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Request for proposal: 2026 Elevate Skyway community fund
Participatory grantmaking overview
The Elevate Skyway Community Fund, co-designed by the Skyway Community Advisory Board, will distribute approximately $1.7 million in 2026–2027 public funds to support community-driven investments in the unincorporated area of Skyway-West Hill.
The 2026 funding cycle uses a community-led Participatory Grantmaking approach, building on lessons and community input from King County’s previous Participatory Budgeting cycles. The process centers community voice, leadership, equity, and shared decision-making by engaging community members in shaping funding priorities, grantmaking processes, outreach, and proposal review.
Unlike traditional Participatory Budgeting, the 2026 process will not include a community-wide vote. Instead, eligible organizations will apply through a competitive grant process, with trained community members participating in the review, selection, and recommendation of proposals. The goal is to ensure public investments reflect community-identified priorities and needs while strengthening transparency, trust, and community power.
2026 Community Advisory Board vision
Skyway’s Participatory Grantmaking Community Advisory Board envisions a community where residents have meaningful power and influence in determining how public funds are invested in their neighborhoods. This process seeks to create equitable, thriving, and connected communities by ensuring that those most impacted by community challenges are directly involved in shaping solutions. We are committed to uplifting and centering the voices of Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) communities in this process.
Process objectives
- Addressing racial disparities
- Advancing educational equity
- Building social infrastructure
- Creating safe and inclusive spaces
- Cultural expression
- Empowering youth and future generations
- Enhancing environmental justice
- Fostering health and wellness
- Increasing access to resources
- Promoting economic empowerment
On this page
Minimum eligibility criteria to apply
- Must have an active Washington State business license and Federal Tax ID number/Employer Identification Number (EIN) and be in good standing prior to submission.
- Must not be prohibited from receiving government funding or entering into contracts with government agencies.
- Must benefit the unincorporated area of Skyway/West Hill
The Skyway community advisory board has identified eight priority areas for community investment
Programs that promote academic success, healthy youth development, family stability, and positive community connections through safe, culturally responsive, and nurturing environments. Programs may provide mentorship, enrichment, life-skills development, and support for the diverse needs of youth and families.
Examples may include:
- Academic support: Tutoring, mentoring, and educational enrichment.
- Youth enrichment: Arts, sports, STEM, recreation, leadership, and summer/out-of-school programs.
- Youth and life skills: Safe spaces that build leadership, resilience, relationships, and connections with trusted adults.
- Family and caregiver support: Services addressing the unique needs of multigenerational families, kinship caregivers, guardians, foster/blended families, single-parent households, and other non-traditional family structures.
Proposals that are designed to build economic mobility, bridge skills gaps, and foster a highly skilled local workforce. They provide individuals with direct pathways to stable, living-wage employment through practical skill acquisition and immediate connection to industry employers.
These career advancement initiatives focus on three key strategic areas:
- Earn-while-you-learn models: Structured programs that combine paid on-the-job employment with technical instruction, leading to industry-recognized credentials.
- Experiential skill acquisition: Immersive, hands-on training environments that simulate real-world workplaces to build immediate technical competence.
- Pipeline development: Strategic partnerships between educators and industry sectors to match trained workers directly with available, high-demand career openings.
Proposals that are designed to build nutritional equity, eliminate food insecurity, and foster long-term community wellness. They ensure that all residents, regardless of income or physical mobility, have direct access to fresh, healthy, and culturally relevant food options.
These food justice programs focus on four key strategic areas:
- Nutritional equity: Grassroots efforts to establish equitable access to fresh produce and healthy meals in historically underserved neighborhoods.
- Direct emergency aid: Systems that fund and supply local hubs to distribute groceries and essential pantry staples directly to families in need.
- Accessible mobile distribution: Targeted delivery networks that bring fresh meals and groceries straight to the doorsteps of homebound seniors and individuals with disabilities.
- Sovereignty and education: Shared neighborhood agricultural spaces and hands-on classes that teach residents how to grow, harvest, and cook their own sustainable food.
Proposals that are designed to build personal wealth, secure housing stability, and foster long-term regional growth.
They provide individuals with the practical tools, skills, and resources needed to achieve long-term financial security and contribute to the local economy such as, but not limited to:
- Asset building: Initiatives that increase personal net worth, drive local investment, and create long-term generational wealth within families.
- Fiscal education: Hands-on training covering budgeting, credit building, debt management, and strategic investment principles.
- Housing stability: Workshops that guide first-time buyers through mortgages, down payment assistance, and the legalities of property ownership.
Civic activation frameworks designed to build social cohesion, stimulate hyper-local commerce, and streamline public service access.
They transform shared public spaces into multi-functional hubs where cultural pride, independent entrepreneurship, and vital neighborhood resources intersect such as:
- Cultural Preservation & Cohesion: Inclusive festivals that celebrate heritage, foster intercultural dialogue, and strengthen the social fabric of diverse neighborhoods
- Hyper-Local Economic Staging: Open-air commerce platforms that eliminate traditional overhead barriers for small business owners, micro-entrepreneurs, and regional growers
- Centralized Resource Navigation: Pop-up civic spaces that bring healthcare providers, educational support, and city services directly to the residents who need them most
These initiatives are creative activation projects designed to build social cohesion, preserve diverse heritages, and amplify marginalized voices through public creative expression. They turn shared urban spaces into visual and performative storytelling platforms that spark dialogue, instill civic pride, and make arts education accessible to everyone.
Placemaking and public art: Transformative visual installations, murals, and sculptures that reflect a neighborhood's distinct identity and make fine art a free, everyday experience.
Heritage preservation: Intergenerational projects, storytelling circles, and traditional showcases that document, celebrate, and pass down community histories to future generations.
Accessible arts education: Community-based workshops, open studios, and collaborative events that lower financial and physical barriers to creative tools and mentorship.
These initiatives are holistic care frameworks designed to build health equity, improve individual longevity, and foster vibrant, thriving communities. They shift the focus from reactive medical treatment to proactive prevention, ensuring that physical, mental, and preventative healthcare resources are accessible to everyone regardless of socio-economic status.
These health and wellness efforts focus on three key strategic areas:
- Preventative care access: Community-led screening events, immunization drives, and routine checkups that detect early illnesses and reduce long-term medical costs.
- Mental and emotional well-being: De-stigmatized counseling services, support groups, and mindfulness practices that build psychological resilience and emotional stability.
- Active lifestyle promotion: Free or affordable fitness classes, recreational activities, and nutritional guidance that encourage daily movement and lifelong healthy habits.
Designed to build neighborhood stability, protect human life, and foster safe, resilient urban spaces. They address the root causes of crime and conflict by replacing reactive policing models with proactive, community-centered safety strategies.
These public safety efforts focus on three key strategic areas:
- Community-led violence intervention: Street outreach teams, credible messengers, and conflict mediators who diffuse tensions directly on the ground before they escalate.
- Root-cause prevention: Targeted youth mentorship, trauma-informed counseling, and economic support designed to steer high-risk individuals away from systemic violence.
- Environmental safety design: Structural improvements to public spaces—such as updated street lighting, neighborhood cleanups, and the reclamation of vacant lots—to naturally deter crime.
Funding available by priority area
The Elevate Skyway Community Fund will provide approximately $1.7 million in grant funding across eight community priority areas. Applicants may request funding within the minimum and maximum award ranges shown below.
| Community Priority Area | Minimum Award | Maximum Award | Funding Available |
|---|---|---|---|
| Youth and family services | $25,000 | $150,000 | $300K |
| Career advancement / Workforce development | $25,000 | $150,000 | $300K |
| Food sovereignty initiatives | $25,000 | $150,000 | $300K |
| Harm reduction / public safety initiatives | $25,000 | $150,000 | $150K |
| Community events | $25,000 | $150,000 | $150K |
| Community empowerment initiatives | $25,000 | $150,000 | $150K |
| Community arts / cultural projects | $25,000 | $75,000 | $150K |
| Health / wellness | $25,000 | $75,000 | $150K |
Funding available: Amounts shown represent the funding available for each priority areas, not guaranteed allocations. Actual awards will depend on the number of, and quality of eligible proposals received, available funding, and the number of proposals selected for funding. Funds may be shifted between priority areas through the Contingency Funding process.
Additional funding consideration
The funding amounts listed for each Community Priority Area represent planned funding pools, not guaranteed allocations. The final amount awarded within each priority area will depend on the number of eligible applications received, the strength of proposals, and available funding. To maximize the use of available funds, the County may shift unused funds to other priority areas through the contingency funding process.
Contingency funding
How funding decisions will work
- The $25,000 amount is the minimum grant request.
- The maximum request is $75,000 or $150,000, depending on the community priority area.
- The final number of awards will depend on the proposals received, their funding needs, the review process, and available funds.
- If funds remain unused in one priority area, the Community Advisory Board may recommend reallocating those funds to another priority area, consistent with the approved funding framework and applicable County requirements.
- Applicants should request the amount needed to successfully complete the proposed project, based on the cost of implementing (actual or estimated) rather than requesting a strategic number in the hopes of being selected.
Partial funding and project scope
If sufficient funding is not available to fully fund a proposed project, the County may work with the applicant to adjust or reduce the project scope and budget so the project can be implemented within the available funding. Any changes will be discussed and agreed upon with the applicant before an award is finalized.Important note for applicants
Funding is competitive. Meeting the minimum or maximum award range does not guarantee funding. Final award amounts will be based on the proposal review and scoring process, the strength of the proposed project, community need and impact, alignment with the funding priorities, and available funding.Proposal review and scoring: Proposals will be reviewed and scored using consistent criteria focused on community need, community impact, racial equity and inclusion, community leadership, engagement, collaboration, project feasibility, budget stewardship, and evaluation. Proposals will be scored on a 100-point scale, with community knowledge, lived experience, and resident input recognized as valid evidence.