The City of Seattle has invested $991,000 to support 20 community-initiated projects through Seattle Department of Neighborhoods’ Neighborhood Matching Fund. Its Community Partnership Fund offers matching funds of up to $100,000 to community organizations committed to fostering and building our community. These awards range from $10,500 to $100,000 with the 20 organizations pledging a total of $773,231 in community match involving volunteer hours, locally raised money, donated materials, and in-kind professional services.

The Neighborhood Matching Fund has two funds: Community Partnership Fund, which is offered three times a year with cash awards up to $100,000; and Small Sparks Fund, which is offered on a rolling basis throughout the year with cash awards of up to $5,000.

The Neighborhood Matching Fund (NMF) provides more than $3 million each year to local organizations. Over its 30-year history, more than 5,000 projects have been funded in partnership with the NMF Program, and its investment in neighborhoods can be seen across the city. For more information about NMF, visit seattle.gov/neighborhoods/nmf/.

2017 Community Partnership Fund Awards – Fall Cycle

Citywide (Across all Districts)

• $40,000 to LTX Space Planning Committee to lead a process to envision and gather input through the fall of 2018 about the future development of a cultural space for Seattle’s Latinx community. (Community match: $35,600)
• $58,500 for Jefferson Who Am I?, a performance based on the relationship between Thomas Jefferson and his slave mistress Sally Hemming. The work will use artistic disciplines including poetry, art, music and dance with performers of all ages in September of 2018 at Langston Hughes Center. (Community match: $30,500)

District 1

• $100,000 to Friends of Roxhill Elementary to lead the planning and installation of new play features and mural at the E.C. Hughes playground in anticipation of the school’s relocation. The work will occur this winter through summer of 2018. (Community match: $59,750)
• $40,000 to Festival Centro Americano to organize a festival to celebrate the cultures of Central America. Occurring next August, it will include a day of cultural performances, cultural expression, and cultural exchange with two outreach events held prior to the event. (Community match: $30,060)

District 2

• $100,000 to Friends of Lewis Park to continue the community engagement process to transform this once crime-ridden area into a healthy and accessible urban forest. Phase V includes construction of the trail, continued restoration of the natural area, and support for long-term stewardship planning. (Community match: $58,692)
• $29,500 to Rainier Avenue Radio to create a design for the 1,200-sq. ft. space within the Royal Esquire Club that will serve as the future home of the community radio station. Community input and design work will take place in early 2018. (Community match: $45,000)
• $17,500 to 21 Progress for the Rise: Breakfast Storytelling Series which will convene community members from various sectors to engage in conversations about how to develop emerging leaders, increase community collaboration, and support resistance to oppression. (Community match: $9,030)

District 3

• $46,500 to Volunteer Park Trust to manufacture and install a 30′ high, permanent steel fencing to surround the two formal Lily Ponds in Volunteer Park. The fencing will replace the unsafe and insubstantial wire fencing, provide a proper safety barrier for children, and add to the aesthetics of the park. (Community match: $23,196)
• $90,000 to Seattle AIDS Legacy Memorial to engage communities of color who have been disproportionately affected by HIV/AIDS in cultivating narratives that speak to their collective sense of loss, trauma, rage, courage, and triumph. These stories and oral histories will be celebrated at an event in December of 2018. (Community match: $51,969)

District 4

• $12,500 to Friends of Picardo Farms P-Patch Community Garden to revitalize an abandoned demonstration garden to provide a safe, contemplative space for the neighborhood. There will be an edible landscape, a patio and picnic table, and a wood chip bin. (Community match: $8,740)
• $42,000 to U District Advocates to coordinate a participatory coalition of stakeholders from the community, city, university, and transportation agencies. Over 6-8 months, the coalition will design a comprehensive Community Mobility Vision Plan in the U District to manage walking, biking, transit, driving, and freight. (Community match: $54,000)

District 5

• $21,000 to Friends of Broadview Thomson to hire a landscape architecture firm to lead a design process with community input for an improved school front. Possible improvements include art, benches, walkways and pedestrian connections, and a safe, efficient drop-off/pick-up area. (Community match: $14,780)
• $27,000 to Making Broadview Better, Together to hire a landscape architecture firm to develop a pathway design for an unimproved right-of-way to calm traffic and increase pedestrian safety. The process will include community outreach including a series of public meetings through the summer of 2018. (Community match: $14,725)
• $26,000 to Team of N. 137th Street Residents to implement pedestrian safety and traffic calming improvements which include wheel stops to separate traffic from pedestrians, a walking path, and the creation of a no-parking zone. Community volunteers will plant and build the path and maintain the landscaped areas. (Community match: $13,000)

District 6

• $10,500 to Freeway Estates Community Orchard to increase watering efficiency, enhance water conservation efforts, and allow people of various physical abilities to assist with watering. Another rainwater catchment and pumps will be installed to move water to elevated tanks that will serve gravity-fed irrigation systems.  (Community match: $10,193)
• $87,000 to Whittier Elementary PTA to replace the play structure at the school’s playground. The project will also add welcoming entries, seating areas, and prominent art features to better identify the playground as a neighborhood public space. (Community match: $43,610)
• $100,000 to Rowing Advisory Council to continue efforts to redevelop the Green Lake Small Craft Center. There will be a community engagement process to select an architect, complete a schematic design, craft a fundraising plan, and initiate the capital campaign strategy. (Community match: $86,490)

District 7

• $53,000 to Downtown Seattle Association to complete the installation phase of a Community Crosswalk at the intersection of 7th and Westlake. This unique interchange is a great location to create a sense of place and bring together diverse community partners around a common urban design improvement project. (Community match: $34,531)
• $78,000 to Friends of Art of Pier 86 for Let There be Light to project illuminated art onto Pier 86. A pilot image will be projected for three months during winter, and a different image will be projected at the end of 2018. There will be a community workshop for the first installation and a community winter solstice celebration for the second installation. (Community match: $99,950)
• $12,000 to Na’ah Illahee Fund for the Yahowt Permaculture Circle of Native women and their partners to design and implement two ecological restoration projects on the 20-acre parcel at the Daybreak Star Indian Cultural Center. Its purpose is to enhance the teaching space for Native youth and the community. (Community match: $49,415)