Community-Led Projects Across Seattle Receive Nearly $1 Million Through Neighborhood Matching Fund 

Twenty-two community-led projects across Seattle are receiving nearly $1 million through the Seattle Department of Neighborhoods’ Neighborhood Matching Fund (NMF), helping residents bring their ideas to life through neighborhood improvements, cultural celebrations, youth programs, and community-building initiatives. 

“When neighbors come together to improve a park, organize a cultural festival, create opportunities for young people, or tackle a challenge in their community, they show what makes Seattle special. The Neighborhood Matching Fund turns community ideas into action, proving that meaningful change starts with people who care enough to roll up their sleeves and make a difference together.” 
-Mayor Katie B. Wilson

Through the NMF, the City is investing $983,225 to support projects designed and led by people who know their neighborhoods best. Award recipients have committed more than $839,000 in matching contributions through volunteer time, donated materials, local fundraising, and in-kind professional services, demonstrating the power of community-driven investment. This is the first grant cycle of the 2026 Fund. Applications for the second round open in July.   

“I’ve seen firsthand how communities can transform neighborhoods when they have the resources and support to bring their ideas to life. The Neighborhood Matching Fund is one of Seattle’s most powerful tools for investing in community leadership because it starts by trusting residents to know what their neighborhoods need. These projects reflect the creativity, resilience, and vision that already exists in our communities, and we’re proud to support that work.” 
–Quynh Pham, Department of Neighborhoods Director.

Together, these investments demonstrate how neighbors and the City can work side-by-side to strengthen communities. 

Beginning in 2024, the Department of Neighborhoods re-instituted a community review process. For this round of awards, five community review team members reviewed, evaluated, and provided recommendations for this round of grants. The Department of Neighborhoods is grateful for their commitment to Seattle and all our communities.

“Receiving the Neighborhood Matching Fund grant is nothing short of a feeling of gratitude that makes many of the QTBIPOC community within District 3 and beyond feel seen and valued by the City of Seattle,” says Kurt Ragin, Jr. Executive Director, SWACE Health. “The ballroom community isn’t a show or spectacle but a culture that deserves to be uplifted, preserved, and supported throughout the Seattle.”

$20,000 to Atlantic Street Center for 25th Annual Juneteenth Celebration, a culturally rich, community‑centered event designed to honor African American history and uplift Seattle’s Black and broader BIPOC communities. The project features dynamic performances by local Black artists and youth; provides no‑cost vendor opportunities for Black‑ and BIPOC‑owned businesses; and brings together community organizations offering essential resources. With support from BIPOC‑led media partners like Rainier Avenue Radio, the event strengthens cultural pride, fosters intergenerational connection, and advances community equity through a free, inclusive celebration. Community match: $10,000. 

$15,000 to Base Camp Studios to produce the Summer Outdoor Movie Series (SOMS), a free four-night outdoor film festival held every Wednesday in August 2026 at Portal Park in Seattle’s Belltown neighborhood. Each event features a curated art market with 40 local vendors from 5–8 PM, live music, a food truck, and a community art project. The series activates Belltown’s only urban greenspace, directly supporting emerging artists, BIPOC small businesses, and neighborhood connection. Community match: $7,700. 

$50,000 to Black and Tan Project for the Black and Tan Musical, a project that explores the rich Seattle History of the Jackson Street Corridor. The musical spans five decades within the renowned Black and Tan Music Cabaret once located on 12th and Jackson Street and explores Seattle’s rich jazz history and race relations of the 1960s Civil Rights Movement. Community match: $29,575. 

$32,000 to Black Arts West Alumni Association for a free public exhibition exploring and engaging with the history of Black theater in the Pacific Northwest, from August 3 to October 10, 2026. This community-driven exhibit preserves and shares the history of Black Arts/West and the broader legacy of Black theater in Seattle. Through production archives, oral histories, and storytelling, the project brings together alumni, artists, youth, and community to celebrate a vital chapter of the city’s cultural history. King Street Station venue was a key arrival point for Black Southerners migrating to Seattle and a major source of employment. They brought cultural traditions, oral storytelling, fashion, and spirituality that shaped the foundation of Black theater in the Pacific NW. Inspired by the DuBois Club (1917) and the WPA Negro Repertory Co., Black Arts/West became a groundbreaking institution in Seattle’s Central District from 1968 to the 1980s. Community match:  $20,528. 

$50,000 to Chinatown International District Business Improvement Area for the Win Some, Dim Sum CID World Record Attempt, a free, public cultural event celebrating the culinary heritage, small businesses, and community identity of Seattle’s Chinatown International District. The project brings together local dim sum restaurants, residents, and visitors for a community-centered competition culminating in an official Guinness World Records-validated attempt. Community match: $36,150. 

$49,889 to Eritrean Association in Greater Seattle to host a FIFA World Cup Eritrean Arts and Music Celebration at our Community Center on July 3rd and 4th. The free, open to the public Festival celebrates the rich diversity in Seattle with, including performances by Eritrean singers and musicians, displays of Eritrean visual arts and crafts, fun activities for children (bounce house, games, arts and crafts), Eritrean food, dancing, and time for friends and family to reconnect. The event builds community relations by bringing together Eritreans from throughout the region in common purpose, while sharing our rich culture with the broader Seattle community. Community match: $25,490. 

$48,785 to Friends of Made Space First Fridays/Central District Art Walk, a free family friendly neighborhood activation in Seattle’s Central District. Each event features visual art, workshops, poetry, live music, and activities. First Fridays Art Walk will highlight local artists and small businesses. Through vibrant monthly activations, CD Art Walk helps to foster mental wellness, creativity, sense of belonging and community pride. Additionally, Art Walk draws attention and income to artists and small businesses on a monthly basis helping to support sustainability for and boost the creative economy. Lastly, CD Art Walk takes special care to highlight Black creatives and entrepreneurs as part of a cultural and historical preservation in the area. Community match: $71,760. 

$50,000 to Friends of WALK DONT RUN for a free, community-driven arts event that transforms downtown Seattle into a vibrant 20-block corridor of visual art, music, dance, and performance. Activating parks, plazas, sidewalks, and vacant storefronts, the event invites residents and visitors to experience art in unexpected, publicly accessible spaces at their own pace. WALK DONT RUN celebrates local creativity, uplifts artists from historically underserved communities, and fosters stronger, more connected neighborhoods. The event emphasizes accessibility, inclusion, and community engagement, with volunteers and partners supporting safe, welcoming experiences, audience interaction, and civic participation. Through this temporary transformation of urban spaces, the event and work of Friends of WALK DONT RUN strengthens community bonds, highlights local culture, and encourages shared ownership and pride across downtown Seattle’s urban landscape. Community match: $44,327. 

$38,461 to Gay City Health Project to operate a Mutual Aid Closet providing free clothing, food, hygiene and health items, and gender-affirming supplies to more than 200 community members each month. This vital program supports LGBTQ+ people who are low-income, unstably housed, experiencing domestic violence, or facing other barriers to meeting basic needs. Currently, the closet operates in a limited space that restricts supply storage and compromises the dignity of the shopping experience. With grant support, we will expand the Mutual Aid Closet into a larger, intentionally designed space within our building. This expansion will allow us to increase individuals served, increase the volume and variety of resources, improve physical accessibility for people of all abilities, strengthen partnerships with local organizations for reliable distribution, and create a welcoming, safe environment that honors dignity, self-determination, and mutual support within the LGBTQ+ community. Community match: $19,300. 

$50,000 to Indigenous Creatives Collective for critical infrastructure repairs at our site and community gathering space in Seattle’s Rainier Beach neighborhood. As a Native and women-led organization, we center the voices of Indigenous, BIPOC, Two-Spirit and LQBTQIA+ individuals, and youth through land stewardship, arts, and cultural programs. In 2025, we hosted 140+ events and welcomed 2,912+ visits to the land. This Phase One project will support facility renovations including new roofing on three facility buildings, ensuring building deterioration is halted and the space remains safe, weather tight, and functional for the artists, families, and BIPOC-aligned organizations who gather here year-round all at no cost to them. Community match: $25,000. 

$50,000 to It Takes A Village AMSA Edition to host its 10th Annual Juneteenth Community Celebration, a neighborhood-led cultural event honoring Black freedom, resilience, and community connection. The event brings together children, youth, families, elders, artists, and community organizations, especially those from low-income and BIPOC communities, to celebrate through music, spoken word, cultural storytelling, food traditions, and family-friendly activities. Youth ambassadors and volunteers will lead outreach, support vendors, and assist with event operations, strengthening youth leadership and community participation. Local artists, cultural practitioners, and community partners will share performances, resources, and opportunities that connect residents with trusted networks. This long-standing community tradition creates a welcoming space for neighbors to gather, celebrate cultural identity, and build stronger relationships across Southeast Seattle. Community match: $25,350. 

$50,000 to Lake City Pioneer Days Parade Association for Free Summer Festival on Saturday August 1, 2026, from 10:30 AM to 6:30 PM. The festival is one of the oldest Seafair-sanctioned community events, and one of the few remaining free, family-friendly events in Northeast Seattle. The Lake City neighborhood is home to many low- and middle-income people, many of whom are BIPOC, children, seniors, at-risk, and historically marginalized. In a world of fences and admission fees, we have the mission of keeping it free and fun for everyone. The spectrum of cultures is represented in the attendance, food, performance, and outreach. Local artists create and sell crafts on location. The Family Fun Zone has a second entertainment stage promoting physical and emotional well-being for children. Community and governmental organizations share information about available services. The Lake City Free Summer Festival values belonging in a neighborhood undergoing urban loss, change, and gentrification. Community match: $34,252. 

$49,991 to Multicultural Community Coalition to support our communities’ participation in the Hillman City Block Party via our Community Market and a Mural Project that will showcase the East African community and Hillman City’s history. This grant will reduce barriers for East African vendor participation via our successful Community Market format, which features traditional arts, crafts, music, dance, culinary experiences, and performances of immigrant/refugee communities. The mural slated for MCC’s Hillman City building will add beauty and vibrancy to the neighborhood while symbolizing community identity and heritage. Funds will also help celebrate culture, empower entrepreneurs, foster community unity, preserve cultural heritage, and raise awareness about immigrants’ and refugees’ experiences and challenges. This strengthens the community, empowers local businesses and artists, and supports SE Seattle’s culturally rich and diverse Black, immigrant and refugee communities. Community match: $27,405. 

$50,000 to Renaissance 21, Healthcare & Pharmaceutical D.R.U.G.S. Project (Discovery & Readiness for Upward Growth in STEAM) by Star Tech Global Academy will develop Community Biotech Learning Spaces in three underserved teen hubs across Seattle: Garfield HS, Rainier Beach CC, and Southwest Teen Life Center. Free educational workshops hosted in these spaces will introduce community participants to real-world healthcare and biotechnology laboratory skills such as clean room gowning, micro pipetting, and mock cell handling. Community members will be recruited and trained to lead the hands-on workshops that build confidence and awareness of careers in healthcare, pharmaceuticals, and life sciences. Each location’s improved space will be equipped with lab training tools (e.g., PPE, pipet systems, mobile laminar airflow hoods). This project will engage under-resourced communities in Seattle’s growing biotechnology ecosystem and inspire the next generation of healthcare professionals, scientists, and innovators. Community match: $25,886. 

$50,000 to Seattle Artist Coalition for Equitable Development for CommuniTEAS : Street Level is a BIPOC-artist-led safety initiative in the Pike/Pine Corridor facilitated by organic peacekeepers and culture bearers from impacted communities to infuse this nightlife epicenter with consistent, free, high-quality creative alternatives to the bars and streets. From July-Sept 2026, we activate a former bar front as a sober sanctuary providing respite and opportunity for vulnerable communities and holistic healing for a neighborhood riddled by recent violence. Community match: $66,150. 

$50,000 to Seattle Martin Luther King Jr. Organizing Coalition to honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. through one of the nation’s largest, most diverse tributes. For 43 years, the Seattle MLK Jr. Organizing Coalition, an all-volunteer, BIPOC-led group, has carried this legacy with a free, public celebration. In 2027, we will host the 44th Annual MLK Day, beginning at Garfield High School with 10+ workshops, a youth-led track, and a career and opportunity fair, followed by a rally and march through Seattle’s streets. Our coalition partners with NAAM, Muckleshoot Tribe, Wa Na Wari, Black Prisoners Caucus, Converge Media, SAARC, unions, and immigrant justice networks, while Ezell’s Chicken and others sustain our community lunch tradition. Over 150 volunteers, including 100+ from United Way, power the event. Funding will expand youth internships with stipends, ensure accessibility, and cover essentials like permits, safety, printing, and equipment so Dr. King’s call for justice, unity, and action continues to guide generations. Community match: $33,700. 

$50,000 to Simmulated Immersive eXperimental Realities for Seattle Stories 360°: Neighborhood Media Labs launches a community storytelling initiative bringing filmmaking workshops and public storytelling events to Seattle’s Central District and Rainier Vista. Through SIXR’s Immersive Storytelling Lab, youth and residents will learn filmmaking and digital storytelling tools while creating short films documenting neighborhood culture, history, and lived experiences. Workshops and community screenings will be hosted at Langston Hughes Performing Arts Institute and partner community spaces, bringing neighbors together to share stories and celebrate local creativity. The project will also feature immersive storytelling demonstrations using a community-accessible LED visual stage during public events such as the Seattle Black Nerd Festival. By expanding access to creative technology and collaborative storytelling, Seattle Stories 360° strengthens cultural expression, preserves neighborhood stories, and creates welcoming community gathering spaces. Community match: $85,175. 

$50,000 to SWACE Health for Ballroom, with roots in Harlem, NYC, has always been a space of liberation, where Black and brown Queer and trans folks could be free from racism and homophobia. “In the early 1970’s, also referred to as the Golden era, the legendary trans drag queen Crystal LaBeija, began hosting balls specifically for Black people as a response to racism in New York’s larger downtown drag scene and soon after established the House of LaBeija.” Balls are spaces in which community members compete, sometimes for cash prizes, and express themselves in a variety of categories including performance, face, and runway. There is always a specific theme (i.e. I Love Seattle, Winter Wonderland, etc.) that each category aligns with, which allows individuals to hone their creativity. The 2026 B.E.T. Awards Kiki Ball will be a celebration of excellence, legacy, and black excellence, where performance meets prestige and BIPOC artists come to make history. Community match: $69,600. 

$50,000 to The Vera Project for Always All Ages is a youth-led, collaboratively programmed music festival, arts showcase, international cultural exchange, and educational intensive put on by and for our local all-ages creative community. Extending from Wednesday, November 18 through Saturday, November 21, our completely free to the public festival showcases a wide range of diverse artists, offers extensive educational workshops, and provides paid training opportunities for youth cultural workers. Always All Ages is designed to uplift our local creative industries and build community surrounding the current affordability crises faced by youth audiences, artists, and cultural workers alike. In total, we expect approximately 3,500 all-ages attendees, paid opportunities for over 125 artists and 40 cultural/production workers, and experiential learning opportunities for 100 volunteers and 800+ community members. Community match: $80,000. 

$50,000 to Theatre Off Jackson (TOJ) to strengthen safety and neighborhood confidence through architect-designed exterior improvements to its historic Chinatown International District (CID) building. The full project includes front and rear security gate installations and entry alcove improvements (including signage and artwork representing neighborhood identity); this Phase I request focuses on constructing a new wood-framed entry alcove and custom metal folding gate at the primary (front) public entrance, with improved lighting, repaired surfaces, and ADA-compliant egress. The project was developed in response to safety concerns by facility users/visitors. Developed with input from artists, audiences, and neighborhood residents and businesses, the design balances security with openness—signaling active stewardship rather than exclusion. In addressing securing concerns, TOJ will create a safer, more welcoming cultural space serving AAPI, BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, and neighborhood communities. Community match: $32,670. 

$29,100 to West Seattle Chamber of Commerce for the West Seattle Glass Float Hunt, taking place August 7 through August 16, 2026, is a free community art event that invites residents and visitors to explore neighborhoods across the West Seattle peninsula while searching for handblown glass floats hidden in parks, greenspaces, trails, public walkways, and participating businesses from Alki Avenue to Roxbury Street. Created by local glass artists, each float is a small piece of public art meant to be discovered, photographed, and shared. The hunt encourages people to experience West Seattle’s parks, neighborhoods, and small businesses in a new way while celebrating the region’s connection to Pacific Northwest glass artistry. It also serves as a small business activation and economic development effort that guides participants through neighborhood commercial districts and encourages visits to local shops, restaurants, cafés, and other businesses helping support the independent, local business culture in West Seattle. Community match: $29,320. 

$50,000 to Young Women Empowered (Y-WE) to cultivate the power of diverse young women to be courageous leaders and creative changemakers. Y-WE delivers learning and leadership programs that center youth on the margins–girls of color, gender expansive, and LGBTQ+ youth ages 13-24. We connect youth to mentors who reflect their identities, building communities of belonging–an ongoing web of support as they grow into adulthood. In our work towards a just and liberated world, we create the conditions for young people to find their voices and claim their power. Y-WE seeks support to sustain our flagship Creative Empowerment Summer Camp. Create Camp integrates experiential learning, arts-based practice, and leading-edge facilitation to guide youth in taking creative and emotional risks while developing artistic and leadership skills. Through visual arts, writing, and media arts, participants connect deeply with themselves, one another, and their communities. Community match: $40,493. 

More information about our grants: 

Neighborhood Matching Fund grants are given to organizations committed to fostering and building community. It has two funds: the Community Partnership Fund, which is currently offered twice a year with awards of up to $50,000; and the Small Sparks Fund, which is offered on a rolling basis January – October with awards of up to $5,000. Applications for the second round of the Community Partnership Fund will open in July. 

Since its creation, more than 5,000 projects have been funded in partnership with the Neighborhood Matching Fund Program, and this investment in neighborhoods and communities can be seen across the city. Learn more about the Neighborhood Matching Fund grant.

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Since its founding in 1991, the Seattle Department of Neighborhoods has supported community-led projects and programs that strengthen connections, build trust, and help neighbors shape the future of Seattle together such as Neighborhood Matching Fund, P-Patch Gardening Program, Historic Preservation, and more.