Project will create a hub for culture, wellness, and education in Seattle’s urban Native Community
The City of Seattle’s Office of Planning and Community Development (OPCD), in partnership with the Seattle Office for Civil Rights (OCR), has selected Duwamish Tribal Services to lead the Native Youth: Past, Present, Future project. A community center designed to serve urban Native youth and their families.
The center was funded through Seattle’s participatory budgeting process, which committed $7 million in capital funding to the project. Duwamish Tribal Services was chosen through a competitive Request for Qualifications process.
“This project strengthens our community by supporting Native youth and their families,” said Rico, Quirindongo, Director of the Office of Planning and Community Development. “The center will honor culture and create space for learning and wellness. Duwamish Tribal Services is a strong partner, and we know they will deliver what the community needs.”
The center will serve as a gathering place for urban Native youth, families, and the broader Seattle community, providing programming focused on youth empowerment, cultural preservation, intergenerational learning, and wellness. While designed with Native youth at the center, the facility will be open and welcoming to all.
“When we talk about building a stronger, more inclusive city, we must start by recognizing the self-determination of the Duwamish people on whose land we sit on,” said Erika Pablo, Interim Director of the Seattle Office for Civil Rights. “By investing in the center, our goal for this funding is to better support urban Native youth in shaping their own futures, become stronger advocates for their community, and create solutions rooted in their values, ancestral knowledge, and culture. Through this center, our hope for Native youth is to not only imagine a better future – but to build it.”
Kristina Pearson, Executive Director of Duwamish Tribal Services, called the selection a milestone years in the making.
“This grant represents a transformational investment in the future of the Duwamish Tribe and the broader community,” Pearson said. “The community center is more than a building, it reflects the resilience of the Duwamish people and the power of community advocacy. We are deeply grateful to everyone who believed in us and helped make this moment possible.”
How the Project Came to Be
The project traces its roots to September 2020, when the Seattle City Council designated $3 million for research by the Black Brilliance Research Project on addressing public safety for communities disproportionately affected by police violence and systemic racism. The resulting 2021 report recommended a participatory budgeting process. A process that would center community voices, particularly Black and Indigenous residents, in shaping how public dollars are invested.
Community members submitted project ideas across five focus areas. Each proposal was reviewed for feasibility and developed into a concrete project by community Budget Delegates. Of 18 proposals that reached the ballot, nine were authorized for implementation as part of the City’s 2025–26 budget. The Native Youth: Past, Present, Future project was among them.
What Comes Next
Duwamish Tribal Services will lead early planning and design in close collaboration with Native youth, families, and community members. The organization will manage construction, provide regular community updates, and partner with the City throughout delivery.
Project Timeline
- 2020: Seattle City Council designates funding; Black Brilliance Research Project launched
- 2021: Research report recommends participatory budgeting process
- 2024: Project selected as part of nine authorized in the 2024–25 City budget
- 2025: Project transmitted to OPCD for delivery
- 2026: Request for Qualifications published; Duwamish Tribal Services selected
- 2027–2032: Construction and project delivery
About the Artist
Paige Pettibon is a Tacoma-based multidisciplinary artist whose creative practice is deeply rooted in her Black, White, and Salish heritage as a citizen of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes.