In neighborhoods across Seattle, community-based organizations that are helping to solve the city’s housing affordability challenges will receive new resources to support their efforts.
Ten nonprofits that develop, preserve, and steward affordable housing will receive a combined $1.75 million in new grants aimed at strengthening their operations and expanding their impact.
These grantees were selected following a competitive application process that drew significant interest from a range of organizations, each with a strong community development vision and demonstrated capacity-building goals. This infusion of resources will accelerate the delivery of housing that meets diverse community needs in neighborhoods across Seattle.
Funded through the City of Seattle Payroll Expense Tax Community Self-Determination Fund and administered by Enterprise Community Partners, the grants will help organizations invest in critical infrastructure—from technical training to property management capacity to technology upgrades to board development.
This investment comes at a pivotal moment, as neighborhoods long impacted by housing discrimination face displacement pressures driven by rising costs and post-pandemic instability. As pressures intensify, this grant program offers timely support to help these uniquely positioned, mission-driven groups make lasting impacts on their organizational capacity and the communities they serve.
The grantees represent communities across Seattle — spanning the Rainier Valley, Central District, Chinatown International District, West Seattle, and beyond — where rising costs and displacement pressures have intensified the need for bold, community-led solutions.
- African Community Housing & Development
- Africatown Community Land Trust
- Chief Seattle Club
- Delridge Neighborhoods Development Association
- El Centro de la Raza
- Ethiopian Community in Seattle
- InterIm Community Development Association
- Seattle Chinatown International District Preservation and Development Authority
- Seattle Indian Services Commission
- Urban League of Metropolitan Seattle
For the Seattle Indian Services Commission (SISC), the grant is an investment to fulfill a critical need to add staff to meet development milestones on their Native Village and Gateway Project.
“SISC is in a powerful moment of reinvigoration and renewal, grounded in Native values and guided by the needs of our community. This capacity-building grant from Enterprise allows us to invest in the infrastructure and systems that will carry our mission forward — ensuring we can build not only affordable housing, but pathways to belonging, wellness, and intergenerational prosperity for Native families," Seattle Indian Services Commission Interim Executive Director Collen Echohawk said.
The grant to Urban League of Metropolitan Seattle (ULMS) comes at a pivotal moment for the organization, which will use the funds to increase development staff capacity to strengthen its pipeline and fuel efforts around the Empowerment Center.
“This investment strengthens our ability to lead as a nonprofit developer and helps bring our Empowerment Center and affordable housing vision to life,” Urban League of Metropolitan Seattle President and CEO Michelle Merriweather said. “We’re excited to build spaces where our community can access opportunity, stability, and the dignity of a place to call home.”
This investment in affordable housing, and the organizations committed to its stewardship, comes at a time of uncertainty and urgency. Bolstered by these capacity-building resources, grantees will be better positioned to secure private and public funding and build and preserve affordable homes across Seattle.
For more information, contact seattlecapacitygrant@enterprisecommunity.org.
