Today, Mayor Bruce Harrell announced $27.8 million in awards to 33 projects through the Equitable Development Initiative (EDI), part of the City’s effort to support property ownership among Seattle’s diverse communities in neighborhoods at high risk of displacement.
The EDI Advisory Board and a community review panel assessed project recommendations through a facilitated consensus process, using public criteria to narrow grantee applications. This round of EDI funding welcomes a cohort of nine new EDI grantees, while meeting critical funding needs to move existing EDI projects toward completion.
Administered by the Office of Planning and Community Development (OPCD), the EDI was created in 2016 to respond to the needs of marginalized communities, reduce disparities, and support organizational capacity building, property acquisition, and capital expenses. The initiative is championed by community groups concerned about displacement pressures and historical lack of investment that has occurred in communities of color in Seattle.
“The Equitable Development Initiative is a cornerstone in our efforts to prevent displacement, foster inclusive growth, and build healthy, thriving communities,” said Mayor Bruce Harrell. “With this record investment, our city is continuing its commitment to Equitable Development Initiative projects that keep cultural communities rooted in the neighborhoods they call home. Our administration has been proud to champion funding for over $91 million in EDI awards over the past four years, ensuring our diverse communities can thrive in place for generations to come.”
As a key inclusive growth and anti-displacement strategy, EDI fosters community leadership that promotes equitable access to jobs, education and childcare, outdoor space and recreation, cultural expression, healthy food, and other community needs and amenities. These funding partnerships are designed to build capacity of organizations to serve an array of fundamental needs among the most marginalized communities in Seattle.
The program is based in shared decision-making and power, working towards racial equity outcomes that allow all communities to thrive. As the community-serving spaces and places funded by EDI become operable, funded organizations are providing public benefits in the form of services and programming that increase access to determinants of equity and reduce the risk of physical and cultural displacement.
“The innovation and success of Equitable Development Initiative projects show what is possible when we invest directly in community-based organizations,” said Rico Quirindongo, Director of OPCD. “EDI centers the vision and leadership of those most impacted by displacement, supporting cultural place keeping and empowering people to shape their future as our city grows.”
The following community-based organizations were selected to receive funding to support capital projects:
2025 New EDI Grantees
| Organization and Project Name | Award | Geography | Project Description |
| Food Resource Network MLK Commissary Kitchen Project | $800,000 | Columbia City | The Food Resource Network’s MLK Commissary Kitchen Project is a shared commercial kitchen designed to house 24–28 restaurant concepts, caterers, bakers, chefs, and food trucks. The project strengthens the local economy, reduces food waste, and improves food access. |
| Auto Repair Transformation | Omitted | SODO | Auto Repair Transformation (A.R.T.), a BIPOC- and LGBTQIA-led nonprofit, is working towards securing a permanent home for apprenticeship and community-serving programs. |
| Hummingbird Indigenous Family Services Little Wings Birth Center | Omitted | Columbia City | Little wings birth house will be a space for the Native American, Alaska Native, Kanaka Maoli and Pacific Islander community to welcome babies in a space that is culturally safe. In addition to the birth center, the space will be used for indigenous parent groups, behavioral health, and lactation support. |
| The Cultural Space Agency Launch Point | $860,448 | Mt. Baker | Launch Point is an ambitious and innovative project set to transform a 1,500 square-foot storefront in the Rainier Valley into the nation’s first permanent BIPOC pop-up space featuring a series of exhibitions, microbusinesses, performance spaces, and arts engagement opportunities. |
| Goodwill Baptist Church | $75,000 | Central District | Goodwill Missionary Baptist Church and Homestead Community Land Trust propose 34 permanently affordable homeownership units at in the Central District. |
| Sovereignty Rises | $75,000 | North Seattle | The Green Buffalo healing lodge will start a visioning process to design a native-led healing and housing facility using sustainable building methods like hempcrete. |
| Langston | $75,000 | Central District | LANGSTON will launch a community-driven ownership visioning and feasibility process to secure long-term Black ownership of the historic Langston Hughes Performing Arts Institute (LHPAI) in Seattle’s Central District. |
| Byrd Barr Place | $75,000 | Rainier Valley | BBP has begun developing Byrd Barr South, a multi-use facility in south Seattle that will provide accessible and culturally appropriate anti-poverty programs and related services to low-income families, primarily people of color, in neighborhoods currently unserved by similar programs. |
| Wing Luke Museum | $75,000 | C/ID | The Wing Luke Museum will lead a community visioning and planning process for vacant space acquired alongside the Eng Family Homestead Home, focused on revitalizing the local economy and supporting community wellbeing. |
Current EDI Grantees working toward completion:
| Organization and Project Name | Award | Geography | Project Description |
| Seattle Indian Services Commission Native Village & Gateway Project | $2,000,000 | International District | Economic Empowerment |
| Nurturing Roots Nurturing Roots Farm/BPEC Project | Omitted | Georgetown | Urban Farming |
| Kwanza Preparatory Academy Tayari Learning Center | $1,200,167 | Rainier Beach | Childcare |
| Cham Refugees Community Cham Community Center | $2,100,000 | Rainier Valley | Community Center |
| Royal Esquire Club Royal Esquire Club | $183,800 | Columbia City | Cultural Space |
| Urban Black Legacy Program Project | $1,000,000 | West Seattle | Arts and Culture, Community Center |
| Tubman Center for Health & Freedom Tubman Center for Health & Freedom | $1,900,000 | Rainier Beach | Healthcare |
| Central Area Senior Center The Central, CASC | $900,000 | Central Area | Senior Center |
| African Community Housing & Development Immigrant and Refugee Public Market | $750,000 | Westwood/Highland Park | Small Business Incubation |
| House of Mkeka SPC House of Mkeka | Omitted | Haller Lake | Community Center |
| Central District Community Preservation and Development Authority (CDCPDA) McKinney Center | $500,000 | Central District | Economic Development |
| Cultural Space Agency/ Cultivate South Park El Barrio | $ 418,935 | South Park | Economic Development Community Center |
| International Community Health Services Ron Chew Healthy Aging & Wellness Center | $2,279,626 | Beacon Hill | Senior Center |
| Khmer Community Seattle King County Khmer Community Center | $2,000,000 | Westwood Highland Park | Community Center |
| Queer the Land Queer the Land Project | $1,029,953 | Beacon Hill | Community Center |
| ADEFUA ACAC Preserving African Heritage Project | $150,000 | Rainier Valley | Arts and Cultural Space |
| Northwest Tap Connection NW Tap Headquarters | $150,000 | Rainier Beach | Arts and Cultural Space |
| Estelita’s Library Freedom Cultural Center | $150,000 | Beacon Hill | Cultural Space |
| Africatown CLT Africatown Plaza – Commercial | $75,000 | Central District | Community Center |
| Cham Refugees Community Po’h Cham (Cham Village) | $150,000 | Rainier Valley | Affordable Housing |
| Somali Health Board Somali Cultural Innovation Hub | $150,000 | Rainier Valley | Community Center |
| Frank and Goldyne Green Cultural Land Conservancy Wa Na Wari: The Seattle Black Spatial Histories Institute | $150,000 | Central District | Arts and Cultural Center |
| Union Cultural Center UCC-MÁS Legacy Home | $150,000 | Unknown | Arts and Cultural Center |
| Urban Family Urban Family Empowerment Hub | $150,000 | Rainier Valley | Youth Center |
What People Are Saying:
“I proposed this project because I’ve watched too many of our neighbors, elders, and small businesses get pushed out of the very community that shaped us. MLK Commissary Kitchen is my way of fighting for us—our culture, our food, our stories, and our right to stay and thrive here. I’m deeply excited to build this space because I know it will open doors for people who rarely get real chances. This funding is more than support for a project; it’s an investment in the people, our stability, and our future.” – Michaya Pollard, Director, Food Resource Network- MLK Commissary Kitchen Project
“This investment from Seattle’s EDI program affirms what we’ve always known: solutions for equity must be led by the communities most impacted. At Auto Repair Transformation, we are proud to be a by-and-for organization building career pathways and transportation access rooted in lived experience. With this support, we’re expanding economic opportunity while transforming an industry that has long excluded us.” – Eli Allison, Executive Director, Auto Repair Transformation
“This slate of organizations selected in this EDI grant round reflects the strength, diversity, and resilience of Seattle’s communities, rooted in community, driven by cultural wisdom, and committed to lifting up our historically underserved neighbors. The review process was collaborative, transparent, and centered on equity, and I’m proud to help support organizations creating meaningful impact citywide.” – John Rodríguez, EDI Advisory Board Member
“As a new EDI Advisory Board Member, serving on the RFP selection committee gave me a deeper look into some of the incredible projects being led by community-based organizations across Seattle, as well as valuable insight into the EDI RFP process itself. One of the things that resonated most with me during the proposal review process was the sheer breadth of community needs proposers are working to address, and the depth of community support behind their projects, demonstrated by strong partnerships and meaningful examples of community participation throughout their project planning. For me, this underscores the importance of directing public investments to those who are most attuned to the impacts of historic inequities and are deeply connected to the communities they serve.” – Amira Beasley, EDI Advisory Board Member