversation Phase. In recognition of their investment in our grant process they have been awarded a $1,500 Merit Award. As wonderful organizations doing important work in our community, we hope that you will learn more about them and consider supporting them individually! A great way to increase your impact is by donating through GiveBIG on May 3-4. 

Mental Health & Housing 

Arms Around You: To provide a safe environment of community support, education, and encouragement to individuals who are in the reentry phase of life.  

Bridgeways: To provide services that promote quality of life for individuals living with a mental health concern in a manner that facilitates growth, independence, and a sense of community. 

GenPride: We advocate for the unique needs of older LGBTQIA+ adults, offer innovative programs and services that promote wellbeing and prevent social isolation, cultivate belonging through community connection, and work to eliminate discrimination in all its forms. 

Somali Community Services of Seattle (SCSS): Seattle’s oldest and largest nonprofit serving the local Somali community, and a local go-to resource. 

Community Cultural Preservation 

LANGSTON: To strengthen and advance our community through Black arts and culture. 

Northwest African American Museum: To spread knowledge, understanding, and enjoyment of the histories, arts, and cultures of people of African descent for the enrichment of all. 

The Good Foot Arts Collective: To provide youth violence prevention through arts education. 

Wing Luke Museum: To connect everyone to the dynamic history, cultures and art of Asian Pacific Americans through vivid storytelling and inspiring experiences to advance racial and social equity.  

yəhaw̓ Indigenous Creatives Collective: To help improve Indigenous mental and emotional health outcomes through art-making, community building, and equitable creative opportunities for personal and professional growth.   

School to Prison Pipeline 

Empowering Youth and Families Outreach: To raise up resilient leaders who are empowered to achieve their dreams and contribute to a more just and humane world.  

Friends of the Children Tacoma (Friends-Tacoma): Impacts generational change by empowering youth who are facing the greatest obstacles through relationships with professional mentors—12+ years, no matter what. 

Living Well Kent: To provide public spaces and initiatives that encourage healthier lifestyles and better living. 
 
Powerful Voices: Creates brave spaces with girls* of color to take charge of their own power as leaders, igniting their abilities to confidently express themselves, build community, and act against injustices affecting their lives. 

The Way to Justice: To pave the way to justice through community empowerment, advocacy, and access.