It Takes a Neighborhood
In every phase of our lives, the way we interact with and go about the world is often influenced by the environments we exist in. Growing up, the curriculum and extracurriculars your school offered might have led you to develop specific interests or pursue a certain career path. Your social circles may be built around activities introduced to you by friends, family members, and other loved ones. The beliefs you hold could have been instilled in you due to the home you grew up in. Most of the building blocks that have made us into the people we are today were crafted by the various people and spaces we have experienced over the course of our lives.
At Seattle Parks Foundation, we believe that everyone has the right to exist in healthy, sustainable, and equitable communities, and our partners are working towards making that possible through their grassroots projects. Mostly volunteer-led, the partner projects we fiscally sponsor are implemented by community members who are knowledgeable about the needs of their specific neighborhoods.
It really does take a neighborhood to make a difference, and today, we support a network of over 100 community partners who do good in their neighborhoods and throughout the region. Wherever you are on the map, you’ll find a Seattle Parks Foundation project nearby, powered by our amazing partners.
In Every Neighborhood, for Everybody
Our partners and their projects aim to create safe and inclusive spaces throughout Seattle and the region. From leading environmental affinity groups to operating resource centers in their neighborhoods, they consistently cater to the communities those spaces serve.
Regionwide, Seattle Environmental People of Color (SEAPOC) engages with Indigenous, Black and People of Color who envision a diverse environmental movement where they and their peers can thrive.
In the Central District, Central District Community Preservation and Development Authority (CDCPDA) offers programs dedicated to career advancement, education, and business development and other resources that are designed to empower residents and bridge the gap between potential and opportunity.
Mark Your Calendars!
The Seattle Parks Foundation Events Calendar is regularly updated with community events hosted by our partners. Their events range from large annual events like seasonal festivals to smaller, more frequent events that bring people together to spend time outside.
Every August, Alki Beach Pride keeps the party going through the last month of the summer with Washington State’s first Pride event AT the beach, founded by two Black women.
Throughout the city, Seattle’s chapter of Friends on Bikes, a social cycling crew, unites Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) who are women, trans, and/or non-binary through organized rides, workshops, and other events.
Neighbors Keeping Each Other Safe
Between the environmental inequities that affect the most marginalized in our region and the increasing threats of climate-related disasters in Seattle’s future, we are proud of our partners’ commitment to caring for their neighbors’ health and safety through their advocacy and organizing.
King County International Airport Community Coalition (KCIACC) seeks climate and environmental justice for communities of airport-adjacent and Duwamish Valley neighborhoods through local advocacy work, educational outreach, and community events.
Up north, Olympic Hills Crisis Response Action Plan (OHCRAP) are amongst many other Seattle neighborhoods who have established Emergency Hubs for their community so they can be ready to support each other amid a catastrophic disaster.
Be the Neighbor Our Neighborhoods Need
Our partners invest so much of their time, talents, and energy into creating and maintaining healthy, sustainable, and equitable communities across the region. The through line of all their projects is the inclination to be the neighbors their neighborhoods need.
This GivingTuesday, when you invest in Seattle Parks Foundation’s mission to partner with community to champion thriving and equitable parks and public spaces, you are doing your part in uplifting grassroots neighborhood movements that are revolutionizing the region.
Seattle Parks Foundation: in every neighborhood, for everybody.