We’re excited to announce the recipients of the Voter Education Fund. King County Elections and Seattle Foundation are providing $435,000 in grants for voter engagement in communities that are historically underrepresented in the democratic process.
A total of 30 community-based organizations are receiving funding to offer basic education about voting in King County and technical assistance, such as helping voters complete a voter registration form.
The fund offered community-based organizations the opportunity to apply for up to $25,000 to develop a 9-month campaign to engage voters or potential voters and up to $10,000 to provide a series of smaller events.
Funded organizations represent a diverse range of historically underserved communities across King County. They include Longhouse Media, which produces media relating to Native issues and people, and The Seattle/King County Coalition on Homelessness, which ensures safety and survival for people while they are homeless.
Longhouse Media plans to use their award to engage Native youth in the civic process.
“It’s imperative that Indigenous people, especially the youth, are invited to vote and made to feel that their voices matter to the future of our communities,” said Tracy Rector, Executive Director of Longhouse Media.
The Seattle/King County Coalition on Homelessness intends to use the funding to ensure the region’s most impoverished citizens have the necessary information to participate in the voting process.
“We are excited and honored to receive support from the Voter Education Fund to help make sure that people without homes have a voice,” said Alison Eisinger, Executive Director of The Seattle/King County Coalition on Homelessness. “For people who are homeless, exercising the right and responsibility to vote can be complicated and discouraging, but in our democracy, where you live and how much money you have should not affect whether you can vote.”
Next up is a training workshop for organizations receiving funding. They’ll attend the workshop at King County Elections during the week of June 12, 2017.
Here’s the full list of award recipients:
- Asian Counseling and Referral Services
- APACEvotes
- CAIR-WA
- Coalition of Immigrants, Refugees, and Communities of Color (CIRCC)
- Eritrean Association of Greater Seattle
- Ethiopian Community in Seattle
- Hearing, Speech & Deaf Center (HSDC)
- ICHS
- Ingersoll Gender Center
- Institute for Community Leadership
- Interim CDA
- Kent Black Action Commission
- Korean American Coalition
- LGBTQ Allyship
- Longhouse Media
- Mothers For Police Accountability
- NAACP
- Na’ah Illahee Fund
- Nsanga Corporation
- Open Doors for Multicultural Families
- Seattle/King County Coalition on Homelessness
- Skyway Solutions
- Somali Community Services of Seattle
- Somali Youth & Family Club
- SPIARC
- URBVOTE
- Washington Bus
- Washington CAN!
- White Center Community Development Association
- Wing Luke Museum
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