The City of Seattle has awarded $935,448 to support 23 community-initiated projects through the Seattle Department of Neighborhoods’ Neighborhood Matching Fund Community Partnership Fund. These community groups received awards averaging $40,672 and have pledged a total of $1,238,766 to match their award through local cash donations, volunteer hours, donated materials, and in-kind professional services.
“As we close out the year and look ahead to 2026, the Neighborhood Matching Fund awards are a powerful reminder of what our neighborhoods can achieve when we invest in each other,” says Jenifer Chao, Director, Seattle Department of Neighborhoods. “Across every council district, community members are stepping up with creativity, courage, and care to build space where people feel connected, welcomed, and heard. We are honored to support them.”
The Neighborhood Matching Fund awards grants 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 through October, with awards of up to $5,000. Applications for the first round of the 2026 Community Partnership Fund will open in January 2026. Small Sparks will also open in January 2026.
Beginning in 2024, the Department of Neighborhoods re-instituted a community review process. For this round of awards, five community members reviewed, evaluated, and provided recommendations for this round of Community Partnership grants. The Department of Neighborhoods is grateful for their commitment to Seattle and all our communities.
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. For information about the grant, eligibility and the application, click here.
2025 Community Partnership Fund Awards-Round Two
$50,000 to Amigos de Seattle to host free, family-friendly workshops in South Park to celebrate and preserve the traditions, music, dance, and history of Central America. Each workshop will focus on a different country and highlight the Indigenous heritage, cuisine, and clothing and include folklore performances, traditional attire displays, and cultural exchanges. The events will be broadcasted live on ADS Radio and social media. The project fosters cultural pride, intercultural understanding, and provides a platform for Central American artists. Community match: $44,650.
$50,000 to Black Farmers Collective to advance civic engagement, socioeconomic mixing, environmental sustainability, and value creation by developing a civic infrastructure to support an inclusive neighborhood. Rather than focusing on only standard market indicators, the project aims to achieve inclusive growth and expand civic engagement without displacement. Community match: $25,760.
$50,000 to Capoeira Life fiscally sponsored by Shunpike to repair the South Seattle Capoeira Academy, which was damaged by flooding from an adjacent unit. The space serves as their home base for free cultural art and education programs that nurture social justice and uplift BIPOC and other historically marginalized residents in South Seattle. This funding will help rebuild and enhance the homebase to better ensure future safety and improve the capacity to provide health and wellness to the community. Community match: $427,815.
$50,000 to Friends of Troll’s Knoll to purchase and install horizontal basalt benches for mobility impaired visitors and to decommission damaged concrete Mushroom Lantern sculptures and replace with stainless steel artwork. Community match: $41,605.
$50,000 to Seattle Flying Dragon Boat Club for the Seattle Dragon Boat Festival, a free, open to the public event celebrating Asian sport and culture. The traditional Chinese Dragon Boat Festival, also known as the Duanwu Festival, commemorates the ancient poet Qu Yuan and includes dragon boat races, food, and folk entertainment. Community match: $71,105.
$50,000 to Seattle Sustainable Fashion Collective for a “free store” pilot program to help people find clothes they love and re-home clothes they no longer need, keeping things out of landfill and reforming a harmful and exploitative system. The store will also provide a radically inclusive third place that helps people build skills, forge connections, be creative, and support art. The store space will also host events and be open to use for historically underserved artists. Community match: $88,895.
$50,000 to Shunpike Arts Collective for Artists of Color Expo & Symposium (ACES), a BIPOC-led, community-curated program that uplifts and centers BIPOC artists. ACES provides space for artists of color to tell their stories through various mediums. Community match: $34,150.
$50,000 to Somali Independent Business Alliance to host two free business conferences and two focus groups to address a lack of access to resources, networks, and spaces to voice challenges for small business owners—especially immigrants, refugees, and people of color. The conferences will connect local businesses with key partners, allow business owners to share barriers directly with agencies and stakeholders, and have focus groups for leaders and small business owners to discuss needs and solutions. Community match: $26,950.
$49,970 to LANGSTON for the Seattle Black Film Festival (SBFF) Public Access Program. The program will provide three workshops (one youth, two adult) led by professional instructors, two free events (Opening Night Party with community partners and an Industry Night talk with filmmakers), and two curated short film blocks featuring 15 films. All activities are entirely free of charge, removing financial barriers that often prevent Seattle residents – especially displaced Black community members and low-income households – from participating. Community match: $40,930.
$49,914 to HONK Festival West to support the free, three-day celebration of street band music and community in three distinct Seattle neighborhoods. Entirely volunteer-run and free to all, this immersive festival removes barriers to live music, connects people across cultures, and celebrates the power of collective creativity. From samba to Balkan brass, New Orleans second line to funk, HONK! Fest West showcases diverse traditions while erasing the line between performer and audience—turning the whole community into the band. Community match: $101,352.
$49,900 to Filipino Community of Seattle for the Bayanihan Empowerment Project (BEP), which brings together three impactful signature events: Talipapa Market Cultural Festival, Community Tree Lighting & Night Market, and AANHPI Journeys: A Family Book Celebration. BEP seeks to inspire, connect, and empower a multicultural and multigenerational community including seniors, youth, families, and entrepreneurs in the Rainier Valley area. These unique and creative events cultivate cultural pride, provide vital economic opportunities, and foster intergenerational bonds. Community match: $45,675.
$45,000 to Seattle Chinatown International District Preservation and Development Authority (SCIDpda) to continue the revitalization work in Nihonmachi Alley. SCIDpda will collaborate with community partners on placemaking efforts and safety enhancements to Chiya’s Garden, new pavement in the alley, and a plan for permanent decorative and public art features. Community match: $36,765.
$41,428 to Rainier Arts Center for 98118 Fest, a celebration featuring performances from a mix of world music and local artists, pop-up gallery for local artists to sell their work, and BIPOC food and craft vendors. The event will coincide with FIFA World Cup matches in Seattle and will feature soccer- and art-themed activities for kids and families, including face painting, art making, and games. Community match: $28,722.
$38,525 to Slow Waters to install speed humps to reduce vehicle speeds on Waters Avenue South and enhance neighborhood safety and community well-being. This project will improve walkability, deter crime, and strengthen community connections. The Slow Waters Committee, supported by the Rainier Beach Community Club, will lead the initiative including permitting, and construction, with completion expected by summer. Community match: $22,300.
$37,929 to Magnolia Neighborhood Skate Park to design a skate park and multi-use gathering space for skateboards, scooters, rollerblades, bicycles, and wheelchairs in Magnolia Playfield. This is a multi-year project that began in 2023 and is sponsored by the Magnolia Community Center Advisory Council. Community match: $33,801.
$35,966 to Seattle Repertory Theater to produce a Community Sing-Along at one performance during the run of the musical “Come From Away.” The event will be free to the public and led by volunteers who participated in free musical theater workshops to learn the music and lead the audience in song. Up to 669 people will be able to enjoy a free performance of this world-renowned musical and feel closer to the art onstage by singing together with professional actors and community members. Community match: $17,675.
$32,000 to Furniture Repair Bank to build a dedicated volunteer gathering and empowerment hub. The project will include a dedicated community area for reflection and connection; ergonomic and safety upgrades to make restoration work accessible to all; and intuitive storage and workshop design to empower independent use of the space and peer-to-peer learning. These enhancements will strengthen community bonds, improve volunteer experience, and expand their impact in keeping furniture in circulation for the benefit of all Seattle residents. Community match: $23,940.
$27,527 to Urban ArtWorks for a new community mural under the Holman overpass created through a collaborative design and painting process that will include Urban ArtWorks youth Base Crew artists, professional teaching artists, and residents of the Crown Hill neighborhood and surrounding community. The project will include cleaning and preparing the wall, designing a mural through community input, and painting the large-scale design on the wall on several volunteer Community Paint Days in early summer 2026. Community match: $23,930.
$26,753 to YMCA of Greater Seattle to renovate the University Family Y Branch kitchen, which operates the Y’s Community Meals program and Magnuson Park Community Food Pantry. These much-needed improvements will expand the capacity of both programs and create a safer environment for participants and volunteers. To celebrate the completion of the renovations, the Y will hold a resource fair where participants can receive free clothing and hygiene products, haircuts and showers, and access medical care during a regularly scheduled community meal. Community match: $21,857.
$25,750 to Rainier Roller Riot for programing to increase retention of BIPOC and other skaters at multiple levels who do not see themselves represented in roller derby. The funding will support a four-week bridge program for skaters who complete beginner camp but feel unready to skate at regular league practices, and a coach training program for advanced skaters to lead practices at the beginner or bridge camp. Community match: $25,760.
$25,000 to Black Power Unlimited for an Artist in Residence project designed to amplify the voices and experiences of Black, brown, Indigenous, QTBIPOC, and youth (13-24) artists. The project aims to address challenges including lack of access to resources, institutional racism, and cultural appropriation by providing the space, support, and resources artists need to create, display, and amplify our art and stories, cultivate community, and build sustainable careers. Community match: $24,947.
$14,920 to Seattle REconomy for 12 free repair events focused on community building, repair/reuse, and skills building for NE Seattle neighbors. These events will strengthen neighborhood connections, teach essential skills, encourage sustainability, save people money, and reduce waste. Funding will support staff coordination and outreach to our diverse communities as well as provide necessary materials, and free refreshments. The project will culminate with a celebration at the NE Seattle Tool Library with food, tours, t-shirt making, and information about the program and other community resources. Community match: $7,460.
$14,690 to Toys Not Included for their annual street art show and monthly Street Art Activity Centers that bring free, hands-on workshops to neighborhoods citywide. Community members create alongside professional street artists, contributing to community created installations featured in the annual show. Community match: $22,720.
